Martha Is Dead Is the Darkest and Most Beautiful Game I’ve Ever Played
Player be warned
Martha Is Dead is a (very) dark first-person psychological thriller set in 1944 Italy. A lot of what I like to write is dark, psychological horror, so I thought this would be perfect for some story ideas.
I came across this game by accident when searching for new indie horror games to play that would help give me ideas for new stories. I went into it not knowing what it was about at all, and I was surprised at what it turned out to be. It’s got a mix of everything, and it ends in a place much different from where it begins.
I won’t reveal too much about the game in this post, because it’s best to go into it not knowing what it’s going to turn out to be — similar to Ari Aster’s two great works: Hereditary and Midsommar (this game ultimately gave me the same sort of feeling after finishing it that Midsommar had given me back when I had watched that; if you enjoyed Midsommar, you might enjoy this game as well). Similar to Midsommar, more that 50% of the game is set in a beautiful, sunny unassuming landscape, which is what makes it all the more haunting. And the graphics are the purest I have ever seen so far in a game. The disturbing elements of the story really pick up about two-thirds into the game, and the last third is just absolutely shocking…
