| 33bits |
Rubén Manzanares |
80 / 100 |
02-24-2022 |
Martha Is Dead is a great walking simulator with a surprising story and an elaborate technical section. It doesn’t stand out for its puzzles, but it succeeds thanks to its small details. This, together with its duration, makes this title a more than remarkable game to have a good afternoon. |
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| 3DNews |
Денис Щенников |
6.5 / 10 |
02-27-2022 |
Deep psychological drama diluted by hours of shallow walking. |
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| Areajugones |
Juan Linares |
7.7 / 10 |
02-24-2022 |
Martha is Dead is a halfway game. A title that you can enjoy if you are a lover of the genre, but that you play it knowing that something is missing, knowing that it could have been something more. If you are looking to be afraid you may find more tension than something scary. |
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| BaziCenter |
Mohammad Talebian |
6 / 10 |
03-03-2022 |
Martha is Dead is far from what I thought It’d be, and even though it begins strong, things start to fall short and end in total disappointment. |
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| Bazimag |
Seyed Ali Rooholamini |
6.5 / 10 |
02-24-2022 |
At the core of Martha is Dead there is an acceptable and sometimes enjoyable psychological tale but nothing else in this package is worth writing home about. |
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| CGMagazine |
Brendan Frye |
7 / 10 |
02-24-2022 |
Martha is Dead tells a deeply personal and complex story that strikes at some complex issues that are only held back from greatness due to technical struggles. |
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| Checkpoint Gaming |
Alex Beaty |
4 / 10 |
02-25-2022 |
Martha is Dead isn’t for the faint-hearted, though sadly that’s not for the right reasons. There are too many moving parts in this game that weigh the already poorly-paced story down. If this was a spooky investigative adventure that required you to take photos to unlock the brooding mystery hidden within, I’d be all for it, because that’s one part that actually works. But alas it’s instead left as an over-exerted mess that is more focused on a couple of key shock-value moments than anything substantial. This game needs a swift autopsy to dissect out the crimes before a merciful cremation. |
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| COGconnected |
Erin Castillo |
82 / 100 |
02-24-2022 |
Martha Is Dead offers a narrative that’s provocative, intense, dark, and emotional. And yes, it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s plenty gory. Given that it takes place during WWII the story doesn’t seem out of place either. It pulls you in right away, keeps its intensity and pace, and holds your attention until the very end. The sound and graphical design really fit with the overall vibe and atmosphere of the game. Sure, it’s not perfect, but most of the issues aren’t game breaking. Martha Is Dead is riveting and if you’re a fan of psychological thrillers you won’t want to miss it. |
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| Cultured Vultures |
Nick Meekham |
6.5 / 10 |
02-24-2022 |
Shock connoisseurs may enjoy Martha Is Dead’s body horror and gore, but there is a lot of muck to wade through in the game’s short playtime. |
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| Echo Boomer |
João Canelo |
Not Recommended |
03-03-2022 |
Martha is Dead presents itself with an interesting story with suspense and one hefty dose of psychological horror, that it gets lost in the overall narrative and lacks better and polished mechanics. |
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| EGM |
Michael Goroff |
4 / 10 |
02-24-2022 |
Martha is Dead starts off strong, with an intriguing story amid a tumultuous backdrop, and a main gameplay mechanic with a ton of room to evolve. Unfortunately, the game squanders every opportunity it has to develop its story or gameplay in interesting ways, instead relying on overplayed tropes and unnecessary mechanics. While Martha is Dead’s disturbing imagery might not deserve censorship, its creators betray the trust that it asks of its players, ultimately delivering a shallow experience that does more harm than good. |
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| Eurogamer |
Vikki Blake |
Not Recommended |
02-25-2022 |
A good premise and gripping start is undermined by a second half of bugs, bad writing, and grossly overused clich’s of mental ill-health. |
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| Everyeye.it |
Giuseppe Arace |
7.8 / 10 |
02-24-2022 |
