By LKA and edited by Wired Productions One of the most awaited productions of suspense and psychological terror of recent months arrives. Martha is dead He’s here and we’re bringing his analysis to you on Xbox Series X, although you can play it on Xbox One as well. Do you dare to immerse yourself in this psychological horror drama with truly gory and disturbing scenes?
The story and genre of Martha is Dead
It is a bit difficult to advance the story of this game, since we will discover everything little by little as we advance in the plot. To say anything would somehow ruin the first bars of the game. To get a general idea and situate ourselves, we find ourselves in Italy 1944 with the Second World War in the background and a drama which stages twin sisters. From there, we will have to investigate the truth and face reason, reality and the paranormal.
One thing that is important to keep in mind is that Martha is dead It’s not a survival horror, and weapons won’t be used. Additionally, there are sections of little action and a lot of listening to monologues. Rather, it is psychological horror and a game with the viewer’s mind, the bewilderment and downfall of reality. Cinematically speaking, it is closer to the tone of films in the horror genre such as At the end of the stairs (The changingPeter Medak, 1980) or The Others (Alejandro Amenábar, 2001) than to more explicit or action films. Martha is dead use the first person camera and everything happens as you play and thus confirmed that it was his intention, Tommaso Bonannione of its creators. Thanks to all this, the immersion and identification in the game is greater and we know and doubt everything at the same time as the protagonist.
The fear revolves around folklore and myths, in this case that of the White Lady of the Lake. The ghost of a woman in disgrace after dying at the hands of her lover in a fit of jealousy and whose only consolation is to find herself with young girls. Is it real or is there something else behind it, is it really something supernatural or is there something worse behind it?
A few history lessons and a tribute to photography
One of the strengths of the title is undoubtedly the exceptional historical setting. Thanks to newspapers, radio bulletins or conversations between characters, we can perfectly situate ourselves in the Second World War. Sinister events, false propaganda to encourage the troops, the maquis… Everything is exceptionally told and integrated into the plot, helping to lend credibility to the story and make us feel more in the game. Indeed, some secondary missions will be related to war and positioning on one side or the other.
At the same time, the camera and photography, in general, have a decisive role in advancing the plot. But in this case this art is treated with special affection and care. During the game, to advance the story, we will have to take photos taking into account the exposure, the diaphragm, the focus and the different lenses and accessories of a camera of the time. Added to this is the development of the photographs. All of this will be done with great care and detail, reflecting the step-by-step development phases. However, these can be omitted to make this part of the game lighter. Although photography enthusiasts will greatly appreciate this tribute paid to him.
Photorealistic graphics and sound to match
The game’s graphics are its most outstanding aspect. The photorealism of the Tuscan rural landscape is masterfully rendered. Recreation of buildings, textures, impressive light reflection effects according to the different times of the day… Everything related to the scenarios reaches very high levels and only drops slightly in the modeling of the characters. This one, while not much less poor, doesn’t live up to the impressive settings. The negative point is that these are not very varied, but the result still looks spectacular.
The sound is no exception. And it is that the The special effects are very well implemented and manage to bring you into the story and sometimes make your hair stand on end
limited gameplay
best way to describe Martha is dead It would be the walking simulator with a history of drama and terror. The game is based on the first-person view of what happens to the protagonist, collecting items and completing objectives to complete the main mission and secondary objectives. The problem is that these are overly focused and the difficulty is low. In case you need to search for an object, it will be marked on the map in a marked area. We will basically use triggers and some quick events to interact with objects or other moments such as developing photographs. On the other hand, to overcome the different challenges (they could not be called puzzles because they do not have this nuance), the necessary objects and where to locate them are also indicated. Therefore, the challenge posed by the game can be minimal.
The game can be played with audio in English, Italian, German but includes subtitles and text of game elements in Spanish. This will allow us to enjoy the adventure in the language of Cervantes. We found errors in some translations which, in some challenges to solve, can be a problem. Words are not the same in all languages and what makes sense in English does not make sense in Spanish. We fixed the issue by changing the game to English and fixing it that way, but this is a serious bug that should hopefully be fixed in later patches.
A game of feelings
Sometimes we have to choose between several options in what to do or say, which gives the title some variety and steers the story one place or another.
The goal is to experience this suspenseful horror-doubled drama in first person. supernatural. And, eye, the basis of the game is drama / suspense and not terror, although the story is peppered with hints of mystery and the supernatural, mixed with high bloody scenes. At the same time, there are many monologues in the form of the protagonist’s reflection and at certain points these are told as we see the text being written in a diary. This, combined with the title’s lack of action, can frustrate many lovers of fast-paced and adrenaline-filled games.
This is not a negative point, it is just a point of clarification. Fans of thriller movies will especially enjoy this game for its great setting and genre touches as well as the occasional very explicit bloody touches. Added to this is that Xbox is the only system in which censorship has not acted and we will be able to see these images without any type of filter.
Conclusions Martha is dead
Martha is dead is a suspenseful narrative adventure with hints of horror. The graphic and sound staging is really great and the mystery to be solved is very interesting.. The game use the quick resume, so we can return directly to the point where we left the game on Xbox Series. The the duration varies between 4-6h depending on whether we do side quests or focus on the main story.
We cannot recommend it for a younger player, due to some scenes with explicit blood and gore content. Nor to a player accustomed to frenzy or fast action games, since it is a leisure game that is enjoyed by savoring its story and taking advantage of the beautiful scenery.
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Martha is dead
29.99
Pro.
- Photorealistic graphics
- immersive story
- Historically distinct and realistic game concept
Vs.
- A slow game that may not be to everyone’s taste
- Some translation issues
About the Author
Passionate about science fiction in all its aspects. Player for over 30 years. xboxer at heart
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