Very much in the spirit of trying to branch out, I have tried a visual novel. Unknowingly (at first), the visual novel is also a dating sim. Friends, I’m going to cut straight to the point. Slay the Princess was NOT for me. I’m fully aware that this game has been getting rave reviews across the board elsewhere, and I really did try. But to no avail. Let’s just get right into it.

What is Slay the Princess?

Slay the Princess is a choice-driven horror visual novel from Black Tabby Games. It’s pretty simple really. You’re following a path through a woods, and at the end of the path is a cabin. The cabin has a basement, and inside it is a Princess. The titular princess that you’re on your way to kill. Of course, you can choose to attempt to free her, or even romance her.

There are also a few different endings, and a lot of time looping. The whole game is fully voice acted, however I personally didn’t like the voices. That is absolutely nothing against any of the voice actors, they all do a great job. The voices just didn’t click for me. Audio options do allow you to totally turn off volume for voices, so that’s what I did for my playthroughs. The music is pretty chill, and matches the vibe of the game overall.

Art wise, Abby Howard did a truly fantastic job. The whole game has been hand drawn traditionally using paper and pencil. That is the one thing I genuinely enjoyed about the game. We all know I’m a sucker for a good art style, and I have 100% fallen in love with Abby Howard’s.

Slay the Story

I do understand why Slay the Princess has gone over so well for fans of this kind of game. There is a full narrative there, and a winding, expanding experience. However, it just did not click with me. The dialogue didn’t capture me, and the options just didn’t feel right. There were a couple of lines over the course of my runs that made me laugh, (including a “viva la revolución”) but overall it felt a bit stale.

Like I said above, the one thing that did win for me was the art style. It is truly great. The environments are nice to look at, and the different forms of the princess are well executed. I highly recommend checking out more of Abby Howard’s art, you will not regret it! That was just where the good ended for me.

The romance was fun to try at first, but it lost its charm pretty fast. Again, that came back to the dialogue. It just didn’t flow the way I would have liked.

Slaying Word

I do need to stress, this is all very much personal preference. I do not click with visual novels. Genuinely, I really wanted to like this game. I love the art style, and that frequently adds to my enjoyment of a game. This time around, it just wasn’t enough.

Undeniably though, I firmly believe people who enjoy the visual novel genre would enjoy this. It just wasn’t for me.

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2023 has been a really solid year for horror so far (away from early access). And Decarnation is keeping up with the solidity. Decarnation comes from a team of 7 people, Atelier QDB. From what I’ve read, this also seems to be Atelier QDB’s first game. This makes what they’ve achieved even more special. Let’s get right into it!

What is Decarnation?

Decarnation is a 2D story-driven horror game, set in Paris, in 1990. We play as Gloria, a cabaret dancer who has reached the end of her rope. Her life is essentially falling apart around her when a mysterious benefactor arrives with a generous proposal. However, is this finally Gloria’s lucky break? Or are things set to become far worse? Can she fight off monsters both inner and outer?

But how is Decarnation?

Something that makes Decarnation really special is the near seamless shift between the real world and the darker, inner world. The shift is like a dream – literally. Gloria falls asleep, and we’re in this other world. Although how her life is falling apart, neither worlds are necessarily pleasant places. No matter what world Gloria is in, she is essentially trapped. A feeling that many of us can relate to at some point or another.

Decarnation is very story-driven, to the point where it’s not too far from a visual novel. The story truly is the most powerful part of this game. While there are puzzles, creatures, and even mini-games, it is the story’s movement that truly advances things.

Something that really stood out to me throughout Decarnation is how everything truly fits together. Even the monsters with the weirdest designs make sense. In some ways, I can even relate to the manifestations. We all have inner demons. It’s refreshing to play something that DOESN’T make a person seem crazy for it, even when Gloria’s sanity is at risk. She feels human.

Final Thoughts

Honestly, friends, I can’t help but love Decarnation. It’s another great game with artists at the core (yes, dance is an art form). But even in 2D, Gloria feels so real. Her emotions and story are portrayed masterfully. The 2D style just emphasises the sheer storytelling power the development team have. The style adds to the charm, undeniably. The game looks great and runs smoothly. But what really stays in the mind after is Gloria and her story. Decarnation is fantastic, and I for one cannot wait to see what these developers do next.

