Martha is Dead

 Xbox One
Martha is Dead Image
Metascore
58

Mixed or average reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 13 Ratings

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  • Summary: 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.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 4
  3. Negative: 1 out of 4
  1. XBLA Fans
    Apr 28, 2022
    80
    This world is a dark place, and Martha is Dead is a reminder of how fragile mental health is.
  2. Shindig
    Mar 18, 2022
    60
    Martha is Dead is a remarkable game, in the story that it tells, the way it tells it, and the ideas it explores in the process—a potent, powerful exploration of some of the darkest corners of human existence. It’s deliberately uncomfortable and confronting, but that’s part of what makes it work, and it’s underscored by a genuine sense of empathy, humanity, and a call for the world to be a better place. But, at least for now, game-breaking bugs and technical struggles that go far beyond mild inconvenience mean the Xbox One version should be a last resort.
  3. GameSkinny
    Feb 24, 2022
    50
    Martha is Dead's failure to stick the landing leaves a sour taste in my mouth. The narrative and mechanical ambitions don't coalesce into something greater despite some interesting mechanics throughout. It attempts to tell a careful story about mental health but eventually devolves into cliched story beats and emotionally manipulative moments that serve no other purpose than to shock you.
  4. Checkpoint Gaming
    Feb 25, 2022
    40
    Martha is Dead isn’t for the faint-hearted, though sadly that’s not for the right reasons. There are too many moving parts in this game that weigh the already poorly-paced story down. If this was a spooky investigative adventure that required you to take photos to unlock the brooding mystery hidden within, I’d be all for it, because that’s one part that actually works. But alas it’s instead left as an over-exerted mess that is more focused on a couple of key shock-value moments than anything substantial. This game needs a swift autopsy to dissect out the crimes before a merciful cremation.

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. misslety
    Feb 26, 2022
    10
    An excellent game. I've been missing a REAL horror game. The amount of detail is out of this world. Congrats to the developers, better thanAn excellent game. I've been missing a REAL horror game. The amount of detail is out of this world. Congrats to the developers, better than the most big developers we see. We should give an aplause for them! Congrats… Expand
  2. Dake_wo_miteru
    Jun 6, 2022
    10
    I would call it a very weird and even a bad game. It left me disappointed and frustrated. But aftera month or so I can call it a brilliantI would call it a very weird and even a bad game. It left me disappointed and frustrated. But aftera month or so I can call it a brilliant piece of art about mental illness, just like Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice. It looks very good, it has interesting characters and story. Half of the time I really enjoyed it. But... There were weird and illogical plot twists. There were plot lines that meant nothing for it's story. Game had some disgusting violent scenes, but when some real violence happened and I would except you see it, it was off screen... There was a mini-game that was absolutely boring, meaningless and long. It was the worst part for me. And the ending... Khm... It was visually absolutely stunning, but it left me fully frustrated. As I said, it was sometimes a good experience, but as a whole - disappointing. But I keep thinking about it. And as my disappointment is loosing it's sharpness, I begin to understand all those "bad" decisions. They make total sense and are done to illustrate mental illness. Next part of my review will be full of spoilers as I want to explain some elements of the game and why they aren't bad as I thought at first. SPOILERS

    SPOILERS

    SPOILERS

    First of all, violence. There are disgusting scenes, but most of them are happening in protagonist's mind only. And real violence that I would except to see is hidden. That's how our brain works, it tries to hide really painful and traumatic experience from us. Especially when person is I'll, he (she) can fully wipe it. Then, dollhouse mini-game. It was just awful. Boring, very long, without any sense. But. I realize now it was the only way for protagonist to "understand" what happened, to put it in order. She doesn't know what really happened, just like us. She is in the same position as we as players. Dollhouse, magical plot lines are made to show how her brain works, how hard is to put on order pretty simple things she saw by herself. How it's hard to catch up with reality. And the ending that gives literally zero answers and makes us to decide what happened is brilliant. It left me frustrated. Just like heroine was. She doesn't know what happened and she has to choose any option and to believe on it just to make her world more safe, structured. Once again, it's a weird and a bad game. But it gave me the feelings that protagonist was feeling, and it deserves some respect. I really want to thank devteam for that.    … Expand
  4. Joe2539
    Jan 3, 2023
    10
    Very Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good

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