Martha, A Horror Game Where Combat Is Encouraged

A horror game that focuses on combat instead of cowering away? Martha is an indie title from Affordable Cat, coming to Steam that challenges the formulaic survival horror with action against your foes.

I don’t know why I’m writing this news piece about a horror game that already has me filling my pants. Perhaps it’s the fact that it’s from an indie developer that came to the game (geddit?) late and needs some exposure, or maybe it’s because it actually looks like a decent title?

A decider on how well scaredy cats like myself get on with Martha could be done to the combat. Unlike similar horror games, you’re not encouraged to scarper and instead, tackle them head-on. 

Following Silver Chains, jump scares aren’t sought after, but they’re present here, but there’s a focus on a compelling story, and it’s hinted that it draws inspiration from the Resident Evil series, notably RE7.

So, the all too familiar ‘car breaks down’ scenario, and you enter a house to use their phone. It’s 1996 (great year), and you play Isabelle Hewitt, a freelance reporter searching for the whereabouts of colleague Jack Meyer, missing for the past two weeks.

He was investigating the Albrecht Estate, rumoured to have a curse dating back to 1968 when the owners went missing. Left unoccupied until 1994, the estate is sold, but now the new owners have gone missing, and the local authorities are reluctant to investigate.

Cue Isabelle. Martha features include:

• Atmosphere meets action: Martha has all the tension of a first-person horror game but plenty of action. You won’t be a helpless victim holding a flashlight: you can use firearms, melee weapons and even your bare fists to fight your enemies.

• Fight or flee: Ammo is limited and foes are deadly, so choose your weapons wisely. You decide how to tackle the encounters: do you run and wait them out or stand and fight like a boss?

• Solve puzzles: Crack codes, discover combinations and enjoy the good old-fashioned key hunts that await you.

• Uncover the truth: Martha has a rich story line, interesting characters and plenty of juicy family secrets to keep you suitably entertained. The dirty laundry just keeps on piling up.

• Non-linear structure: You decide the sequence to tackle the challenges and find your own path.

Scared yet? Here’s a Martha trailer:

Martha is out today on Steam with a 10% discount until the 15th of February.