The Berlin Apartment is structured as a short-story collection, including different episodes that take place across about 120 years. It gives you chills by diving into different eras of Germany throughout World War II and its aftermath. Rather than heavy puzzles or combat, storytelling is done through environmental exploration. Each episode has different protagonists and very different atmospheres, but all are tied to the same apartment. It’s more about listening and observing than solving. Through the apartment’s objects, you experience Berlin’s changes over time.
If you want to know more about the game, head over to its Steam page.
Welcome to Into Indie Games’ review of The Berlin Apartment, where we’ll cover everything we loved and didn’t like about the game.
The Berlin Apartment is a poignant, narrative-driven indie game that explores 120 years of history within the walls of a single Berlin flat. You take the role of Dilara, who is helping her father, Malik, renovate a dilapidated Berlin apartment. Each object triggers a flashback to a different era and a different story.
The Berlin Apartment is a first-person walking simulator rich with narrative and real-world history. I basically witnessed a variety of stories all taking place in the same apartment across 100 years. I get a sneak peek at two, well, kind of three of the stories. This clearly lines up with some important Berlin moments. Our true main characters are a father and daughter renovating this apartment in a contemporary setting. They find tokens of previous tenants’ lives, and that’s where our stories come from.
For the most part, I feel that this game is walking around, interacting with objects, and listening to the character’s inner thoughts with a few puzzles thrown in for a little extra engagement. The gameplay is certainly focused on the narrative more than anything else, though the little interactions available are charming. One of them is throwing a paper airplane over the Berlin wall and helping a man pack his suitcase while fleeing the city during the occupation.
The art style is rich in color and really pays close attention to showing the apartment changing through the years. Now, I don’t know a lot about the eras of music, but something that stood out to me was the difference in music between each of the stories. It definitely feels like they’re matching the eras, at least in vibes, making it a grand choice. Even though I spend so little time with each character, I get a great sense of how well-crafted they are. Each clearly has a distinct personality and story to tell.
The writers and illustrators have done a great job working together to create an environment that really takes advantage of the show, don’t tell principle. My favorite part of the narrative aspect of this game is mixing ordinary people with history, giving a down-to-earth lens to the past. This game definitely has opportunity for replay-ability, but not in the usual narrative multiple endings way. But rather in the fact that there is clearly the ability to 100% it by finding all of the collectibles.
So, even though you will likely be experiencing the same story, you do have the opportunity to go achievement hunting if that’s your thing. The Berlin Apartment is definitely another game added to my way-too-long wish list. I love the art style, and the story is so well-crafted.
If you like realistic characters, well-crafted narrative in both words and visuals, and exploring ordinary lives throughout history, The Berlin Apartment is a game for you. I dive into the four key periods in my playthrough, even the game’s trailers have made clear. Each story in Berlin Apartment requires hard work and struggle. I think the game offers a perspective on the lives of ordinary people who are left out of the history book. The game allows me to move in parts and engage from different standpoints.
The game’s overall vision is worth praising, as each of the stories will see the apartment transform. Each segment has its own mechanics that help in keeping things fresh and new. I highly admire the work of developers to create something different as you set your journey in new instalments.
In the final story, you spend much of the episode monologuing while reading letters. You can’t move at all, but you will visit a writer with a large chunk of this segment. You will be tasked with button-mashing to emulate. And the same episode also has some minor performance issues on the PC version while going back from Spaceship exploration to writer’s desk which was a bit annoying. The Berlin Apartment definitely gives a pleasant, cosy experience, but I wonder how the entire experience will be if the gameplay has a medium or hardcore experience. The game doesn’t require an intense level of complexity. You search the apartment for items to pack in one suitcase and locate items to decorate for Christmas.
I think that the fact that it’s not just one story but several tied together gives it breadth and depth. However, the apartment ties everything together wisely. German voice acting is apparently very good, giving authenticity, and this is what I like most about this game. Music and sound design are subtle but effective, as they don’t overpower but support the mood.
There are minor puzzles, object interactions, and exploration, and I feel they are enough to keep you engaged. Malik also tasks you to remove wallpaper or hammer tiles. So, get ready to discover traces and relics that unlock stories. In my opinion, different stories have unique gameplay twists and mechanics. Choosing my own music for date night early one was brilliant. All the elements feel incredibly natural and a mild extension of my investment in the stories. Every minigame fits in well with the stories, giving a bespoke story.
Through the apartment, you get a microcosm of Berlin’s history of pre-WWII, WWII, the Cold War, the fall of the Wall, and up to modern times. However, the gameplay mechanics are very limited, and this makes it shallow for players who prefer more action or deeper puzzles. I also found that when switching voice languages from English to German, there’s a bug where some lines go back to English. The Berlin Apartment is not trying to be a blockbuster, but it’s more like an interactive short story collection and memory.
Developer: btf
Country of Origin: Germany
Publisher: PARCO GAMES, ByteRockers’ Games, Bildundtonfabrik
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PS5, Xbox Series S/X
This review is based on a copy of the game provided by the developer. The PC version of the game was played for this review of Easy Delivery Co. (Steam).
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