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As time goes on, I get more and more cynical about horror. By now, we all know I have very high standards. Admittedly, they’re mostly unrealistic. Nonetheless, they exist. It’s been a long time since I played a game from Bloober Team, especially after the issues I had with The Medium. I do plan on revisiting that game some day, but that’s not what I’m here to talk about today. Today, I’m going to talk about Layers of Fear. This was made in collaboration with Anshar Studios. It’s time to revisit the franchise that really put Bloober Team on the map, in the final entry to the series.

What is Layers of Fear?

Layers of Fear is a very narrative-focused psychological horror experience. It takes place across four acts, split into chapters within. However, as always in horror, there is a twist. These acts revisit stories from the past. Additionally, each act has its own endings. All acts have different ending options, including good and bad endings. The Painter’s Story also has a neutral ending, and the Daughter’s Story has a true ending. The Musician’s Story sticks to just good or bad endings. However, the Actor’s Story takes a different turn. We have the endings Flame, Always, and Formless. Honestly, none of these endings are particularly desirable, but they are all impactful. Each ending within this game packs a punch.

The Actor’s Story is also a different ball-game to the other acts of this game. This act follows an actor on a transatlantic liner. Painter, Daughter and Musician all follow the one family, and the impact the Painter (father) losing his sanity has. Sadly, I can’t say any more. Purely because I don’t want to spoil anything.

Layers of Spooks?

Admittedly, I went in to Layers of Fear with low expectations. I loved the original game and DLC, but I wasn’t a fan of the second game. It felt like it was missing something. Bloober are also almost famously hit or miss (looking at you Blair Witch). So this game could truly have gone either way. These days, if a horror doesn’t click for me in the first half hour, I know it’s not going to be for me.

Layers of Fear was a different kettle of fish.

I was very quickly sucked right into the world, and overcome by the atmosphere. It captured me, like all of the characters have been captured by their crafts. This is why I always go into horror with little to no expectations. The feeling of surprise when a game just clicks is insanely satisfying. Even when the characters are saying or doing something awful, they are still deeply intriguing, and even likeable. The actual scares littered throughout are also very well placed. Tension is relied on more than jumps, so when a jump does come, it hits harder.

Layers of Accessibility

This genuinely deserves its own little section. I don’t think I have ever seen more clear trigger warnings in a game before. Now, I know a lot of people won’t care about this. But just as many will care. On top of that, there are clear options for skipping over disturbing content. There is also the option to turn off dying. Admittedly, as someone who dies far too often in games, I very happily used that option. Layers of Fear also has a bunch of other accessibility features for all kinds of gamers. I truly feel that a lot of what they have done in options alone is close to revolutionary, especially in the field of horror.

Layers of Thoughts

Friends, I am so genuinely happy to say that I love Layers of Fear. Each act weaves a dark tale, innately disturbing, but near impossible to look away from. Each character we play as is fully formed and well thought out, making each stand out as an individual.

Being completely honest, I haven’t enjoyed a horror game this much since Project Zero Mask of the Lunar Eclipse near the start of this year. Now, Layers of Fear does not overtake Project Zero in the running for my game of the year, but it’s a really solid game. I can definitely see this being a runner up for me anyways.

I also feel rejuvenated for Bloober Team’s Silent Hill 2 Remake after playing this game. I’m definitely going to be more critical as a Silent Hill 2 fan as opposed to horror overall. If the standard holds up to Layers of Fear, Bloober could be in for another hit.

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It’s a new day, and with that comes another new game. Well, early access in this case. Today, I’m going to be talking about Paranormal Hunter, a new multiplayer survival horror game. Once again, thank you to my lovely friend Kalum for joining me on this adventure. Let’s get right into this one!

What is Paranormal Hunter?

Paranormal Hunter is a first person online co-op multiplayer ghost hunting experience. While you can play solo, this game is much better with friends. It also supports VR, however that is not something I will be trying. VR makes me ill, sorry friends. In Paranormal Hunter, you get to explore haunted houses and abandoned ruins, in search of “symbols of grudges”. Once these are all collected, they are placed in a symbolic, ritualistic circle to banish the evil spirits haunting the area. These spirits can be slowed through the use of UV lights, but banishing them requires the symbols.

