Martha Is Dead

Martha Is Dead
N/A
Metacritic
79
Steam
76.144
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Release date
24 February 2022
Developers
LKA
Publishers
Steam reviews score
Total
79 (1 842 votes)
Recent
70 (30 votes)

Martha Is Dead is a dark first-person psychological thriller, set in 1944 Italy, that blurs the lines between reality, superstition and the tragedy of war.

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Martha Is Dead system requirements

Minimum:

  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows 10 64bit
  • Processor: Intel Core i5 or equivalent AMD
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560, AMD Radeon HD 7790
  • DirectX: Version 12
  • Storage: 30 GB available space
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frostux
frostux

A fantastic horror tale that’s bound to sit with you. One that feels like it’s using the medium to tell a story, not just to shoehorn in the usual suspects of video game tropes and slapdash mechanisms. At times, it actually comes off more like something you’d experience in 70’s horror cinema: A slow-burn that starts out more akin to a social drama, but carefully turns into something more sinister and makabre during the latter part.

In fact, one of the things that make Martha Is Dead stand out is how it’s a little bit less concerned with giving nods to the player. It’s not a game that fits the modern mold of streamer-friendly gargle -- even though there’s no clear elevator pitch here that would convince you otherwise. There’s just something about how no one’s trying to impress or scare you for the sake of scares alone. No one’s monitoring your heart rate. No one’s using algorithms to inject jumpscares. Instead, gore and horror feel more like a natural, deliberate extension of the storytelling.

It’s a confidently produced and directed game; laser focused in its mission to create a believable and chilling atmosphere. And the setting really is one of the highpoints for me here. It’s beautiful. Especially how the whole WWII-backdrop looms in the background, grounding it. Also, how the environments and attention to details manage to transport you into this beautiful European period piece.

I wish more developers would allow themselves to use their native language as the default spoken one. It’s a huge part of why Martha is Dead works for me -- and why I’m in Tuscany and not at home in front of my computer.

Highly recommended.

Art Erra
Art Erra

I enjoyed the first part of this game, however now that I've come back to it, it no longer launches. Can't figure out why, there's been no update since July. Unfortunate...

Thurious
Thurious

INCREDIBLE storyline. I knew this game was going to be good, but it genuinely changed my world by the end. The unsettling nature, the characters. I didnt even realize until halfway through that the family was on the nazi side. I unashamedly helped against them after i found that out.

It fucked me up, but in the best way possible. Truly, one of the best storytelling games I have played in all my years of living.

Jesler
Jesler

I don't write reviews but i feel with this "game" I should.

This "game" can be summed up as a: "Do you want to know how bad it can get?" simulator. The graphics are absolutely stunning the physical game play is more like a walking simulator but it will dive into some pretty dark areas. You will be inundated with multiple "are you sure you want to continue?" dialog boxes and for those that do suffer from deep mental illness i recommend you don't. There's no happy ending and it's pretty bleak. But i will say for those of us that are struggling but high functioning, this is game you SHOULD play. Simply for the fact that it will prove to you just how strong you really are. There are a lot of triggers in this "game" and it is no sign of weakness if you must stop but it will dive into the deep end of how far unchecked and unmanaged mental illness can go.

whether you play it or not, if you or someone you love is struggling please find help. We have a lot of tools today and you (or your loved one) is not alone.

10/10 a masterpiece however i refuse to call this a game.

CrazyStoneGamer
CrazyStoneGamer

I'm only maybe 2 hrs into this game. I love the story that's unfolding. Very graphic in parts but this isn't something that bothers me. It may bother others as it does get pretty gruesome at times. Not sure what's ahead in the rest of the game but so far this has been an amazing. Might end up being one of my favorites i've played this year. Strongly recommend this. Just know this is an emotionally dark game.

Codename General
Codename General

Brilliant story, fantastic sound design, clever world and a fun twist on a classic story style game.
Parts of the story had me confused for a few minutes, but it quickly caught back up and made sense, leaving no questions unanswered.

Anonymous
Anonymous

I had high hope.
This game is near unplayable. I dont mind the slow pacing, altough it is very patience-testing, but unless you have a very and expensive computer you will have to play it at a very low resolution.
One day there will either be an optimization of the game or i will buy a supercomputer but for the moment it is barely running.

myth0genesis
myth0genesis

I'll be honest: I usually love games like this. But this has been an exercise in patience. In addition to the story being very slow, the character development is spotty and I never quite got to the point of feeling invested in what happens to any of them. Visually, this game is stunning, but it is very poorly optimized (and I'm running an i9 12900H with an RTX 3070ti and 32 GB of 3200 MHz RAM) and would drop to 5 fps for large chunks of time. The subtitles were buggy (I played in Italian as a native English speaker) and whole sentences would sometimes pop on- and off-screen in less than a half of a second, far too quick to read, and monologues would end before all the text would come up on the screen if the frame rate was too low, so I missed a good portion of what was being said.
I'm going to go along with the general consensus of other negative reviews and recommend you watch someone else play this if you really want to experience this game.

24724
24724

I recommend to play this game if you like psychological horror and war.
What is Martha Is Dead ?
Martha Is Dead is a dark first-person psychological thriller, set in 1944 Italy, that blurs the lines between reality, superstition and the tragedy of war. As conflict intensifies between German and Allied forces, the desecrated body of a woman is found drowned.

philrekt
philrekt

Disturbingly dark, painful, and beautiful.

kaylleena
kaylleena

really really good game! really enjoyed the darkness of it and the story was amazing to watch unfold. i loved it so much. amazing game! 100% recommend.

LadySerperior
LadySerperior

Great paced game to make it super spooky. The twists and turn you're put through hits the feels. The old school camera and just era in general is amazing. There is an extreme amount of replay value from the hidden things you can find and pieces of the full story you can unfold.

Toothspit
Toothspit

Incredibly moving tale. I had this game on my wish list for a while and finally decided to grab it, so glad I did. Absolutely amazing experience playing through this masterpiece from start to finish, 100% would recommend it to anyone who's human.

Brerightback
Brerightback

After just now finishing the full 100 percent completion, I have to say...I was not disappointed.

Knowing what I was going to be encountering ahead of time *somewhat* did help ease the shock factor....but even then, this game is not for the faint of heart or easily triggered for sure. I think the devs did great with the warnings, themes weren't even the scariest part tbh...more of a shock and historical misery sort of vibe.

No, the scariest things to me were the ambiance, sound effect changes and most of all...that soundtrack. Never going to hear a stringed instrument like a violin or something, be played poorly and NOT BE AFRAID. Definitely paired well with the themes and gave off an almost "perfect blue" vibe with Nightmare being the equivalent.

I digress, it was a good game and if you're looking for some horror and puzzles with a realistic and fairly easy 100 percent achievement hunt....Martha is Dead would be a great choice IMO.

PETEY
PETEY

I enjoyed myself playing this game. Simple walk here do this type of game with gripping story rich components that actually have interesting consequences that make you want to find out more to discover the truth. loved the Italian setting, encountered a few bugs and fuck the morse code gimmick. also would really wish that mystery thrillers like this would stop using the absent/blocked memory trope for the revelation, because when you think about it it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. actually didn't find my self spending time freely taking photos of the world around me. but none the less love a good controversy

trekeyus
trekeyus

interesting hybrid between a walking sim an interactive rpg and a photography sim. The story line is complex and a tad disturbing the juxtaposition between reality and dreams leads to complex ambiguity. The occult elements are fascinating.

Baron Friedrich von Glower
Baron Friedric…

Main gripes:
- Some bugs and glitches that required reloading.
- Movement is too slow considering how much walking you have to do.
- Voice acting is great for the main character but not so good for most other characters.

Otherwise it was demented and disturbing and I liked it.

Half-LifeCrew
Half-LifeCrew

Just ... play the whole thing through to the end, and try to take in the story. The depth of this journey is remarkable.

elloneandreea
elloneandreea

Worth playing for sure! The game's horror is brilliant as it can make you feel uneasy doing the most mundane things. It reminded me of Guillermo del Toro's work, as the supernatural is not the main source of horror here; the human elements are. The sound design and soundtrack perfectly add to a moving tale. I played it twice now and I was amazed by how many details I had missed the fist time around.

The only negative for me were some performance issues. The frame would drop randomly, ruining the whole experience when it did.

jediman90
jediman90

this game was disappointing for me. the gameplay is mostly boring and after a while the story just wasnt interesting and i couldnt wait for it to end.

ZuluGula
ZuluGula

captivating story, great graphics

InflatableWizardHat
InflatableWizardHat

*Credits rolling* Wtf did I just play?

The story is pretty linear and gameplay can be a little clunky/tedious, but the story is worth the play through. I'd probably wait until it's on sale. More eerie and unsettling than scary, if that's what brought you here. But yeah again, get it on sale.

Bajocero
Bajocero

The game has interesting elements of gameplay but the story telling is too violent and depressing. I liked The Town of Light from these devs better cause it was more atmospheric with plenty of room for imagination. Also plots are similar between these games but with TTOL you get pretty interesting twist towards the end which imo is more unexpectable than the one from this game. Graphics and sound are good. Overall 7/10.

Aniua
Aniua

As spect of horror game is not scary at all. But as a psychological game - is genius. I don't understand all threads. In my opinion, there is a little too much running around and Gulia is not the fastest woman. A "hard" scenes are really hard to watch so if you are sensitive to blood and guts better don't play or just be ready for this. The WW2 is showing almost in point. All lore gives us to think about morality, and 'justice'.

If you likes psychological games its perfect
If you are looking for horror u get lost.

victoria
victoria

REAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLY enjoyed it!

Relentless
Relentless

Nice graphics & semi interesting story but that's about it. Trailer is 10 times scarier than the actual game, don't go diving in expecting a horror game its a walking sim at best and I do generally enjoy walking sims. It does have a few graphically gory and slightly creepy moments but far removed from the usual "horror" you come to expect these days.

Biggest issue is it soooooooooo slow both in story telling (constantly reiterating what has already been explained and pointless dialogue) and movement speed.... seriously the sprint was slower than most games walking speed. Really wanted to enjoy this but just felt like a chore getting through this game. Setting is pretty bland, photo developing portions are needless and don't get me started on the marionette segments I just about turned the tv on whilst getting through those parts I was so disinterested.

Long story short watch the trailer and leave it at that.

Anonymous
Anonymous

6.8/10
Martha is Dead is a fantastically creepy psychological thriller bogged down by missing subplot and 2 back to back plot twist that is suppose to be the different endings in the game.
Would Highly recommend the game for the incredible graphics and the gruesome horror elements in the game and the fantastic game it could have been.
Would Not recommend if you are there for the story, if you are here for the story.