It is a cruel game, narratively imperfect, and at the same time quite courageous, as well as not very lenient towards the (very difficult and very delicate) matter it deals with. |
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| Expansive |
Brad Baker |
Recommended |
02-24-2022 |
Martha is Dead is not going to be for everyone and if the disclaimers attached to the game leave you uncertain, we’d advise exercising caution before diving in. For the most part, there’s a really powerful, engaging story at play here, with subjects handled mostly sensitively, and quality direction that’ll inspire the industry for years to come. |
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| Explosion Network |
Dylan Blight |
2 / 10 |
02-25-2022 |
There’s a much better game here if it focused on the photography mechanics, trauma exploration and ghost stories. Instead, it’s a game bogged down in many different directions. I don’t think this game, much like developer LKA’s last game, Town of Light, handles mental health in the best way, but there’s a somewhat interesting story here. It’s just so boring to get through. |
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| FingerGuns |
Greg Hicks |
6 / 10 |
02-24-2022 |
Once the initial shock factor dies down, Martha Is Dead is little more than a walking simulator with a Fatal Frame-esque photography gimmick. It has too many ideas and threads going for it, whereas a focused main plot would have made it much more engaging. A few technical issues marred the immersion, and some of the worst English dubbing since Resident Evil. As long as you aren’t expecting Italian P.T., horror fans may still enjoy this psychological shocker. |
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| Game Informer |
Wesley LeBlanc |
6 / 10 |
02-25-2022 |
LKA made the best recreation of an Italian setting I’ve ever seen in a game and I wanted nothing more than to enjoy it. However, LKA’s love of Italy is the only warmth I felt in Martha is Dead. The rest left me feeling as cold as Giulia’s dead sister. |
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| Gamefa |
آرمان زرمهر |
7.5 / 10 |
02-26-2022 |
Martha Is Dead is a very good psychological horror game that scares you with its own dark and heartbreaking story. |
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| GameGrin |
Samiee “Gutterpunk” Tee |
3 / 10 |
03-08-2022 |
Shocking, controversial, technically broken, brutally forward with its presentation, and forwardly present in its mechanics, Martha is Dead wants nothing but a shocked gasp and an article made about its material. Mission accomplished, but at the cost of integrity. |
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| GameMAG |
Unknown |
7 / 10 |
02-25-2022 |
In the end Martha is Dead feels like an arthouse movie, when you have to decipher the game yourself, while having all kind of emotions. Whether you’ll like it or not is very hard to tell. |
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| GamePitt |
Rob Pitt |
9 / 10 |
02-24-2022 |
Martha Is Dead was more disturbing and shocking than I thought it would be, delivering a brilliant story with gorgeous (if rather gruesome) visuals and a hypnotic soundtrack. The photography mechanics were implemented well, allowing you to capture every moment – it’s just a shame the photos didn’t manifest as actual pictures on the console. Despite the commotion pre-release, the game is fully uncensored if you wish it to be, you just can’t participate in the horrific cutscenes via interactive QTEs, which doesn’t affect the game in any way. If you like slow-paced psychological horror games with an interesting story that’ll have you hooked until the credits roll, check out Martha Is Dead today. |
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| GameSkinny |
Bryn Gelbart |
5 / 10 |
02-23-2022 |
For all of its darkness, Martha is Dead can’t seem to find the light. |
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| GamesRadar+ |
Rachel Weber |
3.5 / 5 stars |
02-24-2022 |
Martha is Dead will leave you psychologically scarred. Whether you enjoy the process depends on your constitution and hatred of bicycles. |
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| Gaming Nexus |
Henry Yu |
5.5 / 10 |
03-01-2022 |
Martha is Dead had all the right ideas, touching upon themes of loss, war, and personal identity in a meaningful way in a horror game. It unfortunately failed to deliver on an experience that cohesively weaved together those great ideas, along with a slew of technical and performance issues. |
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| GamingBolt |
Shubhankar Parijat |
6 / 10 |
02-25-2022 |
Martha is Dead is best appreciated from a distance, because while its narrative premise and setting are certainly impresses, the game itself is slow as molasses and frustratingly clunk. |
