Featured Image Credit: Wired Productions
Topics: PlayStation
Content warning: This article contains descriptions of graphic content, as well as potential spoilers for Martha is Dead. Reader discretion is advised.
Yesterday, LKA's long-awaited psychological horror game Martha is Dead finally released, and I can only send my very best wishes for the sleep schedules of anyone playing it. Seriously, I’m not sure if I could stomach even the idea of sleep after experiencing any more than five minutes of this. Shudder.
In case you were unaware though, earlier this month it was announced that the PlayStation versions of the game were going to be “modified” to censor some elements, despite the fact that it would remain unchanged on both PC and Xbox. Now, thanks to a report from IGN, we know exactly what these changes are. Let me reiterate the note at the top of the article here though - the descriptions that follow are graphic, and could be considered to be spoilers too, so proceed with caution.
Before we go on (and to extend that content warning slightly), be sure to check out the trailer for Martha is Dead below.
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Right, are we all good then? Great. So, the PlayStation version removes the interactivity from a scene where the player slices and peels off a corpse’s face, and another where they cut a corpse’s womb with scissors. More detailed content warnings are also shown at the start of the game, and references to masturbation have been removed, too.
Additionally, there’s an optional censorship mode, which when turned on, removes the face and womb cutting scenes altogether, as well as all depictions of suicide and miscarriage. These changes are only present on the PlayStation versions, although there’s a censorship option across all platforms to remove some self harm scenes which occur towards the end of the game.
So, why were these changes put in place? According to Neil Broadhead, the head of marketing at Wired Productions, they came as a result of talks with Sony: “The changes in content were made as a result of conversations with PlayStation in the lead up to our launch,” he told IGN. “Although the changes were not planned and the modifications did result in a slight delay in being able to start production on the physical edition, PlayStation fully supported us to help minimise this delay.”
It’s still a bit confusing as to why Sony were so adamant about enforcing these changes - as IGN notes in their report, it’s not often that you see this kind of thing happen. That said, LKA’s founder and CEO, Luca Dalcò, has insisted that PlayStation users will still be able to experience the full story, even with the changes in place.
“PlayStation players can still experience the story we’re trying to tell,” he told IGN. “This is a vast and complex subject, and the changes that have been made [do not] distort the gaming experience.”
Martha is Dead is out now on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4 and PS5. The delayed physical PlayStation versions will be releasing in a few weeks time.