Pros:
- The controversial gruesome cut scenes take the center stage in this game.
- Great Graphics, fantastic attention to detail to the time period.
- Voice acting is superb in Italian & English (I haven't heard the one in German & Mandarin)
- Apparently there is Udo Kier in cast which is interesting.
- The controversial gruesome cut scenes take the center stage in this game.

Con:
- Could have been a fantastic games, if it weren't for the missing subplots and multiple endings, which are instead streamlined into a single storyline.
- Nonsensical storyline that leaves more to be desired.
- plot-twist happen within minutes of each other, because the game had to show those fantastic gruesome cut scenes.
- Frame Drops all over the place, very un-optimized even on high end gaming PCs.

Raiden
Raiden

amazing , this game can run at 12-25 fps on my Gtx 3050 i have never seen a game can run so poorly

† MaxMartin
† MaxMartin

What to say about this game... from start to finish, it's a work of art!. Impossible to describe in words how shocking and immersive this game is, its story and ending is so AMAZING! 10/10

squared_away
squared_away

Very interactive. Incredible story, full of suspense. I enjoyed every second of it.

Kit
Kit

Increadible game but be sure to check the TW's before playing it!

Dan Chatoor
Dan Chatoor

I think it has something to do with the way my graphics card processes shaders but I had borderline unplayable performance on my laptop. Once everything had loaded in, there were no signs of performance drops but every time new assets appeared, my game froze completely.

Aside from the performance issues, I just found the game really boring with a lot of tracking to and from places with not much in between. The story was good and the last hour or two was quite emotionally affecting but it really stood in contrast to how slow and uneventful the rest of the game was.

Mantas
Mantas

It has some bugs (like stuck on the road). But in total story is good. I enjoyed it. I recommend this game, for full price.

the_otis_legion
the_otis_legion

Haven't quite finished it yet, however the story is amazing so far! I love the voice acting as well.
Other than doing a 180 degree turn at random occasions, performance is ok for me.
Please take the trigger warnings seriously, this is indeed a psychological horror game.

EmeraldAranea
EmeraldAranea

This game was beautiful. It’s not very scary, but it does have some very heavy topics and is purposefully left open to interpretation. It’s got a great soundtrack, great in game ambience, it’s beautiful, but it’s also dark and does have two pretty graphic scenes. The game isn’t for everyone, but if you like psychological horror and are intrigued about the minds of people with certain disorders, then I would highly recommend this game.

Ouija Bored
Ouija Bored

Absolutely LOVED this game.
Ended up playing it all in one days as I just couldn't leave it.
The writing is incredible, the music is beautiful and it has just the right level of unsettling ambience.
Its not a jump scare kind of horror but more of a psychological story that will completely grip your very soul.
Feel like this one is going to keep me thinking for days.
Honestly a 10/10 from me!

HeadShotParty
HeadShotParty

Boring and bland puzzles are not fun dont waste your money

☣ BradyBSB ☣
☣ BradyBSB ☣

Martha Is Dead has a compelling story, shrouded with mystery, and woven from a unique fabric that makes it undeniably attention-grabbing. A young girl, daughter to what I perceived as a high ranking Nazi leader, in 1944 finds her identical twin sister dead in a lake and accidentally steals her identity. These are the developments that kept me expecting jumpscares, compelling me onwards to uncover the next piece of the puzzle. No doubt, a uniquely grabbing story arc, from what little I experienced of it, which I can really appreciate. With all this being said, though, I returned the game for a couple reasons.

First, I strongly dislike the controls, as you use left click for actions, rather than E, or F to activate, though I never attempted to remap anything. Secondly, the UI for "quests," and for "items of interest," I couldn't bring myself to like no matter how many times I tried. The camera mechanics were definitely intriguing, but the minigame of focusing the camera made more sense to me than the actual game's controls. Excluding the standard WASD movement keys, the controls felt clunky at best... Third is a minor annoyance, but I couldn't spare mentioning that I couldn't change my resolution from 720P... The straw that broke the camel's back, though? I can't deal with cutting my twin sister's face off with her dog tag... dream or not...

Chihiro 🌊
Chihiro 🌊

Let me begin by saying I clocked in at over 10 hours of this game by not actually playing but trying to get it to work not on one but two devices. It always crashed at the same spot before chapter 4 started and I tried everything in my power to try to get it to work, even lost my sanity at this point but I finally give up so my soul can find some peace.

I didn't want to come to this and give a negative review but I couldn't even come halfway or finish the game to give an honest review. I just could not in good faith recommend this game when it's not working for me and a few people have had crashing issues as well.

I probably will not come back to this title unless they fix certain issues or at least fix optimisation issues that way I could least play the game in low graphics without it crashing.

If there are major updates then I will probably try again and if I'm able to reach the end of the game then I'll edit this review for sure, till then this review will stay this way.

Bladee
Bladee

This games really cool. I wish Italian people were real though.

Anonymous
Anonymous

Storyline was cool but the game lags so much it's just unplayable. Also, I think Martha may be dead. Wouldn't know because I can't finish the story

Smackx
Smackx

„The Untold?!“
More an photography symulator with outstanding graphics and less a good exciting Story-Game! Some people would say that the game is relaxing, but I would call it rather boring! I don't understand the very high ratings for the game because it doesn't really reflect them (sad but true in my eyes)!

Length
The game is overall very slow and still you could easily play through it in under 10 hours (when nothing happens)! ...but u can spend hundreds of hours in making useless in game b/w-photos, or nice Nvidia Pictures and Artworks...

Gameplay
The focus here was more on the graphics and story than on the game itself! I dont liked the Gameplay... there is really not much to do, to collect, or to solve here, ...but you can make photos! There are some tasks, but most time your are walking around... By the way the translation from the telegraph wannabe puzzle is horrible...

Story / Plot
Nothing really special, or exiting, it is linear, mystic, ideologic, atmospheric, with some twists and a lot of depth, but was sadly a bit predictable in parts for me. The few bloody and butchery bits were really sick / hard and somehow didn't really fit with the rest of the game, didn't feel round overall. ...and the puppet theaters parts were terrible, unnecessary and really boring...

Marketing & Awards
It seems that it doesn't matter what you produce today, or how good it is, because if you follow the spirit of time, or add a little bit of ideology, an award is almost guaranteed, what's good for business. I dont have any problem with history, which has to be told, even if the truth died first a long long time ago, like today everday! The letter in the cemetery was really to much... tolerance exceeded, ...i am really sick of "it"!

Graphic´s and Sound
YES, no question, this is an visual Masterpiece, the graphics are incredible / outstanding!
The play of light and shadows, the buildings with the detailed furnishings, the woods, the whole environment were allways breathtaking, but is this enough? The sounds and voices were really nice too, even translated into German!

Stability & Hardware
I had about 5 crashes while playing and I don't know exactly why, because otherwise it was running "ok"! I installed the Game on an M2 high speed SSD and played with recommended settings! That means HD-resolution with Ultra-Settings, without Ray-Tracing & DX12 on my 3060 ti. That was really the maximum I could get out of it (with some lags). All other higher Settings ended in an ultra-lag-feast! So if you at least want to enjoy the graphics, then you need good up-to-date hardware!

Keybind
„Funny“ some people really complaining about that they cant rebind Keys! There is normaly no need here to rebind anything, because u only need WSAD a Mouse and a few other keys like Q to make Photos...

Savegames
There is an autosave, one for each chapter and you can save and load whenever you want (when it dont crash)

Conclusion / Last words
Everything depends on taste and if you buy the game I wish you a relaxing time!
I wouldn't buy it again, i dont liked it much and so I can't recommend it either, sorry! In my eyes the game was much too short, boring, slow, too thin in content and it felt not round in parts. Outstanding graphics are not everything i expect from a good „Game”!

sprout
sprout

I didn't like the fact that you're forced to sympathize with Nazi's in this game, while not having any indication in the description of the game that WW2 would be involved at all. I was expecting more towards WW1 (1920's, as said in the description) and instead got forced to play as a girl whose father is a Nazi General, while not really doing anything for the plot. It's useless, and angering, especially as a minority targeted. I don't recommend unless you want to sympathize with nazis (gross!).

SuddenlyAHero
SuddenlyAHero

Honestly I wanted to like this. I put up with the needlessly complicated photography and Morse code because I was intrigued by the story. However it was overshadowed by the gratuitous gore and abuse. The same story and emotions could have been conveyed without prolonged and exaggerated sequences of gore and abuse. It felt like trying to capitalize on shock value which overshadowed an otherwise interesting game.

Osiris
Osiris

Great graphics, impressive environmental details, and intriguing beginning.

I couldn't bring myself to finish it. It felt more and more boring/tedious as time went on.

𝔖𝔞𝔪 ⛧
𝔖𝔞𝔪 ⛧

This is one of my favorite games I've ever played. I loved this story and the unsettling atmosphere. There are some twists that I did not see coming and overall the delivery really impressed me.

The camera was a lot of fun and beautifully detailed.

The sound design, voice and music are 10/10. It all sets the perfect mood.

If you love story based games, this is for you. Don't pass this up.

H0LL0W50UL
H0LL0W50UL

Bravo. This game is simply amazing and the story is shockingly captivating with a beautiful soundtrack to back it. The awesome game mechanics do a great job at keeping you involved in the story progression and wanting to explore a world that is bigger than it seems at first glance.

Diva♡
Diva♡

love the music n this game also the story

Persephone
Persephone

This game was not what I was expecting, but in a good way. The layers of this game are truly fascinating from the backdrop World War 2 setting, to everything Giulia experiences. The game itself is beautiful, and very much reminds me of The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, so if you enjoyed that game, there is a good chance you will enjoy this one.

The game makes you question your perception and your narrator constantly. You will find yourself engrossed in finding the truth, no matter what.

There are some parts that are tedious based on repetition, and perhaps you can rug pull yourself a couple times, but the game is good.

I would personally recommend it on sale, as for 30 dollars, I wish there was a bit more...replayability? I have several achievements unfulfilled, but they have to do with taking extra photos, which, while fun, was not as large of a part of the game as I thought it would be. Because of the nature of the ending, there's no benefit to 100%-ing the game.

TLDR: If you liked The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, What Remains of Edith Finch and other POV driven story games, you will more than likely enjoy Martha Is Dead

chipogd
chipogd

Esta bueno pero por favor arreglen la bicicleta de mierda. Cada vez que me tengo que subir me dan ganas de arrancarme los pelos de lo mal que se maneja, mas tosco que comer carton con un tenedor de goma. Fuera de eso esta bien, aunque quizás te hace ir de acá para allá todo el tiempo y cansa un poco, pero al tener un apartado gráfico lindo, un poco se disfruta.

