Martha is Dead plot, ending & censored scenes explained
LKAMartha is Dead has a pretty confusing plot, made even wilder by Giulia’s fantastical visions and increasing paranoia. Here’s a break down of everything that happens during this tragic tale; as well as which scenes are censored in the PlayStation version.
Martha is Dead is finally out in the world, allowing players to transport themselves into the traumatic world of Giulia, the twin sister of the titular character.
Focused around her downward spiral into the depths of insanity, the lines between fact and fiction are blurred very quickly on your descent into madness, leaving many questioning what is actually real and what is fake.
And that’s why we’re here to provide a rundown of Martha is Dead’s perplexing plot – and it goes without saying that there will be spoilers ahead.
Contents
LKAMartha is Dead: General plot explained
If you’re looking to get the gist of this woeful tale and avoid knowing how it ends, then this is the section for you. As you likely know, Martha is Dead revolves around the death of Martha Kapo, twin sister of Giulia and daughter to high ranking SS Officer, Erich.
Following Martha’s death, Giulia decides to take on her deceased counterpart’s identity in order to earn favor with her abusive mother, who always preferred Martha. Adopting Martha’s disabilities, Giulia sets off on a quest to work out who killed her sister – even though the papers claim it was a political assassination by the Italian partisan movement.
In order to gain clarity, she seeks help from beyond the veil, reaching out to the specter of the White Lady, a young woman who was murdered by her lover for alleged infidelity. Having spoken to this mysterious creature, she determines that her mother is at fault, looking for evidence to incriminate her and exposing her true identity in the process.
As her mother looks to have her institutionalized, all hell breaks loose in Giulia’s mind. After discovering that Martha was pregnant and, in turn, earned the ire of their mother, she returns to the family villa and shoots her. Mother is quickly joined by father, however, who is murdered by the SS on suspicion of betraying the party.
Left alone in a swirling pit of chaos, Giulia takes to the old puppet theater in her room to find the answers she requires.
LKAMartha is Dead: Ending explained
And that’s where it gets even weirder. Spoilers ahead folks, so beware!
After traveling to the nearby city in an attempt to seek refuge, it turns out that Giulia has been in a mental institution the entire time, and that the events of Martha is Dead are simply a figment of her imagination.
Martha, her parents, her lover, and her nanny have never existed, they are simply creations of a young imagination tainted by the trauma of war and domestic violence at the hands of her mother.
You can answer several different questions, but while your answers trigger different interactions the outcome is always the same: Giulia takes her own life in front of the player, leaving the story without a happy ending.
LKAMartha is Dead: Which scenes are censored on PlayStation?
Coming into Martha is Dead, Sony elected to censor some of the in-game scenes to either be non-interactive or cut entirely.
Here are all of the scenes that are not available on PlayStation, but are available on Xbox and PC:
- Giulia cutting off Martha’s face in her dream is not interactive
- Giulia cutting open Martha’s womb is not interactive
- Players can skip censored cutscenes as they play
- Any mentions of self-pleasure are removed from The Church chapter
- Disclaimer text at the start of the game has been updated with a reference to miscarriage
- The Safe In Our World message which appears at the end providing a link where help can be found now also appears after the disclaimer at the start
So that’s a full rundown of Martha is Dead’s bone-chilling plot and, for those of you who are reaching the end of your journey, just what the end of the game means. Thinking of picking up the game for yourself? Be sure to check out our Martha is Dead review first.