5 Best Games Like Martha is Dead

A few months have passed since Martha is Dead released, and we're only just about managing to wrap our heads around the absurdities that it showcased. But then, who can blame us? After all, it was perhaps one of the most disturbing games of Q1 2022—made even more unsettling thanks to its heavy use of gore and brutality. But it was an experience nonetheless, and one we'd probably go through again once our stomachs unknot and straighten out.

That all being said, there are a few other games that ring similar bells to that of Martha is Dead, though they can be hard to come by if you don't know where to search. And so, with that, we'll go ahead and enlist five of the closest things that relate to the art style and gameplay that the LKA survival horror chapter employs. Just be weary, things are likely to get weird once you step over the threshold and plunge into these nightmares.

5. Layers of Fear

Layers of Fear is as much of a story-driven experience than it is a playable one, which bodes rather well for those who'd rather bypass a puzzle and sink teeth straight into a compelling plotline and a series of delusional cinematics. Although relatively short in length, the artsy walking simulator features one of the most disturbing tales of all time, and it gels surprisingly well with the style and open-book barbarity that Martha is Dead accommodates.

In Layers of Fear, you play as a painter, one who only wishes to paint his Magnum Opus in memory of his late wife. However, there's a much deeper meaning behind the masterpiece, as you come to learn as you fetch the tools to craft the work. Let's just say things aren't always as they seem, and for every time your brush taps the canvas, the world becomes less of a figment of your imagination, and more of a bittersweet reality that knows no bounds.

4. 11-11: Memories Retold

Although it may not seem like it on the surface, Martha is Dead is really just a glorified photography class, with its subject being a ghost in white, and a cloudy war-torn woodland cast as its backdrop. A game that immediately springs to mind when we think of war and photography, of course, is 11-11: Memories Retold, a walking simulator with a similar hollow vibe.

11-11: Memories Retold follows the story of two individuals during 1916: a Canadian photographer with a jagged eye for the spoils of war, and a German engineer who's sole purpose is to find his missing son out on the frontline. Although not a survival horror by any means, it still possesses a heavy narrative and a number of photography elements, two things Martha is Dead explores in great detail.

3. The Town of Light

Granted, Martha is Dead is a very, very hard-hitting experience, as it tests the moral fiber of nearly anyone who dares approach it. Something that touches base on a similar page is The Town of Light, a relatively short but gripping walking simulator that favors the dark but depressingly realistic approach to mental illnesses in 1940 Italy.

Over the course of a three hour journey through an abandoned Tuscan asylum, you'll relive the tales of a former patient, Renée, as she looks to uncover the truth behind her questionable past. For every milestone you overcome and memory retold, a piece of the puzzle forms to generate the whole portrait. Acquiring the whole canvas, however, requires a pretty heart-wrenching slump through some rather controversial times.

2. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is far less of a murder-mystery ordeal, and much more of an emotionally charged third-person tale, one that features an overwhelming amount of psychological torments. For that reason, it's far better to play it with the use of headphones, as its unsettling ambience is amplified when truly immersed in its Norse mythology-based world.

Worlds apart, and yet somehow in the same basket, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice opens the doors for a whole new experience, one that requires mind and soul to comprehend. Although miles apart from Martha, Senua delivers an utterly chilling performance, which only compliments the hellish narrative that it executes to perfection. Martha is Dead it most certainly is not. But then, it doesn't need to be.

1. What Remains of Edith Finch

What Remains of Edith Finch is an in-house favorite of ours, and for good reason. Not only is it a fantastic journey, in general, but a crown on the walking simulator movement, as well as a masterclass on murder-mystery. Although a little different from the story Martha is Dead draws up, it still centers its narrative around death, curses, and the mysteries surrounding them.

We'll stand our ground and say, for what it's worth, What Remains of Edith Finch is still the best game of its kind on the market. It's relatively short, but it's also a gut-punching experience that never fails to clasp your heartstrings. Emotion, lore, and a whole lot of heart—the Giant Sparrow world captures the essence of walking simulators, and then some. For that reason, it's worth checking out, if only to scratch that itch after mopping up Martha's curious quest.

So, what's your take? Do you agree with our top five? What did you think of Martha is Dead? Let us know over on our socials here or down in the comments below.