Early Days Hunter

Early access is a strange one for me. While I understand and support the concept, I’ve found a lot of games have been taking the step too soon. Paranormal Hunter is on the borderline of this. The base is there, and the concept is fleshing out well. However, we did encounter some bugs while playing. The most prominent was glitching into floors and walls, or getting stuck behind invisible walls. Admittedly, this did cause a fair few laughs. Kalum spawned into the floor on entering one of the maps. I had to lure the spirit over to kill him.

Overall, there is promise within Paranormal Hunter. There was only one real issue that we faced that wasn’t entertaining. Once you enter a game/match, you can’t exit in any way other than dying. There’s no exit or end match button. This was more inconvenience than anything, so hopefully this adjustment will be made down the line.

Down the line, after some patching, I will probably revisit this. However, I can’t see this making its way into my normal rotation. For fans of multiplayer ghost-hunting, this definitely has the potential to be a solid entry to the wheelhouse.

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You will become Liza, a fledgling vampire, as she navigates the rich world around her. The narrative weaves a tale of social conflict, alcoholism, and corruption. However, in a society so dark, choosing your next meal won’t be so easy. Each action has moral consequences, some of which can be insanely far-reaching. You will have to decide how much you want blood. Is it just enough to survive? Or will the blood lust overcome you in favour of the thrill of the hunt? On top of this, every choice must be made before the very deadly Sunrise.

Also, and most importantly. You can turn into a bat. There are other cool vampire powers implemented, but I’m a simple woman. And this simple woman wants to turn into a bat.

Cabernet is due for release on Steam in early 2024, and I for one cannot wait to get my hands on it.

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I truly love it when something new comes along, especially in horror. And I must say, I feel like Suffer the Night has definitely brought something new to the table. Let’s just jump right in to this one, I’m excited.

So, what is Suffer the Night?

Set in 1989, Suffer the Night is a first-person survival horror game, brought to us by developers Tainted Pact and published by Assemble Entertainment. You play as Stacey Linden, a horror illustrator (ultimate goals right there), alone in a secluded cabin. A violent storm rages outside. However, the storm isn’t the only thing to fear. An envelope containing a floppy disk slips through the letter box, soon followed by a strange figure asking to come in. It’s time to play the game on the floppy disk, or face the consequences.

The game within a game is a dungeon crawler, with dark scenarios and vivid descriptions of the horror within. But the horror doesn’t end there. Unfortunately, I can’t say any more without spoilers. And this is the kind of game you don’t want spoiled.

Suffer Mr Tops?

Mr Tops is the name of our strange antagonist in Suffer the Night. Honestly, his design feels like a cross between the Bababook and a Guy Fawkes mask. That being said, the dude is CREEPY. The voice acting is superb, and really adds to the sheer menace of the creature. Creature is the only descriptor that feels right for this guy. The inhuman way he moves is what solidifies that for me.

This game is also really nicely designed. The cabin itself comes across as comfortable, even in the storm. Honestly, I’d love to stay in a place like that. Minus Mr Tops, though. Stacey’s paintings are out on proud display, and the plays on names evoked by each painting and their purpose is god-tier. My favourite is the reference to Stephen King.

Suffer the Night also does the game within a game very well. Honestly, I’ve not seen it done this well in a long time. The game feels authentic, and despite being a simple dungeon crawler, it adds to the external atmosphere. Did that noise come from the game, or is there something behind you? But you must be careful. If Mr Tops interrupts your game, you need to address it. There WILL be consequences if you don’t.

Night Thoughts

I need to be completely honest here, friends. Suffer the Night really surprised me, in a great way. I didn’t fully know what to expect, especially with the game-within-a-game thing. The last game I played that featured that was awful. However, Tainted Pact did a really good job on this.

The story in general, while on the more simple side, is engaging. The atmosphere is tense, with a solid setting and a pretty cool main character. I swear I’m not biased thanks to her awesome horror art. Suffer the Night is a really worthwhile game to play.