Arin
Arin

Good story, good gameplay, good photography

its_just_zi
its_just_zi

Great game. Dark at times, but the story is great. I loved it

MadameLoony
MadameLoony

Visuals are nice, voice acting is great (played the Italian one), but I ultimately disliked the game. Initially, I liked the atmosphere and got genuinely scared/creeped out. But the gameplay is so lackluster, this game is basically a walking simulator with entirely too many unnecessary button presses.
Also, I don't understand why a game that's about mental illness and trauma was marketed as a horror game.
I got tired pretty quickly of the repetitive, seemingly neverending puppet theater scenes, unfortunately. The bike riding felt clunky too.
Overall, I enjoyed exploring the world and the very pretty tarot deck but I was glad when I finally reached the end of the game.

Soda
Soda

A horror game that worth playing. Don't expect jumpscare and all of that stuff that just want to make the player scared, this game will connect you to the history and the emotions of the character.

The game has gore so expect to see some heavy content and props for the devs for leaving support messages to help the players dealing with hard times

Noora
Noora

Though the story seems good and intriguing, the gameplay is pretty slow and it bores easily. I would probably recommend the game if it was a bit cheaper. If you have the patience for these types of games, buy it on sale atleast.

Antoikeddu
Antoikeddu

this game wasn't scary, but there was a lot of gore. the acting either in italian or english was terrible and flat all the time. gameplay was clunky, the bike was completely useless and gave me nausea. the forest was tedious, a lot of walking, nothing happening, plenty of invisible walls that do not let you explore easily. you are constantly fighting against the controls, and against the invisible walls...story is interesting but not developed very well, and whatever you do, you get the same result. the telegraph section was also really tedious and did not change anything at the end. none of my choices had any weight for the ending.

glowmoss
glowmoss

A pretty good psychological horror

^tRee[.ca]
^tRee[.ca]

Excellent. 10/10.

Some jankiness around using the bicycle but otherwise it was great.

hulanoobisplaying
hulanoobisplaying

“Martha is Dead” is a mixed bag of a psychological horror game with some beautiful ideas for gameplay, gorgeous visuals and a story that could have been a lot more.

What was nice?

I played the game on PC and had no bigger issues or bugs. The visuals were a little off at times, apparently the highest resolution didn’t work well with my PC (although I am not sure it’s my PC which is pretty new). However, all in all it was no big deal and the general gameplay and movements were smooth.

The game looks lovely, from the environments, to illustrations and details, there’s a lot to see and the design team clearly put love into their products.
Likewise, the soundtrack was fantastic and the sound design worked well.
The voice acting was overall fine, nothing spectacular with some nice surprises here and there. I think the direction of the actors might have made for some rather odd choices when it comes to the acting.

Quite a few of the gameplay elements were surprisingly fun. Initially I thought it would be incredibly exhausting to go through the whole process of developing pictures but the team did a great job. There’s other things you can do that are fun and add to the overall story (however, not all succeed in that goal).

The story had a slow, very slow start but once it picked up steam it kept me intrigued. Not always for the right reasons but I still wanted to know how it ends, so I guess I can count this as a plus.

All in all, I saw a lot of love for the craft in the game, which in the end is the reason why I gave it the thumbs up even though I did have not the best experience with the game. But I see the potential of a much better game in the final product and hope that the team can build on the feedback for their next project.

What was naughty?

My two main, ongoing issues with the game were mostly plot-related and based on intuitive gameplay.

Since the game gives you a massive amount of clues, it was always jarring, when it didn’t, disrupting its own design and making some things more frustrating than necessary. From a weird map that needs to be zoomed out to see all of it (I’d say the reverse would make more sense), to a few quests that give you no hint at all that they need to be done within a certain timeframe to successfully master them, I had a few “looks sternly into the camera”-moments with this game.

My main issue was with the plot/characters, though. I could not - for the life of me - identify with Giulia enough to really care for her or her family. The plot feels too vague and confusing in some parts and overly descriptive, even repetitive, in others. It’s like a lot of people worked on the story and characters and no one was really in charge to tie it all together to make for an overall round experience.

I also thought that barely anything in this game was really scary, which is unfortunate for a horror game, you know? There were some scenes that were jarring, and a lot of shock value content but hardly anything really felt truly terrifying or tense. Maybe I play/watch/read too much horror but this did not grip me, despite trying very hard.

To sum it all up

I think my very conflicted, exhausting “scenes of a marriage”-like relationship with this game had a lot to do with my own tastes and preferences. As such, I know that quite a few people might enjoy exactly the parts that I hated or was “meh” about.
But even from a more objective point of view, Martha is Dead feels disjointed and could have used some more polish both in game design and story structure.

However, I am looking forward to what the devs will do next.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDomrHkc-Vo&list=PLcaI3FIf0qosWQZCe0wRE…

DrivingForce
DrivingForce

The real and only horror of the game was the voice acting. Specially for some of the characters was subpar by a long shot no offence intended to the actors/ creators but this was by no way adding value to the game if the dad was made silent or text only it would have been better for me.

No horror/ no jump scares. Only gore, lots and lots of gore.

This is a walking simulator the story is driven and you can't do anything about anything except take the story. If you want to buy a gore-filled walking simulator which was probably made for someone to put some gore somewhere.

I'm not saying don't buy this or that the game is badly made I can see there's a lot of effort put into this creation but it's just should be made clear that this is a 5 hour or so walking simulator with gore as a bonus if all the above doesn't turn you off the game and you've bought walking simulators and liked it please buy the game and support the devs.

Ducinyo
Ducinyo

Great game with an insane story

Mike Hunt
Mike Hunt

This was very interesting. There are of course some things they could've done differently, perhaps more clues into the story etc. I really didn't think the plot twist was all that plot twisty but it was there nonetheless. There weren't any jumpscares or horror that could be compared to other games of the genre, but rather a lot of gore. The game does a good job of keeping your attention for sure. Some areas of the map could've been more accessible as well, and they should've made more use of the open space.

Envyvivi
Envyvivi

if you like story based horror, with puzzles and old school photography w/ plot twists look no further! so far this game is great and the graphics are too. It is slow at the start but the story keeps you wanting to know more and keep playing.

MarcusFresh
MarcusFresh

A very interesting drama-horror game. Weaves in a world war tale mixed with some really deep family drama and an unreliable narrator who is going to be experience some pretty messed up stuff. Some of the story bits lag at times, and some of the more mundane tasks could be made to go faster, but overall it's a very engrossing experience that pits you into a very uncertain and profound time in the main character's life. Every time you think it can't get weirder, it does. Enjoy the puppet show. Definite recommend on this one!

MactavishXD
MactavishXD

Its begins with a heavy disclaimer and rightfully so. The game covers ethically heavy topics such as war crimes, child trauma, pregnancy and mental health. Should you as a player, in any time or point, experienced any form of severe trauma, do please reconsider playing this game.

Adidas
Adidas

On paper, this game is awesome. In practice, it falls short in almost every department. Before you call me a 'hater' please understand I spend my own cash playing this type of game to then list them as part of the only 'walking simulator' fan club i know of on Steam.

So I have a lot of experience with these games: what makes a good experience or a bad one. This one has been terribly mediocre.

Performance issues everywhere

I rarely complain about performance because I have a great rig and i regularly repaste it. But here, The graphics are good without being great , yet they come at the price of strange, unwarranted performance cost (something the the developers are aware of). On a machine that can play CP77 at 70 FPS on ultra with DLSS set to 'quality @5k in SUW mode of all things, here I'm struggling to get 20fps in 'high performance' while locked at 1440p (so SUW option). I even had to drop the quality setting to 'high' to make the game playable.

Objects pop into view (a clear sign of VRAM swapping despite having a card with 8GB of GDDR6 and 64 gig of RAM matched to a socketed i9900k). This is not acceptable. And the framerate drops constantly even if you drop the graphics to medium, meaning the problem is not rendering but elsewhere.

I can't even imagine what the people who usually complain about framerate will say about this one!

In addition, there are numerous crashes, geometry locks, and other annoyances that will force you to reload. So save often, no quick save is available however.

Rails on rails on rails

None of this would really matter if the story was captivating - but it's just an awfully complicated, strange mess that initially give you the illusion of an open world only to place you on rails and never letting you go . At some point, you're given a chance to dial phone numbers. That opportunity is taken away from you and never given back if you 'trigger' an even by 'walking' in the 'wrong' place.

Likewise, the game give you this amazing camera with TONS of options. They get used twice in the game, and the myriad of options are just an in-game toy to take neat screenshots. How disappointing. Imagine someone telling you 'hey i have this special filter that can see... ghosts' so you go around and take pictures of all the graves and nothing happens. But walk on the right 'trigger' and suddenly the same graves that didn't give out ghostly pictures will suddenly do so. Everything is on rails.

Everything is scripted, and badly so.

There are weird running labyrinth were you have to proceed by trial and error. There are underwater scenes where you can't go to the surface because it's a hidden boundary but you could in the previous scene. There are elements that are extremely hard to locate and I overall I felt I spent more time working around all this than actually playing a game.

Conclusion

I would only recommend this game sub $10 AFTER they fix all the patches. It's short, it's clunky, and quite frankly we have so many alternatives in the walking simulator genre today, we have the right to demand the best. Look at Observer: System Redux if you don't believe me. Look at games like the Stanley Parable ultra deluxe. Heck - even the aged "Ethan Carter" still feel more modern than this.

I feel about about giving the game a thumb down because some elements are really well done and conceptually, the idea was neat. But numerous technical issues, a lack of flexibility forcing people to reload old save to complete 'side missions' and a general feeling that the game is not finished stop me from recommending this title.

Better luck next time.

Shadowfire67
Shadowfire67

Pacing is slow. Horror elements are spaced out so far I forget there's supposed to be horror.

kaustavhalder2
kaustavhalder2

So slow. If there wasn't those jump scares at times then I would play this before going to bed. A good sleep is guaranteed. Ya there is storyline but the way the game is played is so boring and the controls make it worse.

HarleyQuinn
HarleyQuinn

The game play is gorgeous and entertaining; however, I completed the story-line in less than 9 hours. Not worth the $29.99 I paid.

CalledTrout
CalledTrout

Don't go into this game expecting it to be a horror game.
It's more of a Drama with some serious gore.
The very few elements that are scary are totally nullified by the super slow pacing and tedious game mechanics. Too much time was spent making the game look pretty and not enough time was spent making the game fun to play. The only reason I would tell someone to try this game would be to look at the fantastic graphics, not to actually play the game.

I do hope the studio continues to make games, but that they focus on the mechanics and cut out the unnecessary tedious parts that grind the story to a halt.