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| Generación Xbox |
Juan Lorente |
7.1 / 10 |
03-03-2022 |
Martha is Dead proposes a horror experience far from the clichés of the genre, and although it begins that way then it goes very little by little towards a psychological thriller that talks about topics that can touch the fiber of more than one, such as family relationships, envy between siblings or even mental disorders. Its managers have not only limited themselves to creating a video game with a script, but it seems that they have poured into it more or less personal experiences for as I have told you several times to leave a mark on us. |
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| God is a Geek |
Chris White |
7.5 / 10 |
02-24-2022 |
Martha is Dead deals with losing loved ones and losing your own self through a powerful narrative that can be quite uncomfortable at times. |
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| Hobby Consolas |
Daniel Quesada |
80 / 100 |
02-24-2022 |
Even with certain flaws typical of “small” productions, Martha is Dead has a strong personality that permeates us and will turn our heads for a long time. Of course, it is not for sensitive stomachs. |
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| IGN |
Tristan Ogilvie |
7 / 10 |
02-24-2022 |
Martha is Dead is an unflinching and utterly absorbing ordeal to be endured rather than enjoyed. |
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| IGN Italy |
Cristina Resa |
7.5 / 10 |
02-24-2022 |
Martha is Dead is a complex first-person narrative adventure, a story of traumatic experiences that could upset the sensitivity of those who play. Anyway LKA depicted in a brilliant and compelling way the discomfort of the main character, even if sometimes narration lingers in the spectacularization of the most gory elements. The Italian studio did a great job creating an accurate historical stage, but technically the game has significant ups and dawns, which, anyway, don’t undermine too much the overall experience. |
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| IGN Middle East |
Mufaddal Fakhruddin |
7.5 / 10 |
02-24-2022 |
Martha is Dead may sometimes become very eccentric, but the game’s mood and mystery will greatly appeal to you from the beginning. |
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| Jump Dash Roll |
Derek Johnson |
8 / 10 |
03-15-2022 |
Martha is Dead is confusing, exploitative and troubling, but it pushes the limits of the medium in ways that few games have. |
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| KeenGamer |
Emanuel Ortiz |
7.8 / 10 |
03-01-2022 |
Martha Is Dead intrigued me throughout its short seven hour runtime. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this title despite the constant amount of stability issues I encountered. This game plays more like a mystery with a couple of disturbing revelations. Martha Is Dead is certainly not for the faint of heart but those that embark on this journey will have an engrossing narrative that is bolstered by its gameplay and audio elements. |
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| LevelUp |
Pedro Pérez Cesari |
7 / 10 |
02-24-2022 |
Martha is Dead has an interesting idea, but not enough to be considered a great game in spite of its flaws. If you’re a fan of thrillers or the setting of Martha is Dead appeals to you, it is worth a check. It’s not a life-changing horror game, but it’s immersive enough to keep you hooked for a while. |
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| Metro GameCentral |
Steve Boxer |
7 / 10 |
03-04-2022 |
A highly original, dark gothic thriller whose lack of compromises will restrict its audience but are hard not to admire. |
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| New Game Network |
Ben Thomas |
75 / 100 |
03-07-2022 |
Martha Is Dead is a good adventure thanks to its deep look into the mind of a character under stress. Aside from performance issues and missed opportunities, the game has great attention to detail and careful pacing. |
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| PC Invasion |
Andrew Farrell |
8 / 10 |
02-24-2022 |
Intriguing and often disturbing, Martha is Dead makes for a worthwhile narrative experience, barring some issues. |
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| PlayStation Universe |
Garri Bagdasarov |
8 / 10 |
02-24-2022 |
It’s not every day that you get to play through a game that leaves a mark with its disturbing and tragic story, but Martha Dead was able to achieve something that got me thinking from start to finish. The game’s incredible soundtrack and sound design are harrowing, and the visuals push the genre forward. It’s just a shame that some technical issues and hit and miss tutorials hold the game back from true greatness. |
