Martha Is Dead

Lore & Background

The game follows twin sisters Martha and Giulia during the late years of World War II in German-occupied Italy. Martha has been deaf since early childhood, and their father serves as a general in the German army. After Giulia discovers her sister's corpse, her mother mistakes Giulia for Martha, forcing Giulia to assume her twin's identity. Giulia's mental state deteriorates as she uncovers family secrets involving the legend of the White Lady, a malicious spirit of a woman hung from a tree by her lover. The narrative explores Giulia's unraveling psyche, culminating in the revelation that Martha does not exist as a separate twin—Giulia is an alternate personality of Martha, split due to their mother Irene's abusive parenting. The game ends with Giulia slitting her forearms, though her narration later states she has recovered.

Reader's Guide

Martha Is Dead received mixed or average reviews according to Metacritic. Critics generally praised its visual presentation, atmosphere, and recreation of 1940s Tuscany. Chris Scullion of Video Games Chronicle described its setting as convincingly realized and highlighted its haunting soundtrack, though he warned that its graphic content would not appeal to all players. Stuart Gipp of Push Square praised the Tuscan landscapes, historical details, and photography sequences, but criticized the inconsistent gameplay and reported performance issues, including stuttering and a game-breaking bug in the PlayStation 5 version. The game was censored for its PlayStation release, removing interactivity from certain graphic scenes and references to masturbation; it remains uncut on all other platforms. Its legacy includes a live-action film adaptation announced in January 2024.

Did You Know?

• The game was censored on PlayStation consoles, removing interactivity from graphic scenes and references to masturbation.
• Martha Is Dead has no enemies to defeat and is described as a walking simulator.
• The protagonist Giulia is revealed to be an alternate personality of her twin sister Martha.
• A live-action film adaptation was announced on January 16, 2024.