LegendDairyKat
LegendDairyKat

I love the details and graphics and the interaction to certain things like when using the photography, I am still in the beginning so i haven't got to the scary parts yet. But I am in love with it so far.

empty
empty

it's a beautiful game. it's got wonky mechanics. it's not polished to be perfect in that regard, but it works.
mostly i'd tell absolutely anyone with history of trauma to NOT play this game.
i read the reviews too and said pft that's basically an invitation for me to play it.

No. It is not. Please. Just read a summary or watch cutscenes. Do not actually play it. If you cannot resist the urge, do not play it alone. stream it with friends or something while you play.

I wish i had taken the warnings more seriously :D
Great game though, I just wonder how much mental health it took to make this and if it was worth it.

Bamm!
Bamm!

buggy and kinda needlessly gross

Keraver
Keraver

It's all sorrow. Maybe the best game soundtrack of the year.

Kara Wolf
Kara Wolf

This game was awesome.
I have played it twice now, trying to find and achieve all the little details and achievements. It was truly an experience and I will play it again. The psychological factor this game brought with it had me questioning a lot of things about myself, the game's content and storyline and our world itself.
I was stunned when I finally understood what was going on, it took me a while to realise the massive plot this game has towards the end. The use of sign language is amazing as well, since I want to learn it, it helped me a lot in visual ways. I had the most fun with the telegraph machine.
The animation is beautiful, the environment is amazingly detailed and the graphics are just mindblowing, even though they could have been a little better when it comes to hair, but I know how hard it is to animate hair properly (I played on highest settings).

One thing I would have loved to see though were more character interactions. Giulia is not really interacting with other (alive) characters (apart from on the phone and on blackscreen/her monologue), we don't see her parents much and so on. I'd have loved to have more of that, at least in cutscenes. Giulia alone in cutscenes (so we don't view the event in first person) would have been cool, I wanted to see her full character model, but apart from the face and the puppets (and of course, Martha), we, as the player, did not see her much.

To summarise my experience, the game is absolutely worth its price and worth every second of playtime. "Martha Is Dead" is a rollercoaster of emotion, action and horror.

BerryDeaf
BerryDeaf

Wow this is a very disturbing game! There are no jumpscares in this game. Its all based on excellent storytelling. If you are looking for something with complex gameplay then this is not it. Its mostly QTE and walking. The real gem of this game is the story and the horrifying events that occurs.

If you are interested here's my playthrough of the game : https://youtu.be/uaE_Glba1zY

Edeol Hammer
Edeol Hammer

I hope there will be more WWII horror games in the future. It is just the perfect setting for a psychological horror game in the most horrifying age of human history.
Martha Is Dead made me experience exactly how it feels to be in those times.
I loved the game, broke my heart and soul.
We definitely need a sequel.

NinjaCat <3
NinjaCat <3

it was a fun game, don't get me wrong, but it was nowhere near perfect and i feel like i was really overhyped going into it. it's mostly a walking simulator, which would be okay if the movement didnt feel so clunky and unrealistic. the story was pretty good, and i loved the camera mechanic, so it does even out in the end. i just wish the developers had taken a little more time to polish some of the smaller aspects so i could rate it as a truly amazing game.

Buarki12
Buarki12

((no spoilers))
Let's get the big negative first. The game ran like crap. I have gone through a lot of frame drops/stutters while playing that and it's very noticeable and legit infuriating

Setting that aside. The game kinda takes it's time for it to go hard in the "psychological horror" department. More leaning into the "psychological" part and very light on the "horror" part. But damn, the long warning was not for naught. The game goes *deep* in these subjects.

The story is freaking good. It packs some surprises, a lot of very graphic imagery (read the game's warning for more detail and before getting it) and a good conclusion with a nice message at the end

The WW2 background has set the tone pretty well. Soundtrack, simply beautiful. and the overall gameplay is a bit unfocused. It tries to mash the photographing/developing film, randomly placed "quick time events??", the marionette stuff (which is very short).

A 6.5/10 for me. Mostly due to the performance

Streder
Streder

For me this game was too slow. I only played for a little over an hour total but that was in three plays. That's how bored I got with it. The graphics are great. Voice acting is really good as well. Some might think I'm saying not enough jump scares or something but I am not really a fan of those unless they are done correctly. There is some tension and atmospheric sound that are great but everything is just too few and far between that it couldn't keep my attention. I found myself getting bored quickly and getting distracted which does not happen in other horror games like this one I love such as Amnesia or RE7. I know many like/love this game but, in my opinion, this was just too slow.

peachbunnys
peachbunnys

I truly enjoyed this game. I liked the design and gameplay overall. The lack of cheesy jumpscares is something i love and the whole 1940 design is well done and very pretty. The gory scenes were way more then i expected in the best way as most games do these scenes quickly or censored. Some parts were a little drug out and the story gets very confusing at the end but after replaying it makes it much easier. This game is gonna be a fave of mine for sure and was better then i even expected, the inclusion of open world elements and the camrea was such a smart detail for the game. If u enjoy historical horror this is amazing or just a fan of gory horror its gonna give everything your looking for. This was a for sure original expierance of a game and would 10/10 recommened playing it.

CandyHair
CandyHair

My main complaint is the game-play. It has no real choices and it doesn't make you feel immersed until the end. Someone else in the reviews put it perfectly as a "Walking Simulator". Being a semi choose-your-own-adventure is misleading; most of the time it feels like you're just in the backseat rather than making choices as the character Martha.
I Also couldn't tell if the intentional language setting was to be Italian or English. Both didn't sync to the characters models, and never pulled the weight of what exactly they are saying. Martha at moments has some dead-pan, emotionless voice acting. And some of Martha's dialogue could've been cut as well, with it being the trope of "Telling the audience instead of showing it" most of the time.
Most of all this game feels like something you should watch a Youtuber or Streamer to react to. The empty game-play gives me the impression that it was ment to be commented over; for a Streamer and their audience.

Boltazar
Boltazar

This game... how on earth do I put it into words. I liked it at first, then it felt a little clunky and tedious, not being able to speed through dialog, not being able to wander about just listening to the speech because I don't speak Italian and i had to watch it written in real time in English to get the meaning. At first that was a bit off-putting, but as time went on I started to really enjoy that aspect, the lilting Italian speech. The game is harrowing, it is dark. I just finished, and now I want to go back and play again for the things I might have missed, even though the first time through they felt perhaps slow and tedious or really horrific. It got into my head and has left me shaken and unsettled. Hard to say that while describing the game as a really good experience, but it was. Very very emotional and grim, compelling, extremely moody, atmospheric. This lives somewhere in the space between Fran Bow and The Others. But more so, while being completely different. I know that sounds contradictory but it feels accurate at the time of writing.

plateofshrimp
plateofshrimp

All the bad parts of walking sims minus the good parts.... ??

Kestrel
Kestrel

One of a kind gem! I'd call it more of an interactive story, but it's exceptionally done. Graphics, audio, and the story are outstanding. The mechanics that do exist are very well done and fun to play with. I finished the game in about 5 hours but I could have spent 7 if I had explored every little bit of it.

It's well worth the price for the high quality and the length is just right IMO.

FeanorsCurse
FeanorsCurse

The beginning is great, the graphics are beautiful, but the gameplay is just so incredibly tedious. I gave up after manually developing photos for the nth time, then walking slowly (oh so slowly) to a morse telegraph where I had to put in some sentences. The story seems interesting, but it's just so not fun to play.

estaloka13
estaloka13

I was looking forward to this game for a year and it did not disappoint. I like a good mind fuck of a game and this game does a great job highlighting mental health while taking the time to tell a riveting and painful story. Yes, some gameplay can get tedious, but I feel most video games have some tedious points depending on how invested you get in the story and the main character.

MirkwoodWarrior
MirkwoodWarrior

This game had a lot of good and bad things.
Starting with the good.
It had a great story line. interesting with small twists here and there. It showed difficult topics in a respectful way. Meaning, any difficult topic that was shown was done for story purposes and not to overly upset or intimidate the viewer. It even had trigger warnings on the most intense part and offers a selection to censor it. I enjoyed the story enough to want to play it again.

The Bad.
It honestly should have been a movie. There is a lot of "gameplay" where youre just sitting and watching and not really controlling much. When you did have control, the game tended to be a bit glitchy and difficult to interact with the enviroment. It had fun minigames, but the tediousness in which the minigames were carried out took away any fun that was had. For instance there is an optional quest where you must send a telegram with morse code. The first part of sending the message was fun and easy. but you then have to decode the telegram and it becomes a little bit more frusterating. Each of the situations like this alone are not too bad and would be minor if every mini game and quest turned into this annoying chore simulator. Even the picture taking mechanic was fun at first and so was developing the photos but it turned into a chore when you had to do this for every single photo you took.

overall i would play the game again if there was some of the bugs fixed and the games changed a little bit. Maybe making photos in batch, or what have you.

ballsinmymouf400
ballsinmymouf400

SPOILER FREE
this is the best game i have ever played. the plot twist is amazing and it plays with your mind. this game is 10000% worth the money. I would love to see a movie version of this, the plot and story line are so disturbing but not to the point to where you cant finish it, towards the end i really appreciated the content warning and the message about getting help if you're thinking about suicide. The creators of this game did an outstanding job, i honestly didnt expect this game to be so good.

Mucho Gustas
Mucho Gustas

The game is good overall. It doesn't contain that much horror in terms of jump scares/scary things however alot of graphical fears which people may find disturbing.

The music is definitely disturbing which made its point, the cute design of the map being small but also dense in detail made it well. As an italian the language is perfect considering it is authentic italian.

The only downside I would complain about is the bombardment of tasks which seem to confuse the order of the game and makes it kind of overwhelming and the puppet sections of the game which seemed to take much longer than necessary.

Overall I would give the game 7.5/10, would recommend to play if you have free time and you want to sink a day into a interesting story.

Silene
Silene

Follow my curator page for more comprehensive reviews on other games!

General Information

Potentially one of the most disturbing games of the year, Martha is Dead unfolds as a slow-burn, first-person, psychological thriller. The main premise of the game entails Martha, the identical sibling to Giulia, of course, dying; and the rest is comprised of how people in her vicinity are affected by this, which is also interjacent to your eventual descent into madness. It certainly does surprise you with more than what seems plausible on the surface, though.

The controls are easy enough to grasp, being mostly point-and-click interactive with movements assisted by a WASD keyboard format. You, obviously, can use different layouts or a controller if you please, and you can play the game in a multitude of languages—Italian being both the innate choice and possibly the best one. The game includes a log for missed dialogue and subtitles, and while some documents in-game might be in English, they're mainly in Italian, so it isn't completely immersion shattering. There are also extra details that I appreciate, such as the daily tarot divinations.