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| Press Start |
Brodie Gibbons |
4 / 10 |
02-25-2022 |
While I enjoyed a fraction of my time exploring Martha is Dead’s gorgeous Tuscan farmlands, the thing I’m most thankful for is how mercifully short the game is. The closing credits shocked me back into coherence like a bolt out of the blue to cap off what is-and I’m being generous-an interestingly imperfect experience. |
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| PSX Brasil |
Rui Celso |
70 / 100 |
02-25-2022 |
Martha is Dead is a horror game that had everything to hold the player’s attention. Although the story is really strong, there is a very slow pace, which ends up causing exhaustion before even halfway through the game. |
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| Push Square |
Stuart Gipp |
6 / 10 |
02-24-2022 |
While certainly an accomplished piece of storytelling, Martha Is Dead’s gameplay is such blatant artifice that it does the narrative a disservice to partake in it. That sounds extremely damning, but there’s a lot here to like: the languid pace and detailed nature of the photography sequences are a standout, the graphics are often impressive, and the sheer bloody chutzpah of the whole thing is appealing in a grand guignol sort of way. The game can be shocking in what it shows you, but it doesn’t feel exploitative. Horror should be horrific, and Martha Is Dead is certainly that. Unfortunately, perhaps not always in the way it was intended to be. |
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| Rely On Horror |
Steve Summers |
8.5 / 10 |
02-24-2022 |
We take a look at LKA’s second outing, the psychological horror adventure, Martha Is Dead |
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| Rock, Paper, Shotgun |
Matt Cox |
Not Recommended |
02-24-2022 |
Clunky writing, ponderous pacing and a commitment to lingering gore shots make Martha Is Dead an actively unpleasant experience. Run for the hills. |
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| Screen Rant |
Jacob Zeranko |
4 / 5 stars |
02-24-2022 |
This is a hard moment to experience and there are many more throughout Martha is Dead, but none of these are implemented for shock value. All of these moments are carefully thought-out and relevant to the story and exploration of Giulia’s mental deterioration. Ultimately, Martha is Dead is a game with simple mechanics that tells a difficult but important story that’s well worth experiencing. That said, those interested in playing this game should consider doing so on Xbox or PC if possible, as these platforms are offering the game in the way it’s intended to be experienced. |
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| SECTOR.sk |
Peter Dragula |
9 / 10 |
02-24-2022 |
Martha is Dead very impressively combines visual beauty, psychological horror and the tragedy of war in walking simulator genre. |
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| Sirus Gaming |
Jarren Navarrete |
3.5 / 10 |
02-24-2022 |
Unfortunately, I can’t really recommend Martha Is Dead. It has a slew of problems and wasted potential when it comes to its narrative presentation. And gameplay-wise the game does feel lacking and has nowhere near the impact it clearly wants to have. At the end of the day, it winds up being a more confusing mess than a coherent emotional story. |
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| Softpedia |
Cosmin Vasile |
8 / 10 |
02-25-2022 |
Martha Is Dead lives or dies by its core narrative and ability to immerse the player in it. I like the way it mixes the personal with the historical. I appreciate the care with which the developers have constructed the game world and I even like most of the photography-focused challenges. |
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| SomHráč.sk |
Adam Hambálek |
80 / 100 |
03-05-2022 |
Martha is Dead confirms that the creators from the LKA studio are very talented. Stay away if you’re easily disgusted, though. |
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| SpazioGames |
Marcello Paolillo |
7.5 / 10 |
02-24-2022 |
Martha is Dead is a suggestive adventure game: the narrative plot is very interesting, as well as the way the story is told. Too bad about the gameplay not being too in-depth. |
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| The Escapist |
Elijah Beahm |
Not Recommended |
02-27-2022 |
Video Review |
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| The Game Crater |
Ric Oldroyd |
4 / 10 |
02-24-2022 |
Martha Is Dead had an opportunity to explore mental health, loss, and abuse in an engrossing and meaningful way. However, it disappointingly falls flat. A myriad of bugs and annoying gameplay elements completely and utterly ruin this potentially great experience. |
