

Whether you play it or not, if you or someone you love is struggling please find help. 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. Simply for the fact that it will prove to you just how strong you really are. But i will say for those of us that are struggling but high functioning, this is game you SHOULD play. There's no happy ending and it's pretty bleak. 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. The graphics are absolutely stunning the physical game play is more like a walking simulator but it will dive into some pretty dark areas. This "game" can be summed up as a: "Do you want to know how bad it can get?" simulator. I don't write reviews but i feel with this "game" I should. 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. I wish more developers would allow themselves to use their native language as the default spoken one. Also, how the environments and attention to details manage to transport you into this beautiful European period piece. Especially how the whole WWII-backdrop looms in the background, grounding it. And the setting really is one of the highpoints for me here. It’s a confidently produced and directed game laser focused in its mission to create a believable and chilling atmosphere. Instead, gore and horror feel more like a natural, deliberate extension of the storytelling. No one’s using algorithms to inject jumpscares.

There’s just something about how no one’s trying to impress or scare you for the sake of scares alone. 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. 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. 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. 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. A fantastic horror tale that’s bound to sit with you.
