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It is interesting to play and remember how photographs used to come to life.
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You develop these pictures in a dark room, which in itself is like another little mini-game. Getting the perfect picture is like a little mini-game, playing with getting the composition right and the focus. Guilia is a photographer and you will be taking pictures in certain areas to forward the story you can also take snaps for your own pleasure. But one of the most interesting things that you get to do is take pictures. You can move around as normal and pick up items, documents and interact with doorways or telephones. Gameplay-wise it’s in the first person, leaving you to explore the house you live in, the grounds, and the lake. Your twin sister Martha is murdered, found drowned in the lake and you must work out what has happened, taking in the after-effects of her death on the family. Set in 1944 in the middle of the second World War in Italy, you play the role of Guilia, the twin daughter of a German father and Italian mother living in the Tuscany hillsides. Martha is Dead is a first person psychological dark narrative adventure that I would compare to watching a very good European arthouse movie. For this reason, Playstation has censored their versions of the game, causing delays in the hard copy, while on Xbox and PC you can play the complete version untouched. Now, some sequences in here are truly shocking in nature, your character tasked with actioning certain things things that you might have never or ever wanted to do in a game. This game fits neatly into the same mold, but for me delivers a much greater experience. Games like Deliver Us the Moon and The Town of Light provide immersive narrative adventures full of great storytelling and atmosphere.
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Martha is Dead has been created by the Italian team at LKA, published by Wired Productions and I have a big fondness and admiration for their body of work.
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