The Berlin Apartment

The Berlin Apartment tells the story of German history in an unusually intimate way. At its heart lies a flat in an old Berlin building and the people who have lived there over the decades. As a father and his daughter renovate the flat in the present day, they come across traces of former residents, thereby opening windows onto times gone by.

The episodes take us through pivotal moments in German history: from a Jewish cinema owner in 1933 who suddenly faces persecution, to a female writer in the GDR of the 1960s navigating her path between artistic ambition and state pressure, right through to encounters in the shadow of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Instead of grand historical narratives, the game deliberately focuses on small, personal perspectives: the wishes, worries and hopes of ordinary people.

Lovingly designed interactive elements and small, playful scenes bring these stories to life. The real narrative twist, however, lies in the setting itself: the flat becomes the unifying character of the story. Memories, objects and traces of life accumulate within its rooms. They reveal how individual fates and the grand sweep of history are interwoven.

Particularly outstanding is the consistently executed environmental storytelling: every object, every piece of wallpaper, every piece of furniture tells a story and contributes to the authenticity of the respective era. The visual evolution of the flat over the decades can be experienced in a striking way. This creates a coherent overall picture in which style, narrative and interaction intertwine seamlessly – a striking example of how consistent graphic design can enhance the telling of a story and its atmosphere.

The DCP Jury, March 2026