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In 1944 Tuscany, Giulia investigates her twin’s death through first-person exploration, photography, and unsettling psychological episodes.
Released 24 Feb 2022
Take And Develop Photos
Stage Puppet Memories
Consult Tarot Cards
Set in 1944 Italy, Martha Is Dead is an award-winning dark psychological thriller where the lines between truth, superstition, and tragedy blur. Explore a haunting countryside, uncover disturbing memories, and peel back layers of mystery. Every choice shapes the nightmare…are you ready to face it?
Developed by LKA · Published by Wired Productions
Set in wartime Italy, Martha Is Dead follows Giulia after she discovers her twin sister’s drowned body. As she tries to understand what happened, the investigation intertwines with family history, local folklore, and uncertainty about what she can trust.
Explore the villa and surrounding countryside on foot, by bicycle, or by boat. Search locations, inspect objects, read documents, and follow clues as the story unfolds through guided chapters and occasional puzzles.
Photography is central to the investigation: adjust a period camera, take relevant pictures, then develop the film in a darkroom. Other activities include puppet-theatre sequences that revisit memories, tarot readings, and gathering wartime news from newspapers and radio.
Players who enjoy the game often single out its layered, unsettling story and the atmosphere created by the wartime countryside, sound, and music. The camera and darkroom mechanics also appeal to players who like hands-on investigation. Reactions to the narrative and its ending are divided, while some reviewers find the slow pace and repeated travel tedious; technical performance problems are also a recurring complaint.
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… Martha!
Martha is dead, and her twin sister Giulia, the young daughter of a German soldier, must alone deal with the acute trauma of loss and the fallout from her murder. The hunt for the truth is shrouded by mysterious folklore and the extreme horror of war that draws ever closer.
What will prevail?
The first Indie game to launch using the native Italian language as the default setting – for full immersion into the story and the characters.
The second game from LKA, the award-winning developer of “The Town of Light” and specialists in reality-based narrative games focused on tough subjects.
Martha Is Dead is an exploration of loss, relationships, and the psychological undertones of a 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.
Freely explore the breathtakingly realised Tuscany countryside on foot, by boat, or by bike. Grounded in reality, Martha Is Dead’s setting and historical context are inspired by real facts and places that have been faithfully reconstructed in true LKA fashion.
Play with numerous marionette sequences in the puppet theatre to remember repressed memories.
Unlock symbols and use tarot cards to unveil new aspects of the game and summon the spirit of The Lady.
Collect newspapers, and telegrams and listen to the radio to keep updated on what is occurring in the world during the war.
Take pictures for the sheer pleasure of doing so, and also to progress through the story and discover more about the game world. A simulator will guide you through 1940s photography, where you’ll be able to develop your actual photos through a fully working in-game darkroom!
Immerse yourself in a deeply evocative and atmospheric soundtrack containing underwater music specialists Between Music and their Aquasonic project; The Town of Light composer Aseptic Void and his moody yet spinetingling tones; and held together in true vintage style featuring reimagined versions of classic tracks including Schubert's Ave Maria, O Bella Ciao, with original tracks written and sung by Francesca Messina, AKA 90s disco star, Femina Ridens.
| Platforms | Windows |
|---|---|
| Achievements | 22 |
| Age ratings |
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| Controller support | Xbox |
| Controller required | No |
| DLC / extras | 2 listed on Steam |
| Content notices |
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| Metacritic | 73/100 View on Metacritic |
| Website | Official website |
