Martha is Dead is a historical psychological thriller coming next year

Town of Light developer LKA is following up its distressing psychological thriller with another game seeped in history and trauma. Announced today, Martha is Dead explores the aftermath of one twin's murder beneath the backdrop of World War 2 and superstition.

Set in '40s Tuscany, players will tug at threads and try to unravel their twin's grisly murder. Like its predecessor, it's a first-person affair that's grounded in real history and locations, but with folklore and trauma influencing reality. LKA isn't giving much away yet, but more details will appear as it gets closer to release, expected in 2020.

As for Town of Light, it's a tough game to recommend, as grim and uneven as it is, but it's also so much more than its abandoned asylum setting suggests.

"The Town of Light is an experience you endure rather than engage with," Edwin Evans-Thirlwell wrote in his Town of Light review. "It is never fun, never challenging and evidently the work of an inexperienced and under-resourced team. But it also tackles the subject matter with a cold, fractured sophistication that exposes much, too-smooth, too-cohesive 'psychological horror' as trivial. I had a dreadful time playing it. I want you to play it anyway."

Instead of jump scares, you get introspection and emotional trials, which is admittedly a lot less fun to play. But you can get your jump scares and pant-wetting horror anywhere. It sounds like Martha is Dead is going down the same path, but hopefully this time it will be a bit more refined.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.