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I know the point of early access is to build a game up with community input. But I firmly believe there should be a base standard before a game is released into early access. Especially when there’s a price tag on the game. That is part of why I won’t be recommending Eresys to anyone at this current point. But I’ll get to that later. Before I talk about the game, I just want to say a special thank you to Kalum, Amber, and Gary, who joined me to play.

What is Eresys?

Eresys is yet another Lovecraft-inspired game, though this one can be played either solo or with up to 4 players total. This is the second Lovecraftian game from Ares Dragonis and Dragonis Games, having previously made The Shore.

A deranged former cultist has opened a void portal on a secluded island. Lovecraftian horrors have poured through, already claiming many lives. You and your fellow cultists must team up to send these creatures back to where they came from. This involves finding pages, creating blood orbs, and making offerings.

Too early access?

I’ve been telling myself over and over that this is early access. It’s nowhere near a finished game. But that doesn’t solve the problems that my friends and I encountered. One thing that has not left my mind since we played was the confusion everyone felt about this actually being available to buy. Which is something that we all take issue with.

Eresys is undeniably broken. The game is full of bugs from the get-go. Yes, to an extent that’s to be expected. However, not everything can be excused as just a feature of early access. There was an entire section of cliff that was completely glitched, causing us to fall through the map. Originally it was just myself and Kalum, however Amber and Gary couldn’t reach us to pick up our heads OR the book Kalum had been carrying. So they took one for the team, and joined us in the glitched cliff. There was also a deer that kept glitching out all over the map. At least we could laugh together at that.

The problems with Eresys

Unfortunately, that was the only one we could really laugh at. There were no save points, so even though we were all playing together consistently, once everyone died, that was it. We lost all our progress. All the pages we had found. Everything. Hand in hand with this went actually dying itself. One hit from any of the creatures was an instant death. Even if the eye on your screen said you were concealed, they would still see you and kill you. Literally the only way to escape was get into a safe house. On top of this, one of the spawn points actually leaves you in an area that has creatures. Instant death.

There is an in-game communication system, and it turns on every time you load into the game. However, the audio quality is awful, so our group opted to use discord to communicate instead. We just had to keep reminding each other to turn off the in-game mics, as there was no setting to keep it off.

On top of all of that, there is no map, mini map, compass, or hud of any kind. The map is extremely difficult to navigate, and it gets even worse if you try it solo. Truth be told, I have no idea at all how this game could be viable in single player in any way. It doesn’t have anything to make a difference, there are still missing features.

Final thoughts on Eresys, for now

I love my friends, and I would not have managed to play this game without them. Eresys is completing lacking on all fronts, and the only way to experience any enjoyment is with friends. Here’s the thing, it’s written on the Steam page (at the time of writing) that the developers only plan to work on this for 6-8 more months before full release. They’ve also said there will be a price increase on full release also.

I’ve played even since the latest updates, and it has NOT gotten any better. Based on everything that I have played, both solo and with my friends, I can’t really see a solid future for this game. I will check back in the future, when more work has been done. But for now? No thank you.

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In the demo, we traverse a small section of the game. Within this section, we meet two caterpillars. Both are injured, with intestines spilling out. Admittedly, I got excited over this. I love the style and horror that Erupting Avocado bring to the genre, especially in this kind of imagery. In the demo, you just get to talk to them a little bit, but something tells me they’ll have more relevance in the full game.

We also encounter a talking plant, one that looks very like a Venus Fly Trap. The plant feeds the fly, but with memories, but the more the fly eats, the more decrepit the interior becomes. It seems like a catastrophe waiting to happen, in the best possible way. Sadly, this is where the demo ends. However, I for one cannot wait for the full release of this game. My friends, this is a demo done right. Enough content to get you interested in the game, with a well balanced length to keep you on the edge of your seat for the full release. Bring it on.

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The Hungry Fly is a narrative horror fairy tale where you embody a fly. Once again, we’ll discover a grotesque and surreal rich story. A story where you will evidently make impactful decisions, and eat rotten corpses. Henceforth, it’s time to set out on a disturbing journey to eat a mysterious creature living in a bath. Who knows? You may just realise that maybe in your life, you eat rotten corpses too.

