We’ve been hearing about LKA’s dark psychological first person thriller, Martha is Dead, for a good few years. Now though, after a couple of delays, comes the launch for real. Are you ready for the gruesome nature it brings?
Available today on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5 and PC, Martha is Dead is one of those games which will get you questioning exactly what is going on in the minds of the development team behind it. Gruesome and twisted, coming with warnings aplenty – so much so that the PlayStation versions of the game have had to be toned down and removed of the most sensitive elements – there is still tons of hype for how this adventure will play out.
It’s priced at £24.99 from the Xbox Store (and you need to expect to pay roughly that amount on the other formats too), Martha is Dead has been put together by the Italian devs at LKA, picked up for publishing via Wired Productions.
What you are getting here is the chance to head back to Italy, 1944, as the fight between the German and Allied forces intensifies. It’s here where the body of a woman is found, seemingly drowned. That body is Martha.
From there you join Martha’s twin sister – Giulia – the daughter of a German soldier as you look to deal with the trauma of losing one so close to you. It’s about then when Martha is Dead starts to blur, mostly the lines between reality, superstition and tragedy.
You should be aware that what is found in Martha is Dead is not going to be for the faint of heart – this is a pretty hardcore experience that many may find crosses lines that video games shouldn’t cross. But similarly, there will be many more out there more than up for taking in the experience that LKA have produced.
“Martha Is Dead was always the natural next step for LKA after The Town of Light,” offers Luca Dalco, Founder & Director, LKA. “The game builds upon our signature style of deep, multi-layered narratives to deliver a story that explores loss, relationships, and psychological distress, all while the mass hysteria that was the latter years of the Second World War plays out in the background. It’s been a long journey for everyone here at LKA – one specifically tied to the countryside around us and the history behind it – but we think it’s been worth it.”
“This is a milestone release for both Wired Productions and LKA,” says Leo Zullo, Managing Director, Wired Productions. “There’s never been a story like this before – one that touches on issues in quite the way Martha Is Dead does. It’s an important tale to tell, and one we think will stay with players long after the credits have rolled.”
Our full review will be able to help you decide which way to turn (and it comes spoiler free too), so give that a read and then head to the digital store of your choosing to grab a download of Martha is Dead. With it being included in our best Xbox games to play in February 2022 though, we’re sure this is going to be a cult hit.
It’s available to play on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC in full, censored slightly for the PlayStation audience. There’s a Digital Deluxe version for £34.99 which includes The Town of Light bundled in too.
Game Description:
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.