Regardless of whatever technical choice you make, you will eventually assume the role of a twin sister situated in the Italian countryside of the 1940s, who is engrossed in a web of war, abuse, grief, and psychotic delusion. You are simply a victim of circumstance. This game definitely requires quite a heavy trigger warning prior to playing it, as there are a few pop-up messages preceding specific scenes. Martha is Dead is an ordeal that is RIFE with both realistic and gratuitous gore. 

The experience is heavy on atmosphere and accompanied by an eerie soundtrack, and the graphics are the icing on the cake. With that being said, the character models, along with environmental textures, can sometimes look wonky up close. Still, the game is capable of everyone's favorite buzzword, a.k.a. "ray tracing," and can easily result in your system heating up to some extent (it's probably necessary to mention here that I am playing on a laptop with an i7-9700 Intel Core, 16GB of RAM, and an RTX 2070.) 

In addition to that, it's worth saying that my playthroughs were significantly glitched, with me being unable to proceed with certain quests despite my position in the story. There were many occasions when I'd fly through the map after trying to do something as simplistic as riding my bicycle over a dirt hump. While hunting for the last two achievements, I would have to close out my game just to reset the location of my bike. As you'd guess, this ultimately became very draining after figuring out that these problems were not unique to a single condition and would recurrently show up. My game would, on occasion, have somewhat of a stuttering problem as well.

The White Lady

Martha is Dead begins with a view of a bedroom window, amongst a doting nanny retelling the story of a local cryptid: a homicidal wraith who slays a young woman every time fog descends upon the lake nearby. The reason for this stems from a traumatic event involving the drowning of the "White Lady" during a domestic situation regarding her and her significant other.

Although you may interpret this as the main focus of the game, the White Lady is predominantly made available in fleeting moments and photographs, most of which you have to actively try to discover. The other times she appears are within metaphors and coincidences parallel to the story; an eternally repetitive imprint on reality, i.e., "The house was a place of suffering."

Can a photo capture the soul?

This is one of the teeming questions that plague this game, having you navigate between major parts of the story through either the lens of a camera or from the audience of a puppeteer show at the theatre. Some of the first items and areas you're presented with either involve or consist of being gifted a camera, alongside your own personal basement darkroom to develop whatever tokens of interest you capture with it. If you're confused about how to progress, all you really have to do is keep an eye out for the hand-shaped button prompts, which routinely fill up with red. There are also collectibles, requiring you to pick up rolls of film and camera modifications that you find in and around your family's estate. This feature leads me to reminisce a lot about Fatal Frame and its mechanics with picture taking.

(Spoiler warnings from this point forward.)

The secondary perspective from which the story is conducted is through Giulia's childhood toy set; a theatre stage complete with drawn curtains, props, cardboard backgrounds, and dolls depicting her entire family. Unreachable without the key to her room, the rest of the plot is told through memories and hallucinations. Giulia is an unreputable protagonist, leading you to continuously second-guess whether what you're remembering and witnessing is real or not. Giulia even makes a comment about how "deceiving one's self is sometimes necessary," adding a question asking "How could we survive otherwise?" I'd say that some of the experiences recalled through these mediums are too senseless to believe (like their mother boiling their dachshund alive), but my comparably cruel mother did something similar, so it's pretty accurate!

An Unfortunate Entanglement

Whether you're venturing outside under the cover of dusk or penetrating the depths of your dark house, there will only be a tiny flame emanating from an even more ineffectual lighter to guide your way. Your purpose, first and foremost, is to take on a body switch with Martha, due to your abusive mother's unabashed favoritism. Nobody could ever tell the two apart, and they took advantage of the mix-up whenever possible. Giulia does whatever objective is expected of Martha, suddenly embracing her daily habits of reading the morning newspaper and even going to absurd extremes such as pretending to be deaf, just as Martha had once done. What choice are you left with when dealing with a mother who never wanted you and an open opportunity, all while being confronted with the fear of disappointment?

Even though you pulled Martha's bloated corpse from the lake shore and witnessed her passing firsthand, the reaction has always been an internal debate. Your secondary motive here is to piece together the puzzle of how your sister died, even if that meant receiving confirmation that you had hurt her yourself. During the interval between all of this happening, there is a looming threat, augured by the dispute between the German command and the Partisans. When they're not exploiting the death and injury of your family to spread propaganda (your father is a general in the German military, which is why they take any notice), you'll sometimes hear cryptic radio transmissions seeping through the static. The Germans have started to investigate their own allies (the Italian Armed Forces), and will frequently stage events to further their agenda. 

Martha is Dead constantly feels like the calm before the storm, expecting things to go abhorrently wrong even when life seems stabilized. One of the most precise descriptions here is the quote uttering that "Nothing is ever certain in wartime," and it's a bewitching ride almost from the very induction.

The Verdict

Overall, Martha is Dead was an encounter I mostly enjoyed, as long as I wasn't forced to figure out how to progress through game-breaking bugs. Luckily, the developers seem to be pretty focused on staying on top of patches and updates, so I doubt that any of these hiccups will survive for very long. It's a gripping adventure that will at best make you uncomfortable and at worst cause you to be confused, depressed, and sick to your stomach. I'd recommend it to anybody who isn't particularly sensitive to these things.

DAD2206
DAD2206

Martha is Dead

Martha is Dead is not a horror game. If you are looking for jumpscares and the likes, look elsewhere. Martha is Dead is not a shooter, not a RPG, not an action game. If you want to 360 No Scope, talk to a lot of NPC's or smash buttons, look elsewhere. It is also not for the faint of heart. It's not without reason the developers have put a warning at the beginning of the game, provide a link for those that feel the need to seek help and have censored certain parts of the game. The game deals with some very serious topics, not in the least child/animal abuse. So please, heed these warnings before you play!

So what is Martha is Dead? In my humble opinion only one of the best games ever made. It tells you a psychological story. A story about a young woman (Giulia) in 1944 Tuscany. A story about her mind and what goes on inside of it while she tries to find out what happened to her twin sister (Martha). You are taken on a trip deep into her mind and at the end you're left wondering what was real and what wasn't. What really happened to Martha and if she was even real in the first place. Personally, I couldn't help but feel for Giulia at the end. For everything she had gone through in her life and what that had done to her mentally.

The game is visually stunning. The devs have really captured the feel of Tuscany during summer. I love how you walk around the area and really feel like you're there. The music is absolutely beautiful and fits every scene. The implementation of the camera into the gameplay is one I found very interesting. Taking pictures, developing them to further the story is a very nice touch. A few collectables to get, a couple of side quests, but these aren't too difficult. All in all you can play through and get all achievements in about 6 to 8 hours. I'd recommend to play without a guide the first time to really immerse yourself into Giulia's mind.

Seriously, play this game!

10/10 (I've just started to play this on Steam. I have 40+ hours on Xbox in this game)

Baznoc™
Baznoc™

My review of Martha Is Dead is simple: I haven't experienced anything like it. Yes Its REALLY Gory and has things I just don't want to describe, But after finishing the game..., I was Impressed with the way thy dealt with the issues this addresses(I don't want to go there). Its a personal experience, I think. I had emotions all over the place. That's the Real attraction of this game: Immersion. It has some TOUGH stuff to watch and are Cut scenes, so if your'e squeamish: I PROMISE THIS GAME HAS WARNINGS FOR A REASON. It can 'trigger' some really Harsh reactions so DO Not get this is you aren't ready for the kind of 'Horror', that Is, everyday life. I dig it so this was Heaven. To Others That evokes some REALLY strong reactions.

Controls have to be sort of figured out on the fly. I think this is a better 'controller' game than a 'WASD' game (just my experience).

I had bugs and glitches but you get used to it and find workarounds or your doing it all again. NOT my favorite part of the game, so Irritating, but survivable.

9 of 10 for this story and the remarkable efforts to make this come alive. You all did so well with the Music, the Writing, and Mood.

I recommend this Heartily,

*and just to let you know; I lived through abuse and abandonment.

This game pulls No punches emotionally, so buckle up, snowflake. It's going to be a Ride.
:steamflake:

Jason's mom has got it goin on
Jason's mom ha…

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• naømikø •
• naømikø •

The environment may be beautiful but the story was mildly horrifying and I often felt like I had only 1.5 brain cells to rub together to figure out wtf was going on.

8/10 for the fact that I streamed myself moonlighting as the world's worst GYN so my friend had to suffer with me.

beauty of annihilation
beauty of anni…

Will there be any other dlcs of stories??? Im waiting...

mark.somerville93
mark.somerville93

Very well told story with excellent voice performances. Atmosphere is excellent, starts off slow but builds to extreme feelings of dread in the climax.

fearfactory5
fearfactory5

This game may have been aesthetically pleasant but it was boring and for the price, I expected it to be twice as long. Most of the interactions were irrelevant to the completion of the game so it seems they were placed in there to just waste time. It was basically a photography game where you learn how to develop film. What was the purpose of all the filters for the camera when none were needed? If the game occurred in 1944, why were there mausoleum plaques with deceased dates in the 1980's on at least 2 of the sarcophagi? Why was Giulia's closet and bed in Martha's room while Giulia's locked room only contained that puppet show? Why did the explanation of how nanny and Lapo differ from what actually happened during gameplay? If the bicycle was only needed to ride to San Cristiano, why were you able to interact with it prior? Did anybody try riding that thing before it was necessary? I did! It was terrible to control and moved slower than she ran....and she ran slow. This was all nonsense. The transmission quest would have been irritating because I couldn't read the chart, but luckily for me, I copied morse code in the military so that was not difficult. I sympathize with everyone struggling through that experience. I truly do not understand the hype about this game.

LEV
LEV

if you like mystic and storyline this game is yours

Rexali_
Rexali_

Martha is Dead has very good story and remains no unanswered questions in the end unlike so many other similar games. The visuals are great thanks to it's game engine. However in many places story and game-play progresses too slow and it becomes very tedious and boring to keep playing. There are significant number of glitches even despite of latest patches , For example you would face them when riding a boat . . .

Therefore I count visuals and graphics as a positive point which powered by Unreal Engine and The story is enough cool for a Walking Simulator game and like i said I think it would answer all the questions and dark parts in the story. However the game is not Scary at all and It would be frustrating in some places because story progress will be too slow. Also there are tons of bugs and glitches in game-play movements or etc so I give this game 7/10 Score but i recommended it for Walking Simulator or Story rich fans. The game totally worth a experience.

sadjack
sadjack

clunky ass game mechanics. weak ass narrative. don't bother

Thechzn1
Thechzn1

A game that blends many elements very well, including detective, drama, horror and historical themes. Game does, at times, get graphic to a borderline cartoonish degree - which, to me, detracts from the deep story line and the overall aesthetic the game otherwise projects. Filled with plenty of side quests that give it great replayability, however. Will definitely do a couple more run-throughs before putting this one up for a while.