Erupting Avocado is genuinely one of my favourite developers, and they have a truly unique way of telling stories. If The Hungry Fly is eve half as good as The Repairing Mantis, we are in for a real treat. Unfortunately though, we have to wait until 2023 before this game hits our screens. However, in the meantime you can still check out The Repairing Mantis on Steam.

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2022-02-24

The time has finally come. Martha is Dead is here. And this horror queen happily dove right in. This is the second release from LKA with Wired Productions, and hopefully won’t be the last. This is a team that works well together on horror. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s take things back to the start. Like the title says, there will be spoilers. I have a lot to say, and unfortunately it can’t be said without spoilers. I’m going to be breaking down the story, and discussing it as I go. Also, huge shout out to LKA and Wired for ensuring proper trigger warnings were in place for this game.

Without further ado, let’s do this! This is a long one, so buckle up.

What is Martha is Dead?

Martha is Dead is a first person psychological horror, set in Italy in 1944. The Second World War is raging ahead, and the K family (parents Irene and Erich, twins Martha and Giulia) have fled to a villa in the countryside for safety. However, Erich K, the father, is a German general. The game opens on the death of Martha, as we step into Giulia’s shoes.

Giulia has a love of photography, garnered from her father, and sets up cameras near the lake. We learn that as a child, Giulia spent lots of time at this lake and villa with the family’s nanny. While setting up a shot, Giulia notices something floating in the water. She quickly realises it is a body, and runs to retrieve the person. The body is her beloved sister, Martha, wearing one of her dresses.

Once back on shore, their parents arrive. Due to Martha’s clothes, Irene and Erich assume that it is Giulia who has died. Martha was deaf, and Irene interacts with Giulia as she would Martha- speaking slowly to let her read her lips. In this moment, Giulia decides she will step into Martha’s shoes, and continue life as her deceased sister.

This is where the story of Martha is Dead really begins.

Throughout the game, there is some form of communication from Martha. By this, I don’t mean a ghost. There are notes, letters, even an audio recording of  Martha addressing Giulia. It all comes together to weave a story and an ending that no one could possibly expect. Also within the game are multiple references to Irene being on medication, and how it makes her sleep.

Tensions Rising

From the get go, it’s made very clear that Irene does not like Giulia. When Erich falls asleep in a chair near his daughter’s coffin, Irene loses the plot. She starts up an argument, screaming about the daughter that’s still alive. Irene even goes as far as to claim that Giulia would harm Martha, and has now abandoned her. However, this does not stop Erich from loving his daughter. Something to note it that he does call Giulia crazy.

It is after this sequence that Giulia has her first nightmare.

Nightmares of the Dead

Naturally, there is more to this than a dead girl being found.  Giulia is plagued with nightmares. After finding her sister’s body, she dreams of stealing her face. This is accompanied by a player-controlled face peeling. In another, she returns the face, and Martha’s body lays beside Lapo’s.

Giulia also seems to blame herself for her sister’s murder. On one hand, the guilt she feels stems from the fact that they had made plans. The sisters had planned to visit the lake together to take pictures. On the other hand, a part of Giulia believes that she did something to harm her sister. It doesn’t help that her sister was wearing her clothes. Her mother also did not help, what with her cruel remarks.

This fear spurs her to return to the lake to collect the film from her timed cameras in the middle of the night. On her way home, Giulia is seemingly chased by the White Lady. This leads to another nightmare, involving a hung woman, Martha’s corpse decaying and cut open, with a small baby laying in the open wound.

Martha’s Note

This nightmare results in Giulia waking up, laying in a pool of blood. She makes a remark about her period, how it’s not due yet and seems heavier than normal. Unfortunately, this blood is obviously not a simple period.

It would seem that Giulia was pregnant, and that stress has caused her to lose her baby. Sadly, she doesn’t seem to realise this at all.

After she gets cleaned up and dressed, the phone in the hall rings. Giulia listens in, hearing her mother talk about Giulia having a relationship with Lapo.

However, the more Giulia learns, the more confused she gets. While snooping around, she finds a note Martha gave their mother. In the note, Martha states she’s learned Giulia is pregnant, and their mother should go to the lake and see for herself. Upon finding the note, Giulia insists that she is not pregnant, and has no idea what is happening.

