Prague, Czech Republic – 25 March 2022: The Prague game design studio Charles Games and Živá paměť (Living Memory) have published a new mobile game entitled Train to Sachsenhausen. The game describes events related to the closing of Czech universities on 17 November 1939, the execution of Czech university students and their imprisonment in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. The game is freely available for Android, iOS and PC.
This historic retelling, Train to Sachsenhausen, combines elements of a choose-your-own adventure novel with the principles of a card game. Each decision made by the player impacts further developments in actual gameplay. The game offers multiple endings that have been inspired by the actual testimonies of witnesses to history. The game’s creative interpretation that features a dark, foreboding comics aesthetic stands juxtaposed against authentic period recordings and witness testimonies in the form of a Virtual Museum.
In Train to Sachsenhausen, the gamer assumes the role of a young student of medicine who lives through the chaotic events of 1939: demonstrations against the Nazi regime, Jan Opletal’s funeral, arrests of university students at student dormitories, temporary jailing of students at the Ruzyně military barracks and then deportation to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Historians from the Živá paměť organisation created the game’s historical content.
“Train to Sachsenhausen offers a short, intense experience where each decision the player makes can influence their fate,” explains Vít Šisler, the game’s main designer. Artist Ticho 762 took on the task of creating the game’s combination of choose-your-own-adventure novel features with a comic book format. “The game evokes a strong, enticing atmosphere thanks to the specific style of Ticho’s drawings,” adds the game’s art director, Eva Nečasová.
“We are glad that we can use this innovative format to share information about important historic events related to 17 November 1939. I believe this mobile app will boost interest among Czech youth (and the general public) in learning about the fates of Czech university students who ended up victims of Nazi repression,” say Pavel Voves, historian and director of Živá paměť, o.p.s., who contributed to the game development.
The Train to Sachsenhausen project was implemented thanks to financial support from the EVZ Foundation as part of its Young People Remember programme. “We live in a time where understanding of the legacy of National Socialism and the suffering of its victims are quickly fading. Few living witnesses to this dark chapter in history remain, and it is critical to find ways to share knowledge of the past with today’s youth,” comments Helge Theil, senior project manager of EVZ’s Young People Remember programme.
Charles Games is the producer of several internationally-acclaimed historical games that address complex topics. The studio published the game, Attentat 1942 and more recently a game called Svoboda 1945: Liberation, which addresses the liberation of the Czech lands from Nazi occupation, the forced expulsion of Sudeten Germans, and the rise to power of the Communists.
Živá paměť (Living Memory) is a public beneficial society that focuses on caring for victims of totalitarian regimes and preserving their historical legacy and memories.
Game website: https://traintosachsenhausen.com/
For further information about the game, its design and development or its content, please reach out to the media contacts below:
Lucie Formánková
Charles Games
[email protected]
- 420 722 623 567
Pavel Voves
Živá paměť o.p.s.
[email protected]
