Trüberbrook

Trüberbrook is a single-player, story-driven sci-fi mystery adventure set in a parallel version of late-1960s Germany. You play as Hans Tannhauser, an American physics student who wins a trip to the remote village of Trüberbrook, though he cannot remember entering the lottery. After a stranger breaks into his room at the Guesthouse Waldeslust and steals a paper on physics, Hans investigates the village’s mysteries with Greta Lemke, a student of paleoanthropology. He gradually discovers that his arrival may be tied to a mission to save the world.

The village and its people

Trüberbrook is a forested, mountainous village in Cold War Germany, where global events such as the space race and student protests feel far away. Hans meets villagers, tourists and strangers, including the warm-hearted innkeeper Trude and her daughter Leni, the old baron, the conspiracist Lessing, and Trübi, the legendary lake monster. He also encounters Lazarus Taft, an enigmatic inventor who has bought an old mansion in the village and is known for his card playing.

The story explores love, friendship, loyalty and self-discovery alongside its mysteries. Greta becomes Hans’s accomplice as they investigate what is happening in Trüberbrook.

Explore and solve puzzles

You guide Hans through the scenery from a third-person perspective. The story unfolds as you explore, interact with the environment, talk to other characters and solve puzzles that are integrated into the narrative. These include inventory-based puzzles, social challenges such as persuading people, and unsettling psychological tests.

Handmade scenery

The game’s scenery is built as physical miniature sets, then digitized using photogrammetry and retopologized into detailed models. Each scene is staged with physical lighting, which is used to portray different times of day, weather and seasons. The game features an original soundtrack described as tranquil doom jazz, and voice acting in English and German. In the English audio, Hans speaks with an American accent while the townspeople have German accents.