Town on Fire

I’ll admit, I thought it was risky for the devs to make Giulia’s father a German General. Originally, I was worried it would be something just left to the side, not elaborated on. However, it quickly became clear that was not the case. At different times throughout Martha is Dead, jets can be heard flying above the villa. Erich also has a small office-like space in the house which contains maps and letters, showing the general’s plans for the war.

However, the Germans have opposition in the small town of San Casciano. a group known as Partisans are doing what they can to sabotage the German efforts. One of these Partisans is a young man by the name of Lapo. Lapo is friend to both Giulia and Martha. Unfortunately, the way we meet Lapo isn’t very kind. Giulia has followed the sounds of gunshots and fighting in the woods. In a clearing, she finds the body of her friend, missing his legs. He had stepped on a mine. As a Partisan, Lapo wears a red bandana tied around his arm. Giulia removes it, wraps it around her neck, and a note falls out.

Giulia begins reading the note, it’s addressed to her. Lapo knew she wasn’t Martha. A gunshot rings out, as well as voices shouting in German. A couple of soldiers mistook Giulia for a Partisan, and shot her. However, the mistake is very quickly uncovered, as they realise they have just shot the daughter of their general. One of them also states that Giulia is the boyfriend of the dead partisan.

This sequence can also pan out into a side mission, where Giulia must choose between helping the Partisans or standing by her father. Be warned, helping the Partisans involves A LOT of telegraph translating.

 Martha’s Funeral

The funeral is where everything comes undone. After being shot, Giulia miraculously wakes up on the morning of her sister’s funeral. She can overhear the doctor and her father talking, about  how the bullet missed all vital organs and passed through. Being injured isn’t enough to stop Giulia from seeking the truth, though.

After getting dressed and collecting her bag, she heads pays her respects to her sister in the chapel. There is a quick cutscene of a raven picking on a small bird. A little sparrow. Giulia picks up the bird and lays it on her sisters chest, under her hands. It’s both a weird and sweet moment.

Back to the adventure! Giulia doesn’t return to the lake this time. A loud cawing distracts her, and instead she follows a raven. The raven leads her down to a stream by the villa, where she finds torn red fabric, fabric she believes to be from her mother’s dress. This sends Giulia into a spiral, causing what seems to be a blackout. She has started to fully suspect her mother of killing Martha, mistaking her for Giulia. When she wakes up, night has fallen and she has missed most of the funeral.

Quickly, she runs to catch up, following the procession as her sister’s body is carried to the cemetery. Unfortunately, this would be Giulia’s downfall. Unable to resist, she floats towards the piano, and begins to play. A skill Martha never possessed. This reveals Giulia’s true identity to everyone.

The Aftermath

This is where things start to get really messed up. Tensions are now high, with people believing that Giulia is responsible for Martha’s death. Her mother is fuming, screaming, and upset. Her father, who Giulia was always closer to, is both relieved and upset. After all, they still did lose a daughter.

Irene goes on a very hate filled rant, and declares Giulia to be a lunatic, stating she will send her to the asylum. Giulia tries to claim her innocence, showing the photos she had developed from the timed cameras. But it’s no use. Her mother will not hear of it. At this point, Irene becomes physically abusive. None of this is shown, instead its expressed through dialogue.

Erich tries to calm and comfort his daughter after this incident. Although only through dialogue, it is a very tender moment.

But now, it is time to meet The White Lady.

Martha and The White Lady

The lake in which Martha’s body was recovered is no ordinary lake. There is a legend surrounding its murky waters. The legend of The White Lady. It is said that two lovers met at the lake. In a fit of jealousy, the man kills the woman, leaving her in the lake. However, he confesses his crime out of guilt. The man is then hanged from a tree on a small island in the middle of the lake. The legend tells that the Lady will rise, and in her torment will take anyone who comes too close to her waters.

At first, we are almost led to believe that the White Lady is involved in the murder somehow. However, from early on, Giulia believes that the Lady may be able to help her find the answers. What really happened to her sister? Was she killed because of a political motive? Or was it much closer to home?

After following the instructions from Nanny, Giulia decides to use her tarot cards to communicate with her. This communication sets Giulia on a new path, one that eventually brings her suspicions back to her mother.

