Martha Is Dead is a one of a kind experience.

As a psychological horror fan, I went in with certain expectations. I said "one of a kind," because what I got to experience is something I haven't in any video game before. It is not afraid to push the ladder a bit further than you're used to in games or even movies. It gives you a fair amount of warnings - for a good reason. But the true horrors of this game are not those in jumpscares and disturbing imaginery, they are those within mental illnesses (trauma, self-harm, abuse) and war (I would like to put an ephasis on drug usage during WW2). The unspoken, beneath the surface horrors. And that is where it succeeds the most.

The game is running on UE4 and despite of being made on an Indie budget, the visuals are stunning - partly photorealistic.
It is set during the late years of World War 2 in a small fictional town in Tuscany. The attention to details representing this time period is fantastic. From the landscapes to the house interiors and decorations, everything was crafted with the utmost care. The title also uses "metahuman technology," which made it possible to render pretty realistic character models. Attention was also paid to the lighting of specific scenery, which I consider an important aspect of a good horror game.

But what ties everything together and makes it complete is the soundtrack. And it's great. It fits the game's environment perfectly and was well incorporated to add tension when needed.

The gameplay itself is consisting more or less of puzzle and mystery solving, exploration, and has a really extensive photography mechanic that was fun to use. But the gameplay and some other issues are where this title falls a bit short for me. Walking as a whole was kind of clumsy. Later on you can unlock a bike to travel longer distances with, although I chose to walk rather than ride it due to its riding mechanics. It also felt a bit repetitive at times. Some chapters felt like there wasn't much going on. Now, Personally, I like slow burns so I didn't mind it that much, but I can understand why it might be a problem for some players. Just remember - in the end, it will all make sense. Everything, is building up to it.

The optimization is just simply, bad and could have been polished. Randomly dropping frames, stuttering, getting stuck in objects on the ground, game crashing after loading a save file, cutscene not loading properly forcing you to reload..

Final verdict :
I enjoyed the game and don't think I'm gonna forget about it for quite some time. Through all it's flaws "Martha Is Dead" is a piece of art, and I recommend it to anyone who isn't overly sensitive or is a fan of psychological horror. Special thanks to LKA and Wired Productions for bringing us and allowing us to experience this unique game.

Final Score: 7/10