Through the Darkest of Times similar games & best alternatives

Through the Darkest of Times

Mac, PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Android, iOS • 2020

Should you play it?

Berlin 1933. “Adolf Hitler is chancellor!” We all know the consequences this message bore. Unspeakable horrors and suffering would sweep across the world. Few would stand and fight the monstrosity that was the German Reich. Will you? Lead an underground resistance group Through the Darkest of Times.

What works
  • Powerful historical narrative
  • Emotional and moral engagement
  • Unique art style and atmosphere
  • Strategic resource and team management
  • Educational value about nazi germany resistance
Things to keep in mind
  • Repetitive gameplay mechanics
  • Progress resets between chapters
  • Some balance and rng frustrations
  • Limited replayability
  • Text-heavy and slow pacing

What to play next

Similar games, hidden gems, and fresh directions from this game.

Top picks

Games that feel the closest overall

  • Commandos: Origins

  • War Mongrels

  • Help Will Come Tomorrow

  • Reentry - A Space Flight Simulator

  • This War of Mine

  • Suzerain

  • Police Stories: The Academy

  • One Hour One Life

  • Steel Armor: Blaze of War
Hidden Gems

Less popular games with surprisingly high similarity

  • Steel Armor: Blaze of War

  • Interrogation: You will be deceived

  • Silent Hunter®: Wolves of the Pacific U-Boat Missions
If you liked…

Recommendations by what you enjoyed most

  • Story

    Card Shark
  • Cooperation

    Heroes of Steel RPG
  • Leadership

    The Alters

Similarity map

Explore nearby similar games and see why they’re close.

How to use the graph
Similarity map

Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Why this game works” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

  • Purple star: this page’s game — everything on the map is relative to it.
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot for a screenshot preview, score, and top score gaps; click to compare in the panel on the right.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers (hidden on purpose).

Through the Darkest of Times: Less representative of its motivational profile, with noticeable differences. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Cooperation, Fellowship, Intimacy, Leadership. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Fantasy, Exploration, Violence.

Why this game works

A motivational profile of the game, with the closest similar game for each player motivation.

  • Autonomy

    Game with the same Autonomy vibe

    3

    "Players can manipulate story outcomes and choose factions during missions, indicating control over decisions and actions."

    Capsule for Warhammer® 40,000: Dawn of War® – Winter Assault Warhammer® 40,000: Dawn of War® – Winter Assault

    "Players manage a resistance group with freedom to assign members to various missions and make narrative choices, though major historical events remain fixed."

  • Competence

    Game with the same Competence vibe

    2

    "Gameplay involves skillful time and resource management with some grinding, but overall mechanics are simple and accessible."

    Capsule for DORAEMON STORY OF SEASONS DORAEMON STORY OF SEASONS

    "Gameplay involves strategic resource and risk management with some skill in balancing morale, supporters, and mission success, but mechanics are relatively simple and repetitive."

  • Competition

    Game with the same Competition vibe

    -4

    "Focus is on personal survival and progression without comparison or ranking against other players."

    Capsule for Wick Wick

    "Focus is on personal and group survival and moral choices without comparison or ranking against other players."

  • Continuation

    Game with the same Continuation vibe

    1

    "Players engage in multiple chapters and some replay to collect missing items, showing moderate attachment and desire to continue."

    Capsule for Dordogne Dordogne

    "Players engage in multiple chapters with some replay value, but progress resets between chapters and missions can feel repetitive, limiting long-term attachment."

  • Cooperation

    Game with the same Cooperation vibe

    4

    "Gameplay centers on managing a party of four characters working together with complementary skills to overcome challenges."

    Capsule for Heroes of Steel RPG Heroes of Steel RPG

    "Game centers on managing a small team with complementary skills working together to achieve resistance goals."

  • Creativity

    Game with the same Creativity vibe

    1

    "Limited creative freedom beyond tactical decisions; gameplay follows structured missions with some strategic variation."

    Capsule for Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood™ Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood™

    "Some customization of characters and strategic choices in mission assignments, but limited creative freedom beyond predefined structures."

  • Domination

    Game with the same Domination vibe

    -5

    "No elements of exerting control or superiority over others; peaceful and equal interactions."

    Capsule for Kinoko Kinoko

    "No elements of exerting control or superiority over others; emphasis on shared struggle and survival."

  • Escapism

    Game with the same Escapism vibe

    3

    "Provides immersive escape into a historical event, allowing players to emotionally disconnect from real life."

    Capsule for 1943 Berlin Blitz 1943 Berlin Blitz

    "Players immerse in a dark historical setting to experience and reflect on real-world events, providing emotional engagement and distraction."

  • Expectation

    Game with the same Expectation vibe

    -4

    "Players engage voluntarily out of interest in history, politics, and narrative rather than obligation or pressure."

    Capsule for Ambition: A Minuet in Power Ambition: A Minuet in Power

    "Players engage voluntarily out of interest in history and moral themes rather than obligation or external pressure."

  • Experimenting

    Game with the same Experimenting vibe

    1

    "Some experimentation with team lineups and strategies, but overall gameplay is consistent with original mechanics."

    Capsule for Backyard Baseball '97 Backyard Baseball '97

    "Some experimentation with team composition and mission strategies, but overall gameplay follows established patterns."