Martha is…?

This is the point where those trigger warnings really come into play. After speaking with the White Lady, Giulia has received the key for Martha’s trinket box. Her box contains a letter. A letter from Martha, confessing she is not in fact deaf, she just chose not to speak or listen. The letter also informs Giulia of a hidden recording.

Once we start the recording, we take over as Martha. All the while, Martha is confessing her pregnancy. She knew what would happen by taking Giulia’s clothes and leaving the note, and had done it with the intentions of giving Giulia a chance at a better life. Although a noble cause, I think it’s safe to say this plan backfired. At this point, it seems very evident that Giulia has memory issues. And now Giulia believes their mother killed Martha.

Before she goes any further, she takes one of her father’s guns.

Dead.

A telegraph arrives as Giulia heads on her errands. The telegraph confirms her upcoming placement at Volterra Psychiatric Hospital. At this point, it seems extreme for the K family to commit their daughter. However, it soon becomes clear why.

Giulia has one more role of film to develop, but her mother is hanging around the basement near the dark room.

Instead, Giulia goes to the family crypt to see Martha. Or, to be more specific, she goes to see was Martha really pregnant. This results in a player-controlled scene, where Giulia cuts her sister’s stomach open. There is indeed a foetus, and it is sadly deformed- having two heads. Naturally, Giulia decides the best thing to do is photograph the scene before her. Undeniably, this whole sequence is UNSETTLING. I was very shocked by it, honestly. This is also what begins to spark the ending.

As Giulia leaves the crypt, a conversation starts to play between her mother and the Doctor. He is advising the family leaves Italy, like Erich suggested. But Irene is insistent on the asylum, not wanting to put anyone in any more danger. Irene decides to wait for Giulia by the dark room, knowing she will return eventually.

Irene is asleep by the time Giulia turns, so Giulia decides to try expose her mother by recording their conversation. Giulia pull the gun on her mother. A gunshot rings out. Irene crawls across the floor, Giulia claiming she didn’t shoot. Two more shots ring out. Irene is dead. This time, Giulia does not claim innocence. She just picks up the key to her childhood room, which has remained locked until now. A bomb lands in the nearby town, knocking out the power. The dark room is now useless.

It’s time to visit the theatre.

The Puppet Shows

Giulia’s old room contains many items of furniture, covered by sheets. The one thing not covered, however, is the puppet theatre. The first thing Giulia reenacts is the tale of the White Lady. The next is the night before Martha died. The sisters are discussing the war, and their plans for the following day. Next, Giulia enacts what she thinks may have happened at the lake. She believes her mother used a cane to beat her sister to death.

Next, the theatre returns to the basement. Giulia is convinced she didn’t shoot her mother, so she plays out the scene with her puppets. she begins to dismember the puppet representing her mother. She actually talks through this in a very unsettling voice. Her puppet then mops up the blood. The scene then changes to the body being buried under the bridge by the stream. Unfortunately, we quickly learn that this was not just a puppet show. Giulia really did dismember her mother and hide the body. All she has left is the head, which we must then carry back to the bridge. Giulia thought it was all just a game, that she was playing. Let me tell you, that head was NOT just playing. It’s so well done that it feels legitimately uncomfortable to carry. You constantly have to look at it while you run.

The power returns, and now we must return to the dark room. However, this doesn’t last long. Just as Giulia begins to develop the photo, a soldier breaks into the room. Giulia is knocked unconscious, brought out to a chair and bound. When she wakes up, her father is in a chair beside her, also unconscious. Narration takes over here, like it has many times in the game, describing how the soldiers beat her for information on her father. There is slightly different dialogue depending on whether you helped the partisans or not. Either way, Erich is executed, and a soldier spares Giulia.

The Recording

This is the beginning of the end.

Giulia awakens, and returns to the dark room to listen to her recording. Irene is speaking about her worry for Giulia, how she didn’t seem okay. Irene was concerned, something more than her “usual quirks” was bothering Giulia. Her concern grew when Giulia spoke of visiting the lake, and how when she checked, her daughter was not in her bed. Irene and Erich went to the lake, looking for Giulia. They found her sat on the bank in her underwear, mumbling that nothing happened, over and over. Irene hugged her, tried to make her feel better, but then Giulia wouldn’t speak for days. Giulia shouts that she doesn’t want to go to the “loony bin”, and Irene tries to explain their decision. Giulia has been a danger to herself, and was even severely harming herself in front of the piano.

