PT, the playable teaser for theSilent Hillsgame that never was, is almost eight years old. Since its release, fans of the collaboration between game designer Hideo Kojima and renowned director Guillermo del Toro have seen a lot of copycats andheavilyPT-inspiredgamesto fill the gap left by its cancelation. There is definitely a level of fatigue for these imitation games, which is whereMartha Is Deadcomes into play. To be clear,Martha Is Deadis not aPTclone, or even a heavilyPT-inspiredgame, but instead, it has various thematic and contextual elements that bear a close resemblance to what got fans excited aboutPT.
Martha Is Deadis set to release next monthafter facing some delays, and the indie game promises to be a psychological horror with themes of war, memory, and the supernatural, as many survival horror titles do. As an aside, whilePT’sname initially sparked intrigue (and some confusion),Martha Is Dead’stitle has been repeatedly compared to a meme referencingBatman V. Superman.The game is set in Tuscany in 1944, andMartha Is Deadhas the potential to tap into some major horror themes that make it an interesting choice for fans of the genre - particularly those that likedPT.
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Guillermo del Toro and European Period Horror
Identifying howMartha Is Deadappeals to the same market asPTrequires some elaboration on specific elements ofPTthat made it such a significant moment in gaming. Aside from being a viral hit and genuinely terrifying players, one of the most exciting aspects of the fullSilent Hillsgame was the involvement of Mexican director, Guillermo del Toro.Del Toro is known for his fantastical and darkly creepy worlds, often setting his films in early to mid 20th century Europe. The period setting contributes to themes of Gothic horror within these stories, such as del Toro’sCrimson Peak.Martha Is Deadsimilarly utilizes elements of Gothic horror, and more visceral modern horror, to create its frightening experience. However, del Toro is not the only horror director who utilizes wartime and post-war Europe, particularly in dealing with psychological horror and trauma.
A psychological horror game set in 1944 Tuscany should have plenty to appeal to longtime del Toro fans, especially those hoping to see some of his approach in video games. Generally, this type of horror uses the trauma of war as a means of expressing inner turmoil, such as del Toro’s own films set during and just after the Spanish Civil War. While certain factors differ in Spain versus Italy during this time, broadly speaking both countries were deeply damaged and traumatized by World War 2. Del Toro’s horrors are often praised for the monster design,and since that is a big element of theSilent Hillfranchise, Guillermo’s involvement was an interesting prospect. The grotesque monsters often seen in survival horror projects set around war are usually compared to fallen soldiers. As such,Martha Is Deadtaps into many of the same cultural themes of del Toro’s cinematic work
Horror and War without Combat
For those unfamiliar with del Toro’s work, the other most exciting element ofPTwas the involvement of Hideo Kojima.Kojima’s work, unlike del Toro’s, is much more heavily preoccupied with war and technology, which is often manifested through self-reflexivity. Much of the gameplay and interactive capabilities ofPTemphasize this, but one rather simple tool Kojima used was completely removing combat for the teaser.
BothPTandMartha Is Deadcan be described aswalking sims, which for horror games makes the player feel more vulnerable and defenseless.Martha Is Deadequips the player with a camera as a means of exploring the world around them, and this use of a camera in horror is best compared to theClock Towergames. WhatClock Tower, PT,andMartha Is Deadhave in common is that although they offer means to interact with the world, the stress and anxiety of the horror are raised by having no real means of defense.
Finally,Death Strandinggave fans a brief taste of what a Kojima-directed horror might be like, particularly with regard to Mads Mikkelsen’s character, Cliff. With Kojima’s own preoccupation with themes of war and del Toro’s penchant for the Gothic and grotesque,Silent Hillswould likely have touched on many of the themesMartha Is Deaddoes, even though the franchise doesn’t usually deal explicitly with war and horror. For these reasons,Martha Is Deadhas multiple aspects that should appeal to bothPTfans and horror fans more broadly, as it taps into the same psychosocial themes that the creators ofPTfeature in their own work.
Martha Is Deadis set to release February 24th for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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