The Darkest Files News

🎉 Only 3 Weeks Until Release! 🎉

The wait is almost over, we will release The Darkest Files in just three weeks! For this occasion, we’ve prepared a brand-new trailer that makes our game look as suspenseful as it is. 🕵️‍♀️

Watch the new trailer HERE!

We can’t wait for you to experience the full game, and we’re incredibly grateful for all your support along the way.

Let us know what you think, and help us spread the word! 🧡

Hi everyone!

Only 6 weeks left until the release of The Darkes Files! We’re deep in the final stages of development, making sure everything is as polished as possible before release. Right now, we are focusing on QA Testing, eliminating all existing bugs, and making sure everything runs smoothly. 🕵️‍♀️

But there is also still some visual improvement happening! We overhauled the Flashback Scenes of Esther’s past. If you have played the closed beta, you saw an earlier version of them. They are a glimpse into the past, like the memories of witnesses, which you know from the demo. While also in black and white, a new shader will differentiate the Flashback Scenes from the Witness Memories, making each one feel distinct and atmospheric. What do you think?



The Darkest Files will be released on Steam on the 25th of March with English voiceover and subtitles, as well as German and French subtitles. After will follow Russian and Spanish subtitles, and the release on Nintendo Switch!

If you want to support us while getting closer to the finish line, join our Discord and BlueSky to get the latest news, and help us share the word with a repost. 🧡

With your help, many more people can enjoy The Darkest Files - Thank you!

All the love,

The Paintbuckets 🎨

Hi everyone!

We hope you had a great start to the new year - we did and went straight back to working on The Darkest Files! 🕵️‍♀️💫

Currently, we are working a lot on the Epilogue and Esther’s past, and we do not want to spoil anything there yet, but we still have some stuff to show you:

Our narrative designers have completed writing the Kitchen Talks, which have been sent to our voice actors to be recorded. We also now have new poses and animations for the characters for these scenes, which are being implemented right now!

The Darkest Files Fanart Contest - Win a merchandise package! 🔍

Win a merchandise package in our The Darkest Files Fanart Contest!
The theme is “What would Esther do?”



Think like Esther - what does she create, while
connecting the dots in her latest case? Does she draw her colleagues in cute hats? Does she crochet Paula’s cat?

All mediums are allowed, you can draw, craft, crochet, or whatever you want! Post your entries in the #atelier on our Discord server until the 2nd of February. Please also tell us, if you allow us to share the picture on our socials.

Everyone can vote up their favorite entry with "😻" - the winner will be determined by the votes on Discord, and announced on the 3rd of February.

The winner will receive a merchandise package, consisting of a The Darkest Files tote bag, Stickers, and more! (Please note that we can only send the prize to countries, to which DHL is shipping. Customs duties may apply)

Love,

The Paintbuckets 🧡

To celebrate, we’ve also released a new trailer showing gameplay from the second case. You can watch the trailer HERE

We also pushed an update to the Closed Beta update already! It includes many bug fixes, various saving and loading improvements, and overall polishing.

This wouldn’t have been possible without your support. From your contributions during the Kickstarter campaign to your incredible feedback during the beta, you’ve been such an important part of bringing The Darkest Files to the next stage! 🕵️‍♀️

To avoid any misunderstandings, we want to clarify that while The Darkest Files will launch on PC (Steam and GOG) as planned, the release on Nintendo Switch will come a little later. Porting a game to the Switch isn’t easy. The hardware specs require us to optimize the game, so there will be a good balance between visual quality, smooth performance, and our creative vision. Additionally, there is a long approval process for games on the platform, which adds to the timeline.

Thank you for your understanding, we will give our very best to make the wait as short as possible for you 🧡

As we approach the final stages of development, we’re putting all our efforts into making The Darkest Files everything you’ve hoped for and we’ll continue to keep you updated as we get closer to release day. Let us know your thoughts about the trailer in the comments, we’d love to hear from you!

Love,

Your Paintbuckets

Dear Investigators,

Today we're excited to release a significant update to our Closed Beta, bringing you the complete second case (though not yet the game's finale) along with major improvements to the first one! 🎁 If your Kickstarter reward does not include the Closed Beta access, you can still get excited about the following enhancements:

• The entire second case
  
• Meet Marlene, the office cat! 🐱
  
• Dive deep into Esther's backstory
  
• New Archive Cases of Fritz Bauer
  
• New Save System: Unlimited manual save slots per session - return to any point you want!
  
• New hint system to help guide your investigation
  

Completely Revamped Courtroom:

• Rebuilt courtroom gameplay - outcomes now remain uncertain until you make your claim
  
• Multiple chances to prove each step of your case
  
• New atmospheric courtroom music
  
• Enhanced artwork and animated characters
  
• Dynamic cinematic camera movements
  
• Introduction of Sigmund Haubner as second defense attorney for more logical court dialogues
  

Please Note: The game is still a work in progress - you'll encounter some unfinished elements, including:

• Temporary voice recordings for Emilia Becker and Sigmund Haubner
  
• German texts that will receive professional editing before final release
  
• Bugs! (please continue using the in-game bug report function - this is very helpful to us)
  

And for those worried about spoilers - yes, you can play the entire second case, but you won’t see the game’s ending(s) - we keep those a secret until release. 🕵️‍♀️


The Paintbucket team has poured their heart and soul into this update to give you this little pre-Christmas gift. We're extremely excited to hear your feedback and suggestions, and we hope you'll enjoy exploring this new content! 🧡


Have fun investigating!


Your Paintbuckets 🎨



Btw: You can also find us on Bluesky, Instagram & Co.!
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