This recording shows a totally different side to Irene than what we had previously seen. Irene suffered from undisclosed mental health issues, and had spent time away in Volterra. This caused her to act out, and abusively when Giulia was a child. But Irene always loved her daughter, and just wanted to help.

Martha’s Final Show

After listening to the recording, Giulia realises how much of a danger she has been. She has become her own worst enemy. She rushes back to her puppet theatre for comfort. There are more scenes this time round. Giulia’s memories from her childhood. She begins with her birth, which she had been told almost killed her mother. This is one of the weirdest scenes I’ve ever experienced in a game. Giulia acts out her birth through puppets.

The memories progress through different incidences she can recall, including a memory of her mother killing her dog and forcing her to eat it. I have never been more grateful to NOT see something happen. That is one thing I would not have been able to handle actually playing out. Giulia is still convinced she’s just playing a game for most of this sequence, having a dilemma about whether they are her real memories resurfacing.

After cycling through these memories, Giulia decides to call the priest, and ask for help. Something has been very amiss throughout. For almost all of these scenes, there is no Martha. She is told to come to the church, and agrees. On the journey to the church, Giulia also learns the fate of the partisans.

But is Martha…?

Another trigger warning appears on screen before this sequence begins.

The church is the finale. But it’s not a church once you get inside. It’s a giant puppet theatre. Crucifixes are everywhere, and while you walk through, the narration takes over. Ave Maria is playing in the back. Puppets are strewn everywhere. At this point, we learn that Giulia is talking to us from the asylum. The asylum where she has spent most of her life. You see, memory loss wasn’t Giulia’s problem. You may have noticed I stopped referring to both sisters a little while ago, save for pointing out the lack of Martha.

There are many hints throughout this game, but most of them are on the more subtle side. The most obvious hint before the puppet show comes from Irene. When Giulia is questioning her, before killing her, Irene is genuinely confused by her daughter mentioning having a sister. It’s time to drop the subtlety.

There is no Martha. Giulia is suffering from some form of split personality disorder, and created the Martha persona. The game ends on Giulia’s apparent suicide.

Photo Mode

I just want to touch on the photo mode before sharing my final thoughts on the overall game. It deserves it.

The camera and photo mode is such an interesting feature in Martha is Dead. Most games these days feature a photo mode, but the one in this game is on another level. LKA creative director Luca Dalcò is well-known to have a love of photography, and this passion is translated beautifully in Martha is Dead.  

Right down to the dark room, and the explanations for how things would work in the real world, the photo mode is really a thing of beauty. Also, I loved the explanations for each lens you pick up as you go along. Fantastically implemented.

The Verdict

Martha is Dead legitimately blew me away. It’s a highly ambitious game, especially for everything it tries to fit in. The devs have toyed with wartime, the paranormal and the psychological. There was a strong chance that it wouldn’t work. Thankfully, it did. It really did.

Martha is Dead isn’t perfect.There were a couple of small issues I faced. There is a huge difference between the graphics settings. I ran the game on all 4 at different intervals, and the difference was huge. For the majority of my runs (I’ve done 2 so far), I played on medium. The difference between that and the other options is huge. Undeniably, some form of tweaking/optimisation is needed here. I’ve never seen such an astronomical jump in graphics. Especially for a game where the devs have been known to focus on making things pretty. By no means does it look bad, the differences are just massive.

There was also a huge issue with load times. Some load screens were so long I thought the game was going to crash. Bicycle and boat controls weren’t great either, HOWEVER, that felt more realistic as Giulia is just a teenager. If my math is right, she’s about 19. She’s not going to be a professional.

Overall, I really loved Martha is Dead. The story genuinely enraptured me, and the ending was fantastically executed. LKA have created a psychological thriller that will keep fans interested and excited, all while remaining respectful of the difficult topics at hand. I am truly impressed, and look forward for what LKA will come out with in the future. I’ve also got the collectors edition ordered. I’m super excited.

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