I'll be honest, the night before our Kickstarter launched, I barely slept. Going public with our niche game, we wondered if anyone would notice - well they ... you! ... did.
A huge thank you for your support, kind words, and feedback, it really means the world to us! 🧡
Today, I would like to share a peek behind the scenes of developing The Darkest Files for the last two years and show you how we got here.
Welcome to the Chronicles of Crime - Today: Starting a Case!
It all starts with research. The cases in The Darkest Files are based on real crimes of the time. This means going through archives, files, newspapers, and literature on possible cases to a) pick one that works with our game mechanics - not all cases do - and b) make sure that once we pick it, we get the facts right. While we do sometimes change characters or events for the game, we want to make sure that we know when we are doing so.
While working on The Darkest Files, we went through dozens of potential cases to pick the ones that would work for us. We would have liked to do more, but to quote your in-game co-prosecutor, Mr Peters: "There are so many of them and so few of us."
Historical inspiration and an early draft of the reconstruction board that you will be using in the game to draft your theory of the crime and how it ended up looking in the game
After researching a historical case, the game designers arrange the events to make them playable: they decide which witness unveils which clue, what files need to be found and how, and who sends the investigators off course.
A storyboard artist and designer takes over and creates storyboards and mock-ups of key scenes helping us to better imagine how things will feel in the game.
From bio and description, the character artists create the NPC, skeleton, and poses. So many poses!
Just as for characters and scenes, the 2D artists draw sketches of the environments. The 3D artists model the environments creating walkable, interactive spaces.
Once built, our brilliant technical artist uses her shader wizardry to turn everything into an explorable graphic novel. And here you go:
SteamDeck:
The Darkest Files is fully playable on Steam Deck
You can play The Darkest Files on your Steam Deck and enjoy the full experience! Sitting on the couch while investigating case files, interrogating witnesses at your own pace, or just relaxing on the bed while you review evidence and build your case. Bring Fritz Bauer's quest for justice with you wherever you go and experience this powerful historical story in a comfortable setting. Check it out on your Steam Deck today!
Btw: You can also find us on Twitter, Instagram & Co.!
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