Gamescom Opening Night Live 2025 showcased The Darkest Files, Glasshouse, and Compensation Not Guaranteed, three games with democracy as the theme of their stories. The Darkest Files and the other two titles were featured in the Gamescom Cares segment.
While triple-A titles such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 are among the biggest of Gamescom 2025 Day 1, the event also featured exciting indie games. Three in particular were given a special showcase during Gamescom Opening Night Live.
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Gamescom 2025 Highlights Games With Stories About Democracy and War
Gamescom Opening Night Live showcased gameplay from Glasshouse, The Darkest Files, and Compensation Not Guaranteed, three games about politics with democracy as their theme. The Darkest Files is an investigative adventure set in Germany in 1956. Glasshouse is a turn-based game set in a post-capitalist world on the brink of a major world war. Compensation Not Guaranteed is reminiscent of the acclaimed Papers, Please, and takes place in a world of anthropomorphic animals in which players must convince citizens to give their land to the government.
Developed by Paintbucket Games, in The Darkest Files, players interrogate witnesses and suspects to expose the truth. The protagonist, Esther, can visualize different versions of events when gathering testimonies by using her "mind's eye." Inspired by RPGs such as Pathologic and the big hit Disco Elysium, Glasshouse is a project by FLAT28. The game promises a story with memorable characters, multiple endings, combat, and the chance to follow a peaceful path. In Compensation Not Guaranteed by Team Project Lunch, players will listen to citizens, check their ownership documents, and make challenging choices that will impact people around them and beyond.
Gamers who are fans of true crime can download the free demo of The Darkest Times on Steam or purchase the game for $19.99. The title is also available in three other bundles, one of which includes the soundtrack and the Prosecutor Edition Upgrade DLC. Glasshouse and Compensation Not Guaranteed will also be released on Valve's platform, though no date has been confirmed yet. Players can download the demo for Compensation Not Guaranteed and try out the first chapter of the game.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Critics Rec: 82%
- Released
- March 25, 2025
- Developer(s)
- Paintbucket Games
- Publisher(s)
- Paintbucket Games
WHERE TO PLAY
Justice requires courage. The courage to uncover truths that no one wants to see. The courage to confront former murderers who now wear suits and command respect. The courage to be threatened, ostracised or worse. And the courage to look into the darkness and be changed forever.
INVESTIGATE. EXPOSE. CONVICT.
You are Esther Katz, a young prosecutor who has just joined Fritz Bauer's new special unit. Your task seems impossible: to investigate crimes committed years ago, where evidence has been destroyed, witnesses silenced and the perpetrators embedded in the highest ranks of society. Every decision matters. Every interrogation can bring you closer to the perpetrator or lead you astray. Silence is your worst enemy. Time is working against you. And German society is not ready to face its past.
BASED ON TRUE EVENTS
In 1956, Fritz Bauer and his team of “Nazi hunters” demanded justice when everyone else demanded silence. A small team of prosecutors defying an entire nation. Criminals hiding in plain sight as respected citizens. Experience their dangerous struggle through the immersive investigations. Uncover truths a country has fought to keep buried. Challenge a society desperate to rewrite its own past.
FEATURES
- Investigate two extensive cases based on true Nazi-era crimes
- Interrogate witnesses and suspects, break through walls of silence and expose lies
- Witness different versions of events through Esther's "mind's eye" as you perceive testimonies - which may be truthful, distorted, or deliberately false
- Reconstruct events step by step from fragmented evidence and testimonies
- Prosecute perpetrators in court with the right charges, where your investigative thoroughness will be put to the test
- Shape the outcome with multiple endings - succeed in bringing justice or face the harsh reality of a perpetrator walking free
- Explore Esther's story, her past and her relationships with family, colleagues and the iconic Fritz Bauer
- Immerse yourself in stunning cell-shaded 3D graphics inspired by 1950s pulp comics, complete with comic panels that reflect the era
- Listen to full English voice acting bringing every character to life