  • Exploration

    Game with the same Exploration vibe

    -3

    "Gameplay occurs on known maps and historical scenarios; limited open-world or discovery elements."

    Capsule for Atlantic Fleet Atlantic Fleet

    "Game is structured around known historical events and locations with limited discovery or new territory."

  • Expression

    Game with the same Expression vibe

    1

    "Limited character customization and cosmetic options allow some self-expression."

    Capsule for Ghost Janitors Ghost Janitors

    "Limited character customization mainly in appearance and traits, allowing modest self-expression."

  • Fantasy

    Game with the same Fantasy vibe

    -5

    "Highly realistic and grounded in historical events with no fictional or fantastical elements."

    Capsule for Six Days in Fallujah Six Days in Fallujah

    "Strongly grounded in realistic historical events and scenarios without fictional or fantastical elements."

  • Fellowship

    Game with the same Fellowship vibe

    3

    "Players feel part of a resistance community through squad leadership and shared goals."

    Capsule for Freedom Fighters Freedom Fighters

    "Focus on group identity and shared struggle within the resistance cell, though social interaction is limited to the team."

  • Growth

    Game with the same Growth vibe

    3

    "Players develop strategic skills, learn historical tactics, and improve through repeated play and mod use."

    Capsule for Commander: The Great War Commander: The Great War

    "Players develop skills of resistance members and learn historical context, promoting personal and strategic growth."

  • Health

    Game with the same Health vibe

    -5

    "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity or health-related mechanics."

    Capsule for Detroit: Become Human Detroit: Become Human

    "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity or health-related mechanics."

  • Idle

    Game with the same Idle vibe

    -3

    "Requires focused attention to manage policies and resources; not designed for casual or background play."

    Capsule for Half-Earth Socialism Half-Earth Socialism

    "Requires consistent attention to resource and risk management; not designed for casual or background play."

  • Intimacy

    Game with the same Intimacy vibe

    2

    "Narrative includes emotional relationships and character development, fostering some emotional connection."

    Capsule for Old Skies Old Skies

    "Narrative includes emotional connections and moral dilemmas among group members, fostering some emotional closeness."

  • Leadership

    Game with the same Leadership vibe

    4

    "Player leads and manages a team of Alters, making decisions that affect group survival and morale."

    Capsule for The Alters The Alters

    "Player leads and manages a resistance group, making strategic and moral decisions guiding the team."

  • Progression

    Game with the same Progression vibe

    2

    "Players accumulate new cards and unlock units, but deck resets between chapters limit continuous progression."

    Capsule for Necroking Necroking

    "Players accumulate resources, supporters, and skills over time within chapters, though progress resets between chapters."

  • Relaxation

    Game with the same Relaxation vibe

    -2

    "Dark, tense atmosphere with challenging gameplay; not primarily relaxing."

    Capsule for POSTAL POSTAL

    "Tense and emotionally heavy atmosphere with challenging gameplay; not primarily designed for relaxation."

  • Sensation

    Game with the same Sensation vibe

    1

    "Atmospheric music and voice acting provide sensory enjoyment, though graphics are dated and gameplay is clunky."

    Capsule for Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption

    "Art style and soundtrack provide atmospheric sensory engagement, but gameplay is subdued and text-heavy."

  • Status

    Game with the same Status vibe

    -4

    "No social recognition or leaderboards; focus is on individual survival."

    Capsule for Dread Dawn Dread Dawn

    "No social recognition or leaderboards; focus is on personal and group survival without external status."

  • Story

    Game with the same Story vibe

    5

    "Strong narrative immersion with well-developed characters, plot twists, and historical setting."

    Capsule for Card Shark Card Shark

    "Strong narrative immersion with historical events, character-driven stories, and moral choices."

  • Strategy

    Game with the same Strategy vibe

    3

    "Requires planning, skill management, and decision-making, though some mechanics are complex and unintuitive."

    Capsule for Academagia: The Making of Mages Academagia: The Making of Mages

    "Requires planning, resource allocation, risk assessment, and team management, though mechanics are not deeply complex."

  • Thrill

    Game with the same Thrill vibe

    3

    "Tension and suspense arise from survival risks and difficult decisions, creating emotional thrills."

    Capsule for The Pale Beyond The Pale Beyond

    "Emotional tension and suspense arise from risk of capture and moral dilemmas, creating a sense of thrill."

  • Value

    Game with the same Value vibe

    4

    "Players perceive good value for time and money; educational and entertaining."

    Capsule for Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 Car Mechanic Simulator 2021

    "Players perceive good educational and emotional value for time and money invested."

  • Violence

    Game with the same Violence vibe

    -4

    "Gameplay focuses on constructive or non-violent activities; no emphasis on combat or destruction."

    Capsule for Age of Advent Age of Advent

    "Gameplay focuses on non-violent resistance activities rather than combat or destruction."

  • Survival

    Game with the same Survival vibe

    4

    "Core gameplay revolves around avoiding failure and surviving as long as possible against increasing threats."

    Capsule for BARRIER X BARRIER X

    "Core gameplay revolves around avoiding failure, managing risks, and keeping the resistance alive under threat."

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Last update: 01/06/2026