Especially how the whole WWII-backdrop looms in the background, grounding it. And the setting really is one of the highpoints for me here. It’s a confidently produced and directed game laser focused in its mission to create a believable and chilling atmosphere. Instead, gore and horror feel more like a natural, deliberate extension of the storytelling. No one’s using algorithms to inject jumpscares. There’s just something about how no one’s trying to impress or scare you for the sake of scares alone. It’s not a game that fits the modern mold of streamer-friendly gargle - even though there’s no clear elevator pitch here that would convince you otherwise. In fact, one of the things that make Martha Is Dead stand out is how it’s a little bit less concerned with giving nods to the player.

At times, it actually comes off more like something you’d experience in 70’s horror cinema: A slow-burn that starts out more akin to a social drama, but carefully turns into something more sinister and makabre during the latter part. One that feels like it’s using the medium to tell a story, not just to shoehorn in the usual suspects of video game tropes and slapdash mechanisms. A fantastic horror tale that’s bound to sit with you.

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