Martha Is Dead Is out Now on Xbox Series X|S

Hi!

Lorenzo Conticelli (Lead Environment Artist, Lead Animator, LKA) is what I’m working on Martha is dead.

The journey to release has been a long one, we’ve been working on the game for the past four years and it is finally available on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S!

This is a great resource for anyone new to the game. Martha is deadThis is a psychological thriller in first person that takes place in Italy during World War II. Giulia plays the role of Giulia and is charged with investigating the tragic death of her twin. The story blends real-world events, history, folklore, supernaturality, and emotional distress.

The game’s photography plays a significant role and today I want to share one of my favorite projects! Making the photo equipment behave in a realistic way and animating Giulia so she can interact with them.

First of all, let’s talk about context. It is crucial to use photography. Martha Is Deceased because it helps the story unfold, captures missing details, reveals hidden truths and gives the player the creative freedom of taking their time exploring and photographing whatever catches their eye in the game’s beautiful Tuscan setting. Photography was very different back in 1940s. Although less immediate but more magical and mysterious, it was also more closely linked to craft, as you needed to know the chemical reactions of light, liquids, papers and films. And you couldn’t see the result until you had developed and printed the photo you had taken hours (or even days) before. The game also has an operating darkroom.

So, back to the matter at hand – what does ‘rig’ actually mean?

Once you’ve created a 3D model and texture, one way to animate it is to make bones/joints/controls. The joints can be thought of as human bones. They are connected to the skin and muscles, just like the space between the vertebrae. The controls can be thought of as a hand that allows you to control certain behaviours or manipulate several bones simultaneously. All 3D elements are valid, for both organic and hard-surface models. We need bones to make doors and cameras, such as our Rolleicord K3 model camera.

In order to recreate it digitally we needed to understand how an old 1940’s camera worked. Because I have a background in photography, this helped me during the study phase. But the most useful thing was that we had a real Rolleicord camera in our office from the 1940’s. It was possible to study from the model, such as how one gear affects another or how changing the exposure time with a little stick. It’s really fascinating to me and was of priceless value.

We decided to recreate all of the possible movement allowed for the camera, so even if you don’t see it when Giulia uses it, now you know that the camera works like a real one.

Fun part was the enlarger. Although it appeared simple at first, it proved to be extremely complex. Giulia should keep the main projector in its original axis when she pulls it down. Otherwise, the photo projected will not be aligned with the paper. It was a complicated process due to rotation and spring use, but I was satisfied with the final result.

I found it helpful to keep the camera at my desk during the animation phase. It was a great feeling to hold the camera in my hands, which helped me give it a digital weight in Giulia’s game. I was able to replicate the movements as natural as possible by watching how my hand grips the camera and how my finger moves in order to grab a gear. We decided to not use “mocap” (motion capture: recording a real actor’s movement with sensors on his/her body) for the hands and fingers. These results were noisy, unpredictable and difficult to interpret with small gears and sticks. Cleaning up all of the mocap’s animation curves and trying to keep the fingers steady in place time-consuming than hand keyframing (the traditional approach of saving a pose in a frame of the timeline, then posing the character in a different position, etc.). So basically, all of Giulia’s animations are made from scratch (with a lot of video references).

Check out this slideshow of how the animation of Giulia’s hand in the first scene at the lake works and what is behind it.

Martha is Dead has been released today. I hope that you enjoy Martha’s Dead as much as I enjoyed creating it.

Martha is dead

Wired Productions

☆☆☆☆☆
39

★★★★★

$29.99

THE GAME IS RECOMMENDED TO BE PLAYED IN ADULTAUDIENCES AND IS RATE ESRB M, PEGI 18, AND USK 16 It is not recommended for players who may find depiCTIONS of mature scenes containing blood, clots, dilution, emulation, sabotage, a rash, or other disturbing behavior.

Martha Is Dead, a psychological thriller in first person, is set in 1944 Italy. It blurs the line between reality, superstition, and the tragedy that war has caused.

As conflict intensifies between German and Allied forces, the desecrated body of a woman is found drowned… Martha!

Martha has died. Giulia (her twin sister) must deal alone with the traumatizing loss of her mother and the aftermath of her murder. Mysterious folklore, the horrors of war and the mystery surrounding Martha’s murder make it difficult to find the truth.

Which will win?

Italic voice acting is unashamedly genuine

The first Indie game to launch using the native Italian language as the default setting – for full immersion into the story and the characters.

The Town of Light was created by the creator

The second game from LKA, the award-winning developer of “The Town of Light” and specialists in reality based narrative games focused on tough subjects.

Multi-layered, dark and complex narrative

Martha is Dead explores loss and relationships through the eyes of young Martha, who sees it all from the perspective of someone who wants to know the truth but also hides some secrets.

Take a look at this detailed reconstruction of the Italian countryside

Explore the breathtakingly beautiful Tuscany countryside by foot, boat or bicycle. Grounded in reality, Martha Is Dead’s setting and historical context are inspired by real facts and places that have been faithfully reconstructed in true LKA fashion.

Dolls to play

You can recall repressed memories by playing with marionettes in the Mechanical Theatre.

Superstition mixed with folklore

You can unlock the symbols, and you can summon The Lady by using tarot cards.

The backdrop to War

To keep up to date on the events in the world, collect newspapers, telegrams or listen to the radio.

Virtual photographic excellence

You can take pictures just for the fun of it, or to learn more about the world and the story. A simulator will guide you through 1940s photography, where you’ll be able to developer your actual photos through a fully working in game darkroom!

The best authentic Italian music from that era

You will be immersed in an atmospheric and deeply moving soundtrack featuring underwater music experts Between Music and their Aquasonic projects; The Town of Light composer Aseptic Void with his dark and sinister tones; and all held together in vintage style. Original tracks by Femina Riderns, AKA the 90s disco singer, Francesca Messina.