Today officially debuts Martha is Deadl’first person psychological horror set in Italy, during the Second World War, and this is ours review. In the past few days the title of Wired Productions and LKA has been making headlines, particularly because of Sony. So now is the time to delve into Giulia’s story e Martha and find out what’s going on.
Our test took place on PCwith a code Steam (version uncensored).
Premise: the game, as Wired Productions points out in the main menu, is recommended for a adult audience and supports theage rating required (PEGI 18). It is a narrative drama with thematic for adults and resorts to artistic interpretations that can be seen as distressing and could cause dismay. Also the title contains very strong scenes, which could make the viewer uncomfortable. For this reason we advise you to pay particular attention if you decide to buy it.
Before starting our adventure, Wired Productions also recommends us a website to consult if we knew of any friend who is in trouble. Now that we’ve cleared up the matter, get ready to meet Giulia and Martha.
Martha is Dead review: the horror of war, the horror of the mind
The Italian study LKAauthor of the award-winning The Town of Lighthas always had a clear goal in mind: to face strong themes, deepwith which the viewer could empathize entirely. The team therefore specializes in narrative titles based on reality and focused on sensitive themes. With Martha is Dead, the studio takes it one step further and gives us a story strong, raw and yes chills.
Martha Is Dead is a dark first-person psychological thriller set in Italy, precisely in 1944, During the Second World War. What the title does is transcend the boundaries between reality, superstition e tragedy of war: it goes beyond these elements, offering something even more pungent e heavy.
As the conflict between Germany and allied forces intensifies, the desecrated body of a woman: that young woman is Marthathe twin sister of Giulia and the young daughter of a German soldier. We will take on the role of Giulia who, in turn, she will have to dress others.
The young girl is forced to face the heavy trauma of loss and the consequences of his choices. The search for truth is covered by a mysterious folklore as the horror of war draws closer and closer. What happened to Martha and what is going to happen to our Giulia? We don’t know for sure but we feel that something, or someone, is near.
After what happened with Sony it was almost impossible not to observe, with a closer eye, this eagerly awaited psychological horror title. For the uninitiated, the PlayStation company has decided to censor the title: the reason, however, remains unknown. We still don’t know today how much he intends to censor O what.
The most interesting aspect, however, is the following: only the Sony version will be censored. The versions of Martha is Dead for PC and Xbox will remain unchanged.
We had tested the title on PC and therefore decided to continue on this platform because we don’t like things in half. We wanted to try the complete experiencethe one that LKA and Wired Productions have been looking forward to showing us, for about four years.
What happened during ours Martha is Dead review? Let’s find out together.
Gameplay and exploration
Martha is Dead is characterized by a very simple gameplay but still able to keep us busy and of entertain us – except when the sun goes down and the night makes itself felt, at that point the only key to hold is Shift to run away, away from cramped and claustrophobic places.
In the role of Giulia we have to investigate Martha’s death and pay attention to what surrounds us, even to our families. Every corner is of the house, the lake and the forest it is enveloped by mystery e secrets and it will be up to us to discover them. But pay attention to this detail: at times Martha is Dead could result slow e boring.
It really isn’t. The game is simply taking the necessary time to let us observe the environment, to make us understand that the air is blowing and, above all, to make us feel breathe. These apparent dead and slow moments, in which we do nothing but wander around the countryside in search of objects, then alternate with moments in which think fast it is the only way to proceed and not to be left behind.
The game unfolds slowly, in its own way.
We admit that there have also been some occasions when we have found ourselves quite bewildered, we did not know which way to go or how to proceed. However, we believe that it was precisely the purpose of the game: he wanted us to hear lost, unarmed. Despite this initial sense of bewilderment, the curiosity allows us to continue. This is also due to the mini side quests that we find around.
The exploration is in fact one of the most interesting aspects of the title. By analyzing and observing every object that we find scattered around the environment, we can activate secondary missions. We can, for example, approach our bicycle and voila, here we find one in our inventory new secondary mission. These side missions may seem pointless but, in reality, they are much more.
Not only do they help us detach for a few seconds from the title – keep in mind that as you progress forward with the main story there will be times when you will miss the air because of everything you are living e discovering – but they are also useful for discover new information which we will need later. In short, that’s all well linked and not boring at all.
Take then all objects that you find around you because, as you can imagine, they could be useful later on and, on certain occasions, it is appropriate to have them already at hand.
Finally remember this: Martha is Dead is a title made up of choices. Some light, some more important. Each of them, regardless of its importance, has value within the title. So take your time to reflect and act because then you will never be able to go back.
Capture the soul with one click
From the beginning we are told that Giulia has a special hobby: la photography. This hobby of him is in fact the focus principale of the title, every little element revolves around it. Take photographs is one of the main elements of the game and what it will allow us to proceed forward with history, gradually revealing all the most hidden secrets.
What we appreciated is that we can really photograph everything we want. There will be occasions when, next to a certain place or object, it will appear a camera icon. This makes us understand that that place or that object are important to the story and we are forced to photograph it.
But if we see an enchanting corner that we want to photograph because we like it, we can do it. Then remember to go back to the cellar, in the dark room, to develop your amazing photo. This is another aspect that we have wholeheartedly appreciated. Although the photo development process has been simplified to make the title more fast ed immediateand in any case well done ed extremely relaxing.
Furthermore, by exploring the surrounding environment and analyzing every corner of our home, we will find special equipment which will allow us to improve the rendering of our photographs even more.
Similarly, we cannot fail to mention the environment. Martha is Dead is set in the beautiful Tuscan countryside and here the attention to detail in every stone and in every room does nothing but give life to historymaking it more and more realistic e concrete.
Photography allows us to immerse ourselves completely in this Italian environment made in an incredible way and allows us to appreciate every nuance. Observing every corner, the view or even just our bedroom, we really feel like we are breathing Italian air. That is why, as we said earlier, we will often waste time taking photographs everywhere.
What the environments evoke is a lot as fascinating as it is realistic. Connected to it then we find the sound sector, incredibly vocative and suggestive. We find sounds melancholy e striduliwhich penetrate our skin but also classic songs accompanied by brani originali, written and sung by Francesca Messinastar of the 90s disco, under the pseudonym of Femina Ridens.
Sony’s censorship
What is most striking about the title is the way it goes explore the loss and its effect on the human mind. We immediately understand that the relationship between this family is complex and often tense. Martha is her mother’s favorite daughter, who has a distinct distaste for Giulia’s “oddities”. The father, who has left for the war, returns to learn of the murder of his daughter, and it is clear that he and Giulia have a deep bond.
Martha and Giulia also have a special bond; however it turns out to be strange e mysterious.
Giulia, in the course of her adventure, sees things, has strange dreams and the further one proceeds, the more one perceives this sense of decay. Regarding this, it seems appropriate to say a few more words about Sony’s censorship. We have already repeated it several times: we do not know what …