REVIEW: Martha is Dead on Xbox

Review by Jon Donnis

Martha Is Dead is advertised as a "dark first-person psychological thriller" from the creator of The Town of Light. Set in 1944 Italy, and with an Italian language set as default, the game is designed to get into the mind of the player.

You play as Giulia, and start off as a young girl, with her grandmother reading a rather unsuitable story to her, the story of a White Lady in a lake, a ghost who lost her partner, trapped in the lake until there is fog upon which she can wonder the surrounding forest, and as is often the case, will murder young women. Lovely bedtime reading. Once the seemingly never-ending intro is finished, you fast forward in time, and get some control of your character, you find yourself setting up a camera by the lake, to try and get photos of wild animals, you then have to go through a rather tedious effort of changing the film on the camera, and since this is 1944, it is one of those very old cameras. After you put the new film in, you check to make sure you have the focus right, but upon doing this you spot a body in the lake. You run down, and by run down, you press one button and the character runs automatically, you dive in, after pressing one button, recover the body and drag to lakeside. But wait the body is your identical twin sister Martha who for some reason is wearing one of Giulia's dresses. Upon this terrible discovery, Giulia takes off Martha's necklace and puts it on herself. Your parents spot you, come to your aid, but your mother who despises you, assumes you are your deaf sister Martha and comforts you. And so, the lie begins, Martha is dead, but now you have become Martha, destined to not only pretend to be her, but also learn more about her mysterious death.

Ok that enough spoilers of the game, since that is the opening chapter.

The game itself has plenty of warnings on it for disturbing content. The PlayStation release has been censored heavily, and some scenes have been removed completely. Suffice to say this is not a kid's game. For those of you who have played The Town of Light, you might have a general idea of what to expect, but no this is much more disturbing.

There are options to skip the disturbing scenes, but then what is the point of playing if you take out the most powerful bits.

The rest of the game will have you exploring the woods and the area around the family home, the stunning Italian countryside and of course trying to contact the White Lady.

The game can be very disturbing as I mentioned, there are some horrific scenes that not only do you have to watch, but you actively take part in. You will quickly understand why the warnings were needed. If you really want to know about them, just google about what bits were censored on PlayStation and you will find it talked about. Something I will avoid here.

Think of the game more as a walking simulator, something that the person sitting next to you watching, will get as much out of it as you would playing, there is a lot of going backwards and forwards between the same locations, which can become tedious too. Giulia moves annoyingly slow, and although the atmosphere of the game is great to start with, it soon loses its impact with repetition.

There are a few puzzles to complete in the game, but most of the interactivity involves you collecting things or looking at things. Dolls, Puppets etc which help unlock memory sequences. As this is set in 1944 there are plenty of references to the war, radio news alerts, newspapers and so on.

And of course, just as you started, taking and developing photos is a big part of the game.

The Good

The graphics are stunning, and the soundtrack is fantastic.

The Bad

Th gameplay is sadly quite tedious, and although the horror elements are very well done, and will get in your head,  they are not enough on their own. I understand this is a "Narrative Driven" game, but it still needs to be enjoyable to play. And sadly, this game is more about looks than it is substance.

Overall

Really disappointing game, could and should have been so much more.

I score Martha is Dead a disappointing 4/10

Out now on all formats, but only the PC and Xbox versions are uncensored.

Martha Is Dead - The Lake - Xbox Series X - PC - 4K Trailer

It’s 1944, and the body of a woman has been found, drowned and desecrated, by the side of a lake in the depths of an Italian countryside. Martha is dead, and now her twin sister must deal with the fallout from her murder, all whilst the horror of war draws ever closer…

Video games publisher, Wired Productions, today dug a little deeper into the mystery around upcoming thriller, Martha is Dead, showcasing new footage captured in-game, alongside revealing its next gen homes and shedding more light around plot details.

