Martha is Dead Reviews

Martha is Dead is ranked in the 37th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Wccftech
Top Critic
9.1 / 10.0
Feb 24, 2022

Martha is Dead meets every expectation and exceeds most of them. It is a true ghost story, perfectly designed to demand you keep playing while making you want to stop. Its near-flawless design sets a new benchmark in the quietly, weirdly, horrible.

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6 / 10
Feb 24, 2022

While certainly an accomplished piece of storytelling, Martha Is Dead's gameplay is such blatant artifice that it does the narrative a disservice to partake in it. That sounds extremely damning, but there's a lot here to like: the languid pace and detailed nature of the photography sequences are a standout, the graphics are often impressive, and the sheer bloody chutzpah of the whole thing is appealing in a grand guignol sort of way. The game can be shocking in what it shows you, but it doesn't feel exploitative. Horror should be horrific, and Martha Is Dead is certainly that. Unfortunately, perhaps not always in the way it was intended to be.

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8 / 10.0
Feb 24, 2022

It's not every day that you get to play through a game that leaves a mark with its disturbing and tragic story, but Martha Dead was able to achieve something that got me thinking from start to finish. The game's incredible soundtrack and sound design are harrowing, and the visuals push the genre forward. It's just a shame that some technical issues and hit and miss tutorials hold the game back from true greatness.

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7.1 / 10.0
Mar 3, 2022

‎Martha is Dead proposes a horror experience far from the clichés of the genre, and although it ‎‎begins‎‎ that way then it goes very little by little towards a psychological thriller that talks about topics that can touch the fiber of more than one, such as family relationships, envy between siblings or even mental disorders. Its managers have not only limited themselves to creating a video game with a script, but it seems that they have poured into it more or less personal experiences for as I have told you several times to leave a mark on us.‎

Review in Spanish | Read full review

7.8 / 10.0
Feb 24, 2022

It is a cruel game, narratively imperfect, and at the same time quite courageous, as well as not very lenient towards the (very difficult and very delicate) matter it deals with.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Feb 24, 2022

This is a hard moment to experience and there are many more throughout Martha is Dead, but none of these are implemented for shock value. All of these moments are carefully thought-out and relevant to the story and exploration of Giulia's mental deterioration. Ultimately, Martha is Dead is a game with simple mechanics that tells a difficult but important story that's well worth experiencing. That said, those interested in playing this game should consider doing so on Xbox or PC if possible, as these platforms are offering the game in the way it's intended to be experienced.

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EGM
Top Critic
4 / 10.0
Feb 24, 2022

Martha is Dead starts off strong, with an intriguing story amid a tumultuous backdrop, and a main gameplay mechanic with a ton of room to evolve. Unfortunately, the game squanders every opportunity it has to develop its story or gameplay in interesting ways, instead relying on overplayed tropes and unnecessary mechanics. While Martha is Dead's disturbing imagery might not deserve censorship, its creators betray the trust that it asks of its players, ultimately delivering a shallow experience that does more harm than good.

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2.5 / 5.0
Feb 24, 2022

The development team has to be applauded for pushing the boundary of the horror industry with its ideas. It’s just a shame that it stumbles so heavily when it comes to the execution and dilutes its strongest element with generic, repetitive gameplay.

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8 / 10
Mar 15, 2022

Martha is Dead is confusing, exploitative and troubling, but it pushes the limits of the medium in ways that few games have.

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4 / 10.0
Feb 25, 2022

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.

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4 / 10.0
Feb 25, 2022

While I enjoyed a fraction of my time exploring Martha is Dead's gorgeous Tuscan farmlands, the thing I'm most thankful for is how mercifully short the game is. The closing credits shocked me back into coherence like a bolt out of the blue to cap off what is-and I'm being generous-an interestingly imperfect experience.

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3.5 / 5.0
Apr 23, 2022

All in all, Martha is Dead, despite struggling to hold my attention at times, is a well crafted game, with incredibly detailed visuals and models, an interesting cast of characters, and an unsettling but highly intriguing story to tell. If you're a fan of psychological thrillers and horrors, then Martha is Dead will undoubtedly be your cup of tea.

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GameSpace
Brau3er
Top Critic
6 / 10.0
Apr 13, 2022

Shocking content aside, Martha is Dead is a traditional walking simulator and it's no stretch to say that the movement is on prepared rails.

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Lee Mehr
Top Critic
5 / 10.0
Mar 25, 2022

Like a heaping of horror media, Martha Is Dead's solid start and some nuanced supplementary mechanics are betrayed by its worst impulses by the end.

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7.8 / 10.0
Mar 1, 2022

Martha Is Dead intrigued me throughout its short seven hour runtime. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this title despite the constant amount of stability issues I encountered. This game plays more like a mystery with a couple of disturbing revelations. Martha Is Dead is certainly not for the faint of heart but those that embark on this journey will have an engrossing narrative that is bolstered by its gameplay and audio elements.

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3 / 10.0
Mar 25, 2022

Martha Is Dead fails to deliver any meaningful semblance of the story it wants to tell and ends up being nothing more than a colossal and tedious disappointment.

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6 / 10.0
Feb 25, 2022

Martha is Dead is best appreciated from a distance, because while its narrative premise and setting are certainly impresses, the game itself is slow as molasses and frustratingly clunk.

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7.5 / 10.0
Feb 24, 2022

Martha is Dead is a suggestive adventure game: the narrative plot is very interesting, as well as the way the story is told. Too bad about the gameplay not being too in-depth.

Review in Italian | Read full review

7 / 10.0
Feb 24, 2022

Martha is Dead tells a deeply personal and complex story that strikes at some complex issues that are only held back from greatness due to technical struggles.

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6 / 10.0
Apr 2, 2022

Fans of adventure games with a driving psychological story will adore Martha is Dead. Even with the bugs and technical issues, it offers enough intrigue and stimulation to keep the player engaged in the narrative. It might have fewer issues on other platforms but during this Martha is Dead review, the Xbox Series S version was troubling.

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