Originally slated to hit Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC next year, Martha is Dead is a first-person psychological horror and the newest game by LKA: the devs behind 2016's The Town of Light. However, despite the studio's previous plans, the game will no longer be exclusive to only Microsoft's lineup of consoles, with a new announcement revealing that it will also be coming to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
The news is accompanied by a brand new trailer for the game, with the near two minutes of fresh footage painting a morbid picture of the game's narrative. Featuring disturbing puppet shows, paranormal scares, and shots of a city set ablaze, it seems as though Martha is Dead will not be for the faint of heart.
Martha Is Dead's promo begins through the aforementioned use of several puppet shows, depicting the cryptic tale of a young girl and her grandmother. It seems this is only the first of a series of abstract and psychological events to come, as a mysterious narrator (seemingly the young girl from the puppet shown grown-up) begins to weave a tale surrounding an eerie woman that lives in a nearby lake. Cutting between the puppet show and some in-game clips, the footage quickly grows more sinister. The events of the puppet show become twisted and, eventually, the trailer cuts to the player character pulling the limbs off dolls and becoming doused in blood.
The footage ends on the image of a nearby town set alight, with a mysterious character watching the chaotic fire from the outskirts. The game will take place in Tuscany during World War II, seeing players assume the role of a grieving sister who must deal with the fallout of the brutal murder of her sibling Martha. Not much else is known about the plot, however, it seems the looming threat of war will be a big part of the campaign's narrative alongside its set of psychological scares.
The trailer alone appears to make plenty clear that Martha is Dead is aiming to be one of 2021's biggest horror experiences. However, the game will have some competition, with The Medium, Little Nightmares 2, Ghostwire Tokyo, and Resident Evil 8 all gearing up to launch next year.
It's going to be a great year for the horror genre regardless, and it'll be interesting to see where Martha is Dead slots in alongside some of its heaviest hitters. This year hasn't been short of spooky games to rile up even the bravest players either, with the likes of Amnesia: Rebirth, Maid of Sker, and Phasmophobia all making a huge splash when they dropped through 2020.
Martha is Dead is coming to PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.