Developed by LKA, the studio behind the celebrated psychological adventure The Town of Light, Martha is Dead is in development for Xbox Series X and PC. Building upon LKA’s signature style of deep multi-layered narratives, Martha is Dead combines real world locations, working in links to historical events, superstition, folklore, and deep psychological distress.

Keep up-to-date by wishlisting on Steam now: https://store.steampowered.com/app/515960/Martha_is_Dead/

Martha is Dead is built in Unreal® Engine 4 to deliver an incredible visual experience that blurs the boundaries between gaming and reality. Viewed in first-person, players will witness this dark period of history through the eyes of a young woman who seeks the truth, but who also has secrets of her own to hide.

“After two years of development, we’re happy to start unveiling more information about Martha is Dead,” says Leo Zullo, Managing Director, Wired Productions. “The range of Wired releases continues to grow, and our aim is to always publish incredible games with undeniable quality that deserve to be played. It’s a journey that started with our signing of The Town of Light in 2016, so to continue to support LKA and the studio’s storytelling is something I’m very happy Wired has been able to do.”

“At LKA, we start with a story. Often it’s uncomfortable, not painless and based in truth. We learned a lot with The Town of Light, and Martha is Dead is taking everything we know, and turning it up to 10,” adds Luca Dalco, Founder & Director, LKA.

He continued, 
“Martha is Dead is set in a really interesting and distressing period of history, with Italy at this time torn between two major powers fighting for the future. Martha’s brutal murder brings with it a mirrored sense of misery. This game will shock, make players question the truth and like The Town of Light, help continue a conversation around subject matters that still carry much stigma.”

Martha is Dead will launch later in 2021 on Xbox Series X and PC.

Wired Productions Partners with LKA to Present Martha is Dead to Global Audience

Watford, UK – October 2, 2019 – Award-winning global publisher, Wired Productions, and acclaimed Italian studio, LKA, have announced Martha is Dead, a dark psychological thriller tipped for release in 2020.

Following its debut title, The Town of Light which released in 2016, Martha is Dead continues LKA’s signature style of deep multi-layered narratives combined with real locations and a mix of history, superstition and psychological distress. LKA's expertise for delving into complex and riveting subject matter that borrows from both fact and fiction helps to distinguish its development pedigree and passion.

Set in Tuscany, 1944, south of the Gothic line, as conflict intensifies between German and Allied forces, the desecrated body of a woman is found drowned. Her twin sister, the young daughter of a German soldier must deal with the acute trauma of loss, while the truth of the brutal murder is shrouded by mysterious folklore and the extreme horror of war draws ever closer.

Watch the trailer below.


With photo-realism at its core and using advanced texturing techniques alongside full support for real-time ray tracing, Martha is Dead is built in Unreal® Engine 4 and is set once again to blur the boundary between gaming and reality by bringing human stories to life; amplified with high-level production, cinematic visuals and haunting audio.

“We are delighted to be once again working with the incredibly talented team at LKA as their ability to bring stories to life is once again demonstrated with this unique project,“ said Leo Zullo, Managing Director, Wired Productions, “Martha is Dead is a beautiful and haunting adventure that will take players through an unforgettable story, and we’re confident it will leave a mark with gamers as it has done with us..”

“At LKA we want to tell stories that push your imagination to the limits, while embracing those real-world elements that make our narratives more immersive and grounded,” said Luca Dalcò, Founder and Creative Director, LKA. “We’re delighted to be once again joining forces with Wired Productions, a publisher who shares our vision while providing incredible support to bring our game to market.”

Fans of first-person thrillers will experience a unique opportunity through Martha is Dead, as the game offers a chilling story seen through the eyes of an innocent young woman who is on a mission to find out the truth. Along the way, she will encounter situations and discover things no one should have to… mortal death was the easy path compared to this one marred by mental and emotional distress which lingers on.

Currently in development, Martha is Dead is set to arrive in 2020 with further details, including platforms, to be announced.