Some of these moments are entirely passive, such as stumbling upon the freshly dismembered corpse of a landmine victim in the woods, while others are more interactive - forcing you to manually carve the skin off a certain character’s face using the jagged edge of a necklace pendant, for instance. Listening to news from the World War II frontline is one of the least disturbing experiences in Martha is Dead, however, since many of its story chapters are punctuated by grisly interludes that make Heavy Rain’s infamous finger severing scene seem about as startling as a stubbed toe. Martha is Dead features some actions that are distressing enough to make a Mortal Kombat fighter soil their NetherRealms. Yet while there might not have been much of an incentive to analyze every inch of its environment, I did appreciate the work put into reinforcing its 1944 setting, such as the daily newspapers and ambient radio broadcasts detailing the horrors unfolding across Europe. An optional task that allowed me to decipher a telegraph message sent via Morse code was the one stimulating exception, and I wish there were a few more puzzle-solving sections like it along the way to make me feel a bit more involved in the investigation side of things. Manipulating the camera’s aperture setting and carefully completing the steps to process film affords you the most hands-on freedom in Martha is Dead, since almost every other story objective is of the strict go-here-and-collect-that variety.
Giulia’s camera, which can be augmented with additional lenses and flashbulbs, isn’t just an excuse for yet another in-game photo mode - it also provides an opportunity for the ominous atmosphere to get under your skin in subtle ways, with infrared film revealing hidden messages, and demonic moans and whispers seeping in from the woodland surroundings while your peripheral vision is obscured by the confines of the camera’s viewfinder.
Unraveling the mystery surrounding Martha’s death relies largely on heading to specific spots around the family estate, taking photos with a vintage camera or recovering lost rolls of film, and returning to a basement darkroom in order to develop each shot.
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