♥Tyknighter: Gun Girl Lover
♥Tyknighter: G…

Introduction

Martha is Dead was a unique horror game that caught my interest when I first heard it was getting censored on the PS4 due to Sony's current stance on censorship. I, of course, love horror games and I wanted to see what kind of game this would be, there is also a disclaimer that the game gives as soon as you boot it up. This is not for the faint of heart and definitely not for the squeamish, I myself like to explore these types of games so my interest was definitely caught. The game also had some really high ratings on other review websites, so I was expecting something amazing.

However, when I played it, I got something else, and I am honestly quite disappointed by the shallow experience that I have gotten, which is what made me put the game down. I will be going into all of this in the review and why I personally think that Martha is Dead is not a horror game.

I should also probably make this clear, but I do not play Walking Simulators, however, I will not be giving this game a negative review simply because it is one. I am someone who will play any game as long as it’s fun. The only game that I have played that is part of this genre is What Remains of Edith Finch and that was an enjoyable experience. I am judging this game with the experience that I have had and nothing more.

Pros and Cons

Pros

    • Amazing voice acting
    • Detailed graphics that present the content well

Cons

    • Interest in the story drops off the further you progress
    • Choices don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things
    • The horror in this game is very lacking, relying on jump scares and nothing more
    • Performance issues were present

Story

The story starts out in the year 1944 in Italy, with Giulia, who is at a lake taking photos when she sees a lifeless body floating in the river. She swims out to go and rescue the person for her to only find that it’s her sister Martha and she is dead. However, when her parents come to see her, they mistake the dead body for Giulia and think that Giulia herself, who is alive, is Martha.

Giulia assumes the role of Martha so she can feel the love that she never got, as she was abused by her mother, and her father is a soldier who is working with the Germans in WWII. Giulia will try her best to find the truth as to why her sister died, while she deals with trauma and the loss of war.

The story of Martha is Dead had a very interesting start and then it turned into something that I was honestly disappointed with. There will be segments where you can choose how to progress through the story, like one of those choose your own adventure kind of things. However, none of the choices you make matter in the grand scheme of things. If a story allows you to choose your own path, the story should reflect on that and divide different outcomes and endings. You don’t get that in this game, and you only get one ending where nothing you do matters. Also, for some reason, Giulia (or Martha in this case) likes to leave the front door open whenever she leaves. Perfect for any person or demon to walk in and haunt the house.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2819548196
I did like the segment where we enact a recap of the story so far with this grim reaper puppet. The overall design and layout of the segment are really interesting, and I liked it overall.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2819542359
he one thing I will give praise for is the voice acting, it’s really well done, and I even hear that one of the voice actresses is being nominated for an award for their performance. The entire game takes place in Italy so you will be hearing everything in Italian while you read the subtitles.

Gameplay

Now, there is not a whole lot to talk about in terms of gameplay for Martha is Dead. That’s not to say that is a bad thing as the game is a walking sim. There is a camera that you will have to use to progress through the story- you will use it to take photos and then you will have to develop those photos by going into the photographic darkroom. Which is rather cool, I liked this feature as it showed us how to develop them.

Although that’s all of the positives I can think of in terms of Martha is Dead's gameplay. The game has these on-rail moments that make you choose certain words to progress, however, if you choose the wrong one, you must redo the entire segment again. There also are other on-rail moments and none of these feel fun. The issue I have with the gameplay is that there is no failure, even the moments that you think have failure don’t. I don’t feel vulnerable at all in certain situations or threatened. For a horror game like this, I think a sense of dread should be included to make the ghosts you come across threatening.

However, the worst aspect of the game is the lack of actual horror elements. It relies on jump scares; these are not considered horror in my opinion unless done correctly. The content is more of a thriller than horror which leaves the feeling that something is not right. The game is disturbing on some levels with the gore, but it is not presented in any new or interesting way. With this said, everyone may not be as used to gore as I, so be cautious with what the game does have in store.

Graphics and Performance

The graphics are honestly really beautiful, and I would have loved to spend time admiring the clear-like fields if my experience wasn't affected by a few performance issues.

First, I will mention gaming performance, mainly low FPS issues. Even after lowering the graphic settings the problems persist. Draw distance is another issue, it is absolutely horrible; I can stand a few feet away from something and you can see the low resolution with the screenshot I provided.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2819542162
One last issue worth mentioning is the camera movement can end up in pretty awkward positions when panning around with a mouse. I should note that the developers are aware of these problems and plan on fixing them.

I tested the game on an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB, AMD Ryzen 5 1500X Quad-Core Processor 3.50, with 16 GB of RAM.

Final Verdict

Martha is Dead is an interesting idea on paper, but the execution didn't pan out. I think the experience would be different if they are able to iron out some of the issues that currently break the experience.

I ended up putting the game down due to all of these issues and the fact that I was also locked into progressing at a certain point. I know I could have just reset the game to resolve this, but I simply didn't have enough interest in the game's current state. If you truly do want to play it yourself, I recommend getting it when it’s on sale, as the current price of 33.89 CDN with only four hours of content is just not worth the asking price.

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几ㄖᐯ卂 丂ㄒ丨ㄒ匚卄
几ㄖᐯ卂 丂ㄒ丨ㄒ匚卄

Pros: Amazing Graphics, Beautiful Music, Great Story. Horrifying Lore, Huge Twist, Well Done Spooky Moments, Perfect Atmosphere
Cons: Unskippable Dialogue, Slow Pacing, Tedious Tasks

I enjoyed this game thoroughly it looked amazing, the music was beautiful, and the story was rich & terrifying! It takes a truly dark & twisted turn with a twist for the story. The slow pacing works perfectly for what the game offers! The story takes place in WWII in Italy where life doesn't bode so well for Martha. The horror aspect is done well for it takes it's time and when done is done right. What brings it all together is the photograph aspect of it all, cameras & horror mixes well together for it's the long wait of seeing if something is there, then the fear if something is truly there!

The few moments I didn't enjoy was it was running back & forth from time to time with not much of a quicker way to get to places you've been. The dialogue, while done very well, is unfortunately unskippable even after you've beaten the game, so if by chance you missed something or want a completionist achievements route it's extremely tedious & time consuming! Also the slow pacing might not be for everyone however I think it works perfectly especially for horror (can't rush a good scare)!

Action: 2/5 ~ There is a few action scenes however throughout the whole story there isn't much happening.
Comedy: 0/5 ~ The game takes itself seriously for it's story & horror so there isn't much room for comedy nor is there a place for it in this game!
Drama: 5/5 ~ It takes you to a whole new level for it intense story & the horrifying backstory you'll encounter.
Horror: 5/5 ~ The horror is very well done in it's suspense moments & atmospheric world. Not just for it's spookiness in jump scares or chases but in it's story too the amount of grotesque & terrifying scenes you go through and active play.

Casually ~ A+
Critically ~ A+

For the $29.99 this game is, it is truly worth it! From the beautiful scenery, music, to it's depths of horror and storytelling.

Cheeseburger
Cheeseburger

Official walking simulator 2022
Also has bike that break the fragments of time and space.
Play this game if you want arthritis from all the player controlled page flipping.

AJ
AJ

Can't rebind the keys so I can't physically play it due to an issue with my hands. 2022 and no key rebinding, disgraceful.

megamelfina
megamelfina

I'd probably give this a 'neutral' if that was an option (hint, hint Steam).

The story is great. I enjoyed exploring the world and figuring out what was really happening. The graphics are beautiful and the music is haunting, perfect for the setting.

My game did crash several times, which was frustrating. With no ability to skip cutscenes or dialogue, it's a real slog if you have to restart a chapter. This also applies to getting of the achievements and such.

Also, developers, you have this huge trigger warning for various things, an in-game notification for self-harm that you don't even really see, but you didn't think to even mention the animal abuse? Shame on you guys. For anyone wondering, there is a scene towards the end where you control a 'puppet' in a 'puppet show' and have to boil a dachshund alive.

TwistedRobin
TwistedRobin

I'm about 5 hours into the story and I don't think I could recommend this game because of the amount of bugs I have encountered. It has gotten very frustrating and I've had to walk away multiple times because of having to replay parts because of a game breaking bug. Gets very frustrating with a slow paced game like this. If it wasn't for the amount of bugs I could recommend it but not as it currently is. It is just frustrating.

zork1974
zork1974

This is an EXCELLENT game for the genre it's trying to be.

Make no mistake, this is not Doom. This is a first-person horror-adventure with an in-depth photography mechanic. You will slowly go through a young girl's tragic life like a novel but you will have side quests to flesh out the story.

TRIGGER WARNING: Lots of dark things are inside. Murder, betrayal, mental illness, and GORE.

If you like hardcore tragedy similar to 70's exploitation films, this is for you.

6 hours to finish, 10 hours to complete. Achievement hunting is aggravating because of the slow pace, but it really could have been worse.

Final rating: 9/10 (Would be perfect without the game engine performance issues from time to time.)

jkly
jkly

I really liked this one.

First of all, the graphics are beautiful and they nailed the time period. The story has a lot of twists and turns and the ending is ambiguous, but I like stories that end without you having all the answers, leaving you to piece together the truth for yourself from the clues they've given you.

This is also a bleak and gory story and the horror is mostly psychological. Nothing chases you. Well, nothing chases you to the point of giving you a game over if you aren't fast enough.

elihamlin76
elihamlin76

I just finished the game and am still can't process it completely. There are games where you make choices that effect what will happen in the game. The choices in this game may not change how the game is played, or the literal events of the game, but it effects the way your perceive the story. I's strange, and discordant, in a way that truly works with the story and the tone. It's not for everyone, but is a game I wholly recommend.

Dogiboi
Dogiboi

Spoiler free

Hard call for me on this one. There is something incredible here to be desired, but in its current form, I just don't think it hits the mark. As it's probably already aware, this game is kind of fucked up in parts. Take that to heart if you decide to try it out, if you can stomach it.

+ Gorgeous visuals, from start to end
+ Overall phenomenal animation work, with a few hiccups here and there
+ Voice acting on English is fantastic. I did not play on Italian, but I've heard/read it's great as well
+ Game has a horror aspect to it, and be aware, there are NO JUMP SCARES thank God
+ Solid music

- Game is 100% a walking simulator. I wouldn't call this a bad thing in general, but I believe it should be listed as such. It has an element of freedom and some extra things you can do, but overall, you get the same ending, and you get to it the same way. The extra tidbits are ultimately just filler tagged on giving you the illusion of control. It would've been nice to see other choices or other endings for a game like this. Missed opportunity.

