![]() It’s a grim, somber game that while touching on loss and grief, refuses to do anything meaningful except try a whole lot of different mechanics on for size. Then, you are caught running through the forest doing a word puzzle in some endless runner hell. One moment it’s a photography game where you’re taking photos, so you can develop them in a dark room and can find clues. The game pads itself out with a lot of different gameplay mechanics. “As a player, It’s like I’m mourning all that this game could have been if it was more focused and included fewer mechanics.” There’s also the running puzzle sections that required more luck than anything, as you were really at the mercy of the game seeing as there was only one proper solution for each run, yet somehow there are multiple options that suit the narrative in each instance. On another occasion, players are given access to the boat and it functions very similar to the bike sadly. Once you have it working and you go to ride it, the controls are oozy and left me almost feeling nauseous at how the camera sits, and that’s before mentioning the clipping as you ride down a hill. On one occasion you’re given access to bike which honestly isn’t needed considering the size of the gameplay area. I do honestly see so many half-realised things within this game. As a whole it’s well presented, but with repetition its easy to grow annoyed at the process. ![]() Where it becomes time-consuming is when you must click through the developing sets before actually having to do a kind of mini-game to prepare the photo in solution. Eventually you’re even supplied with different lenses to further customise your images on the iconic 40’s camera. It even encourages players to take their own photos separate from the main story reasons to do so, though there really isn’t much around that isn’t the gorgeous landscape. Martha is Dead also presents photo-taking as an activity which, while time-consuming, is quite rewarding and fun in moderation. The language allows it to sink into the setting cozily, though it’s a small diamond in the rough. While I’d like to say the game’s setting does feel like a character in the story, past the house, cemetery, and other buildings it feels unconcerned with how to encapsulate the Italian landscape. As an element in the game beyond the locale, it helps situate the game in Italy though it does take away from the tension in the game having to read the subtitles. One thing I did love was how the voice acting is in Italian.
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