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| The Games Machine |
Marco Bortoluzzi |
7.8 / 10 |
02-24-2022 |
While a terrible murder is what sets the events of Martha is Dead in motion, the real focus of the game is Giulia’s psyche and how it was affected by past and present thraumas. LKA’s new adventure might not be suited for everyone due to the brutality of certain scenes, but it is certainly courageous and competent. |
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| TheSixthAxis |
Nick Petrasiti |
4 / 10 |
02-24-2022 |
Martha is Dead wants to send a big important message, but the way it’s delivered is terrifyingly bad, not only in it’s writing but also in the shoddy gameplay. |
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| ThisGenGaming |
Robby Bisschop |
7 / 10 |
02-24-2022 |
Martha is Dead was a tough title to review. The game does a lot of things really well and feels extremely authentic, and it also makes good use of the next-gen hardware to conjure up beautiful visuals on the screen. But at the same time, there are plenty of bugs that pull you out of the immersion and make you realize, once again, that you are playing a game. |
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| TrueAchievements |
Tom West |
4 / 5 stars |
02-24-2022 |
Horror fans looking for an adrenaline rush, though, won’t find anything here to sate their appetites, unfortunately, but some fairly gruesome scenes certainly lean into the psychological horror tropes, and never cheap out on the gory details. |
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| TrueGaming |
Unknown |
7.5 / 10 |
02-28-2022 |
Martha Is Dead presents an exciting story and tells it creatively in an atmosphere full of tension and doubt, the game suffers from a number of technical problems and lack of diversification but offers the story that fans of this type of game are looking for. |
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| Twinfinite |
Chris Jecks |
2.5 / 5 stars |
02-24-2022 |
The development team has to be applauded for pushing the boundary of the horror industry with its ideas. It’s just a shame that it stumbles so heavily when it comes to the execution and dilutes its strongest element with generic, repetitive gameplay. |
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| Use a Potion |
Unknown |
7.5 / 10 |
02-24-2022 |
Martha Is Dead is an intriguing experience that won’t be for everyone, but still managed to hook me in with its engrossing storytelling. Whilst I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find the game unsettling, I NEEDED to see how the plot played out and just how dark it could really go. It can be shocking at times, but you know what you’re signing up for before playing. |
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| VGC |
Chris Scullion |
4 / 5 stars |
02-24-2022 |
As long as you can withstand its often extremely disturbing content, Martha is Dead is a absorbing and atmospheric adventure with a brilliantly realised setting and a beautifully haunting soundtrack. We can’t stress enough that it won’t suit all tastes, however. |
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| VideoGamer |
Josh Wise |
6 / 10 |
02-28-2022 |
If only Dalcò, rather than honouring his heroine by smothering her search for truth in confounding gloom, had abided by her love of illumination. |
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| WayTooManyGames |
Kyle Nicol |
7 / 10 |
02-24-2022 |
Martha is Dead’s compelling narrative is let down by some dull gameplay that just can’t support it in any meaningful way. It does deal with themes of loss in a uniquely told story that had me guessing what was happening every step of the way, but the sheer amount of monotony annoyed me more than I could stand. If what you are looking for is a proper horror experience, this will not be for you. With that being said, if you want a compelling narrative, then, as long as you can get past some tedious lack of proper gameplay, I can recommend picking this game up. |
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| Wccftech |
Rosh Kelly |
9.1 / 10 |
02-24-2022 |
Martha is Dead meets every expectation and exceeds most of them. It is a true ghost story, perfectly designed to demand you keep playing while making you want to stop. Its near-flawless design sets a new benchmark in the quietly, weirdly, horrible. |
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| WellPlayed |
Zach Jackson |
3 / 10 |
03-25-2022 |
Martha Is Dead fails to deliver any meaningful semblance of the story it wants to tell and ends up being nothing more than a colossal and tedious disappointment. |
Read review |