- Game is on rails, mostly. By this I mean there isn't a lot of free traversal, even in the "free" environments. You cannot step over a tiny cliff or rock. No. Gotta go ALL the way around on the given path in the programming.

- The story has some writing flaws. I don't mean in dialogue, but rather in presentation and pacing. I feel like the writers wanted some parts to be these BIG moments (e.g. the ending), but as those moments came and went, they felt very dull. Or they make you gag slightly. Either way, I feel like what they included is perfectly acceptable, but just wish they found a better way to implement it.

Endgame message is nice, but after playing a title like this, seeing the 180 degree message of inspiration after the credits feels very out of place. It'd be like seeing a vegan restaurant menu with a message exclaiming how incredibly vegan they are and how bad it is to kill animals and then the next day have meat on the menu. Whatever feeling you get from reading that last sentence, that's how I felt from the endgame message.

Wait for sale.

BLUEberry
BLUEberry

WOW just WOOOOW
just play this game.
graphics are amazing, voice actors did a wonderful job of bringing there character to life (except the father) and the story goddamn the STORY. it really got me at the end with the twist . i enjoyed every second of my 6 hours playtime.
i didn't care about all the gore and disturbing imagery throughout the game BUUUUUT THE DOG MAN THE DOOOOG was too much

Nyogtha
Nyogtha

10/10 worth the buy the story was captivating, disturbing, haunting and left me wanting more. Never have i been so on edge waiting for what follows.

Maum
Maum

I have just finished this game and while I understand it is controversial I was utterly engrossed.
Some games end up being works of art, and I felt this was one of them.
The gameplay and story are pretty linear and easy (albeit slow so be prepared to take your time exploring), but it is all about the atmosphere and the storyline. Said storyline is harrowing, sometimes extremely graphic and ultimately very sad.
The setting and graphics are beautiful and the historical recreation is extremely detailed and spot on. I played it in Italian and thoroughly enjoyed the voice acting, helped by a beautifully written script.
Ultimately where I thought the game was so unique was the moments when the story veered into the surreal, and left you wondering what was real or imagined.
I feel I will replay it at some point as I haven't completed all the achievements, but I need to recover first!

Asher
Asher

i'm not sure where to begin with this review....ok, so first, i was expecting to love this unusual, shocking content game. i love "different" games, and this one certainly is that.

the problems for me were that i could not come close to finishing the game, as i got stuck in two places where apparently i didn't do what i was supposed to do and had no way to go back and fix what i did or didn't do without starting all over (which i tried once and failed to complete much more) or loading a saved version and trying again (which i did not do as i expected to end up failing in a third attempt and didn't have the patience for it). i'm assuming this is why i could not progress, as reading the game Discussions made me realize i was not the only one stuck with no way forward other than starting again or going back to a saved game, then hoping i did better the next time.

i did not like the "side" stories going on in the game, with difficult and tedious "puzzles" to complete.

on the bright side, if you enjoy being shocked, well, this game will do that. and i do not mean jump scares. the story content is quite shocking and the scenes graphic. i really like all that, but i had to resort to watching a walkthrough instead of playing the game myself much beyond half way through. so i'm disappointed i had to do that, but there is no way i felt i could ever progress to the end of the game or even close due to the issues i encountered with making wrong game choices and then having no reasonable way to correct those.

anyway....i still loved how unusual and shocking the game was, despite knowing that only because i resorted to watching a walkthrough. my congrats to the people able to finish this one. i'm still recommending it since i know some of you will be able to do better than i did, and then really love this game as i wanted to.

P L A G U E
P L A G U E

Time for honest reviews with your local ghoul.

UPSIDES!
Visually aesthetic.
Amazing Camera/Photography System.
The Graphics are A+
Beautiful audio.

DOWNSIDES!
Nazi Sympathizing.
Trauma porn.
Pro-Nazi Propaganda.
Pro-Nazi Ideology.
Pro-Nazi.
Can't rebind keys.

I was aching for this game. I love horror to the depths of my core and when I heard about how brutal this was I was ready for something phenomenal.

I want to take a second and pause to say if this game hadn't piggybacked on Nazi's, it would have been good. But since it did, it's a huge flop and a massive failure. The Nazi rhetoric and attempts to make the player feel sympathy for literal Nazi's is pathetic, cheap, and genuinely offensive.

This could have been something beautiful, but instead of focusing on the trauma of abuse and mental illness, it felt more like an excuse to attempt to be as visually brutal as possible while hijacking the story in several different ways at once, painting the resistance to be the bad guys, and playing 'poor papa the Nazi'.

Truly miserable. I wish I could get my money back, I genuinely regret spending even a cent to the pocket of whatever clown said "Yeah, lets make the viewer feel bad for Nazis. Everyone hurts

SnOoPi#
SnOoPi#

One of the best game i ever played. But it really need to be more optimized

Tamaster
Tamaster

Sum-Up

In-depth analysis further down.

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🟩 Pros 🟥 Cons
- Exceptional visuals. Each environment is rich in details, finely crafted and leaves nothing to chance. One of the best visual renditions of 1940s Italy I’ve seen to date.

- Historical accuracy. Being Italian born and raised, I can definitely tell the devs did their homework as far as authenticity is concerned.

- Good variety of gameplay elements. For a narrative adventure, the type and number of activities to complete is above-average, most feel enjoyable as well.

- Zero-censorship policy on the depicted situations. Expect strong themes like extremely crude gore, animal cruelty, child abuse and everything in-between, in line with the wartime setting.

- Solid storyline, that has enough pathos to remain captivating and characters believable enough to not result implausible.

- Terrible optimization. Framerate drops, occasional stuttering and scorching temperatures will be normal even on high-end machines far above the requirements.

- Inconsistent voice acting. Some characters’ way of speaking feels flat, starkly contrasted with the eventual situations of urgency, fear or danger they’re involved in.

🟨 Bugs & Issues 🔧 Specs
- In rare cases, some interactions may get stuck forever. Load a saved game to fix.
- Players may end up outside the map in a certain location.
- Some secondary choices may not account correctly for consequence in specific cases.
- 3900X
- 2080Ti
- 32GB RAM
- SSD
- 1440p
Content & Replay Value: It took me around 9 hours to complete Martha is Dead (MiD), taking extra time to clear what secondary content I managed to find, and explore all locations accurately. The content is entirely linear, there’s no reason to replay once finished.
Is it worth buying? The standard price of 30€ (3€ / hour of playtime) is still a bit steep for this amount of content, despite the good quality offered. I’d recommend waiting for a small discount before buying.

Verdict: Very Good

Rating Chart Here

A high-quality narrative adventure with a setting that proves novel, historically-accurate and interesting. Some moderate issues prevent it from realizing its full potential.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2830781616

In-Depth

Premise, Setting & Writing

1944. Italy is ravaged by the misery of war, with Allied forces moving up towards the Tuscany region while Axis troops mount a desperate defense. Protagonist Giulia K. is the daughter of a high-profile Nazi officer, but even this privileged position doesn’t save her from tragedy. One day, her twin sister Martha is found dead in a lake - an overwhelming loss. She always was her parents’ favorite, unlike Giulia, so the latter decides to take her identity, pretending to be her from that moment forward, to gain the love so far denied to her.

MiD mostly takes place in and around a countryside villa outside the village of San Casciano, Tuscany. There’s a remarkable attention to detail in the realization of each location, from the interiors of a typical upper-class 1940 Italian household, with luxuries such as electric power and a phone line, to the verdant woods and sun-beaten dirt paths commonly seen in the rural areas of the region even today. The marked contrast between these idyllic landscapes and the brutality of war, or the horrifying visions in Giulia’s mind, creates a rollercoaster of varied atmospheres that works out very well.

Apart from the protagonist, there’s a small roster of relevant characters that, however, never happen to dialogue directly with you at any point: a consequence of the recent events, and of the pretense Giulia decided to put up. You’ll hear conversations, read missives, listen to telephone calls, but never engage in active dialogues save for some phone calls at specific points. The writing feels plausible, with an Italian voiceover that accounts for the different mannerisms and speech patterns of the time. Most situations feel plausible and realistic, even if (probably by design) you’ll end up questioning the veracity of some of them as the game progresses.

Exploration & Investigation

The story plays out through a number of days, each having a primary objective related to the events at hand, and a series of optional activities as well. Generally, you’ll be able to explore the world freely at any time, with the primary areas being the villa and its courtyard, the nearby forest and the lake. Some places will be locked until specific events happen, or certain quests are triggered by your findings. Your trusty camera will be of paramount importance, as it will not only allow you to collect evidence in order to shed light on your sister’s death, but also to use filters (such as infrared) to reveal the unseen.

There are a vast number of interactable objects that reveal more about the family’s past, the general lore or the people related to you in some way, each of them is voice-narrated by Giulia. Those looking to do everything will find much information in these optional interactions, they’re definitely worth the extra time spent.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2831372692

Secondary Quests

While your focus remains finding the truth about Martha’s death, there will be other things to do as well. For instance, hidden riddles can be found by photographing specific objects in the world, optional points of interest that reveal dark stories, or trigger quests altogether. These missions may be optional, but contain a good chunk of unique content, such as puzzles, minigames and sub-storylines regarding parallel ongoing events.

Some of these elements also can be missed, since the game progresses in a series of days alongside the main quest’s evolution: after certain events unfold, some areas may not be accessible anymore, thus locking the quests out forever (unless you reload an earlier save). Going just for the main story is something I wouldn’t recommend, as these secondary missions, even if a tad annoying in pacing at times, prove overall interesting and expand on the narrative considerably

Puzzles & Minigames

The most frequent type of puzzle will be associated with photography: relevant items to frame, both primary and secondary, will be highlighted on your HUD, and it will be up to you to use the right camera accessories, such as filters, and set the right zoom level, exposure and focus to get the perfect shot. Not only that, but photos also need to be developed in a dark room, which involves a simple button-pressing prompt as QTE.

Other than that, you’ll eventually be decoding telegraph ciphers, finding items such as keys to unlock doors, boxes and passages containing critical items, or figure out the right things to say in a phone call to extract information. There are also a few quick-time events here and there, but they’re fairly simple and not demanding in skill or reflexes at all, in line with the genre’s expectations.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2830781865

Haurchefant
Haurchefant

Spoilers are in this review.

I liked the gameplay aspects, the graphics were gorgeous and it really did evoke a sense of being in Tuscany in 1944. I do think some things were missed that added a lot of context; for instance, the medication her mother was using is methamphetamine. Which explained so much about the mother, but unless you know that or google it, it's lost on the player. Similarly, seeing it beside Martha's bed on the floor and in the box. This has implications which are potentially lost to the unaware which could provide more context for character actions.

Pros:
Beautiful graphics
Good voice over (highly recommend keeping it in Italian)
Fun gameplay mechanics - camera, Morse code.
Very time capsule like - It's like stepping into the time period, a lot of love was put into ensuring this was accurate.
Haunting atmosphere without the need for jump scares - refreshing in a jumpscare-tastic gaming industry.

Cons:
Some parts dragged on a bit too much, the puppets for example.

The area is far too big with not enough to do in it. - The woods are sprawling and beautiful, but there is not that much to do within, so it made the woods seem a bit lifeless in terms of it just...being there to walk around in and admire the graphics.

It seems to villainize mental health disorders -

It surely seems like a cause to be celebrated; greater representation in the media of mental illnesses and mental health. But. despite warnings and links to mental health sites, the game does, at least in my opinion, villainize mental health disorders, namely DID and/or schizophrenia/Paranoia etc. I didn't feel like it was telling a poignant story about the struggles of mental health and what that entails, but more that it was leaning toward the cliche of 'mental health disorders turn people into raging murderers with delusions'.

The focus seemed more on the gore, rather than what abuse and living through a horrific war did to the main character and the fear that must have come with being the daughter of a high ranking German official (It was touched on, but not much and the game says nothing on this fact other than showing us a lot of Nazi flags when in reality, it could have served as being much more thought provoking. It lacked any underlying substance). I think, if it had been accompanied by more concrete evidence rather than hearsay, it would have been more thought-provoking and shined a much better light on mental health. Instead it seemed to skim over the abuse and trauma for the main character to remind us that she was 'crazy'.

As it stands, it's following a classic media trope of stigmatizing mental health disorders into simply 'this character is mad/insane'. I do not feel that the game shed much light on the complexity and fragility of the mind with regard to the subjects in the game.

A lot of mainstream media show various mental health conditions personified as evil and I feel Martha Is Dead has, unfortunately, leaned into this trope. For decades, horror films and games have used 'madness' and 'psychotic' as their variation on evil and horror and falsely perpetuated the notion that mental conditions commonly lead to violence against others. Something Martha Is Dead leans heavily into.

Martha Is Dead also seems to perpetuate the continuing confusion about the relationship between schizophrenia and dissociative identity disorder, as the game seemingly teeters between the two with its implications and hearsay, with a lack of solid evidence and research. Compared to games like Hell blade, who put in a lot of research to ensure Schizophrenia was portrayed accurately, I feel as if Martha Is Dead pulled a trope from a hat and simply went with it. It feels like little thought was put into the consequences of trying to depict mental illness without enough research backing it up.

This is not to say that it was done on purpose, more that it feels like a smaller team with a large idea perhaps didn't put in as much thought as they could have with regard to what they were trying to portray. Sadly, at least in my opinion, Martha Is Dead is continuing a stigma on mental illness.

As a result, I feel the story, while starting off strongly with a lean toward the supernatural, fell short and could leave people feeling frustrated. There is no real satisfactory ending, rather one which makes you feel like what you did was meaningless while you try and piece together a story with parts missing or without context.

People with schizphrenia or DID or severe mental health disorders, don't flip between types of symptomatic behavior like a rolodex and the fact that mental health is the big reveal at the end of the game is really disappointing.

Quite frankly, I was disappointed that it didn't stick more with the mother and her addiction or just go full supernatural. Dramatization of mental health may serve as entertainment for many, but the impact of that is far reaching and harmful.

Do I recommend this game if you're looking for something impactful about mental health? No.

Do I reccommend this game if you're just looking for a gore-fest with little substance and/or reasoning behind said gore? Yeah, sure.

Undertaker Infinity
Undertaker Infinity

People expecting just objects suddenly popping into view with loud sound effects as most "horror" games have, might be turned off, as this is actual horror. You will not be skating around shooting halpless demons either.
It gets unsettling, uncomfortable, deals with painful subjects, as good horror does. I kept talking about it for a while after I finished it. Good stuff.
It starts out horribly linear but opens up a bit later, yet it's still mostly linear with side quests(?) that you may or may not complete.
I liked the story, even though it is heavy handedly delivered in some aspects and left open to interpretation in others. There is enough left to talk about once you're done and the story itself I really liked.
Since it's very story-based, I'd recommend not reading much about it.
Graphics look great, at the cost of not having too many locations. Pace is slow most of the time.
Faced a single bug, which did not happen again on reload. Checkpoints made this not matter much, even though pace really slows down at times.
Really recommended for those who actually want horror, not so much for others.... but you can see those others right here in their reviews :)

thankor
thankor

While I loved both WW2-era Italy setting and the fleshed-out photography mechanics, I'm unfortunately unable to recommend this game due to a few major issues/criticisms that I had with it.

1) I encountered numerous bugs throughout my playthrough, including: the lighter become completely invisible until I reloaded a previous save, the bicycle letting me ride out of bounds in several locations, and weird flickering/flashes occurring whenever I turned right.
2) So much of the dialogue is completely unskippable and prevents you from interacting with objects until it finishes. Normally this wouldn't be that big of an issue, but so much of the dialogue in the game just felt like flavor text.
3) Half the game feels like it is retelling you parts of the story that you've already heard before (such as the puppet showcase where you literally reenact a scene from the beginning of the game)
4) It was never really clear which objectives would cause time to progress and which ones were completely missable. As a result, near the end of the game I found that one of the objectives that I had really been wanting to do was now completely blocked off.

Creamy Jim
Creamy Jim

First three hours kinda sucked, then once you kinda understood what was going on in the story the roller coaster starts going full speed and you're locked in until the end. I wish there was a little more "life" to the world but the environment was beautiful, even when I was confused on where to go/what to do. But this game does do a very decent job on telling a story focused on mental health and the crazy shit that happens with schizophrenia.
Overall; decent story once you convince yourself the story isn't fucking stupid, beautiful environment, beautiful graphics, interesting game mechanics that didn't totally feel like a chore.
If you're a shmuck looking for a jumpscare or quick action this ain't it chief, but if you're willing to listen to the story it is trying to tell, you will be rewarded. 7/10 will probs play again cuz its edgy af

Tofer
Tofer

With an interesting story and beautiful graphics, while not a great game, it's pretty good. It took me about a dozen hours to beat it's more of a interactive short story.

phoenixx_
phoenixx_

the game is has such a sad and amazing story its stupid to not get it

Mariah Currey
Mariah Currey

I have to side along the rave reviews and critics this game has been getting. I started playing last night and I couldn't stop doing so until I heard the birds outside my window. I needed to find out what happened to Martha at the lake.

The storywriting along with the psychological indications, the insane depth of the mind in the perspective of a deeply troubled and broken person managed to pull me all the way into the grasp this game has. If you like a good psychological thrill, not just a game for shock sake, this is it. The real life references and historical accuracies/depictions of World War II in the year before the fall "compliment" the story in an impactful way.

10/10. It has been a long time since a game fascinated me like this one did.

Mini Minnie
Mini Minnie

Disturbing thus far, in a good way possible? Highly recommended for fans of dark stories and morbid elements. Only reason why I had to refund was that the game was progressing a little too slow for my liking. The run option is more of a slow trot as well ( I doubt running is much needed in the game though as its main genre is on psychological horror not survival horror).

Will consider getting it again on a bigger discount for sure.

K3lsier
K3lsier

As for me the game is unplayable almost two hours of play through and I haven't leave the house. The game is constantly crashing, at first it was install to a hard drive then it was moved to an NVMe ssd as is recommended to have it in a ssd, it solved nothing. I'm just wanna refund it.

GiantDwarf
GiantDwarf

This is a dark and twisted story that I wouldn't call your average horror tale. It is a murder mystery but with a big twist. This game is not for those that have a sensitivity towards gore and self harm; so be warned. Overall, this was a great story but it is more of a walking sim as there is not much game play. I highly recommend if you are into dark horror stories!

AceOf-Hz
AceOf-Hz

well this was one speciall story....

Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon
Cirilla Fiona …

If you have a really good system you should play it. I was thinking that i had a good system but this fucking game have a fucking optimization so i couldnt understand the story properly cause of my madness.

Pneuman1ac_!
Pneuman1ac_!

Beautiful storywriting, EXTREMELY GRAPHIC SCENES, eye opening plot twists, and the visuals are just fucking top notch. Very recommended, 8/10

Patrick
Patrick

I really thought I'd love this game and was looking forward to buying it. To be sure it was interesting at first with good graphics and a genuine 1940's feel to it. You could almost smell the heavy summer air filled with insects as fighter aircraft flew overhead. But sad to say it got boring quite quickly and as much as I wanted to learn more about Marthas world and her twin sister, I just couldn't be bothered with all the fiddly bits that come with the game. I might come back to it later but right now it just isn't interesting enough.

figueroas79
figueroas79

Well there went 6 hours of my life I won't get back.

I wanted to play this game because there was a lot of swirl about how "disturbing" and "graphic" the game was, and I wanted to see what the hype was all about. And yes, there are a few gory scenes, but I'm now convinced their main purpose was to try to cover for the fact this game is otherwise boring as hell.

Game started off great with an intriguing premise (the "good" twin with secrets dies mysteriously and the "bad" one takes her place) and unique backdrop (WW2 Italy), but got very boring very quickly. This game is not scary, at all. For instance, walking through dark woods at night, I'd brace myself for a jump scare or something creepy, then...nothing. Over and over again. That's the whole game. You expect something - anything! - disturbing or scary to happen, and it just doesn't. It draaaaaaaags.

Another instance, the part that finally broke my patience: there's an interminable section late in the game where you mess around with a dollhouse and the main character uses puppets to act out - veeeery slooowly - a bunch of scenes WE'VE ALREADY SEEN SEVERAL TIMES, including the White Lady story AGAIN (you'll hear the story of the White Lady approximately 8,000 times in this game). A short while later, I got a prompt to return to the dollhouse with the promise of acting out yet more long, boring scenes, at which point I finally noped out of this boring-a$$ game and looked up the conclusion of the story via an online walkthrough.

To top it all off, it has one of the laziest final "twists" you'll find in a horror story. Without spoiling, I'll just say this: the story centers around an unreliable protagonist who has an identical twin. What's the most cliched twist you can think of in this scenario? Yup, that's the twist. Lame.

Don't believe the hype. This game is sometimes gory but not at all scary or disturbing. It's a boring slog.

cyannodeecho
cyannodeecho

unplayable, nvidia 2070 -> game loads just a lag fest can barely move, move my mouse a cm and my camera spins 180 degrees (on the lowest sensitivity setting), really wanted to play the game but like the assets don't appear graphically intensive, but the game simply cannot run.