Martial Law

About

Martial Law is a single player action game with a historical theme. It was developed by FIXER and was released on December 23, 2021. It received very positive reviews from players.

Martial Law is a game about difficulties that came with Communism in Poland. The story is shown from the perspective of a man who is abandoned because of his low social status. He tries his best to be there for his daughter despite the difficulties.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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92%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,147 reviews

story192 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

Engaging and heartwarming story that provides insight into life in 1980s Poland under communism.
Beautiful pixel art and a soothing soundtrack enhance the overall experience.
Multiple endings and choices add replayability and depth to the narrative.

Very short gameplay, often completed in under an hour, leaving players wanting more.
Dialogue and writing can feel clunky and unrealistic, detracting from immersion.
Limited gameplay mechanics, primarily consisting of walking and making choices without much interaction.

story
401 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
48%
4%
The game's story is a poignant exploration of life in 1980s Poland, focusing on a father's struggles to provide for his daughter during a time of hardship and oppression. While the narrative is often described as short and simple, it resonates emotionally with players, offering multiple endings and historical insights that enhance its depth. However, some critiques highlight issues with dialogue quality and pacing, suggesting that while the story is touching, it could benefit from further development and refinement.
- “The story is simple but touching, showing hard times in a clear way, without too much drama.”
- “A very touching story about a father trying to provide for his daughter during the struggles of communism in Poland.”
- “Overall, 'martial law' is a quick little game that uses its setting to tell a heartwarming little story about kindness during hard times.”
- “The game is propaganda, but that wouldn't be the biggest problem; it's boring, you can't skip dialogues, and the story is just a random mess. Even though the game is free, it's still too much for this crap.”
- “However, the story and the dialogues made me cringe several times and felt like something a middle schooler wrote in-between classes.”
- “The story wraps up very quickly, does not go into very much detail (which I would have appreciated), and it overall feels quite hastily written.”
graphics
114 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
39%
4%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the charming pixel art style and its ability to evoke the atmosphere of 1980s Poland. While some players found the visuals to be beautiful and immersive, others criticized them as simplistic or reminiscent of "pixelcrap." Overall, the art style is often highlighted as the game's strongest aspect, contributing positively to the overall experience despite some shortcomings in storytelling and gameplay.
- “The graphics are beautiful and the sound is just what this game needed, and the story is good!”
- “Gorgeous pixel art graphics, multiple game endings, and a story that will teach you a thing or two about communism in Poland in the 1980s.”
- “The music and visuals suit the setting and story very well, and it's a unique setting that helped give me a bit of a glimpse into life in the eastern bloc.”
- “This features really godawful pixel crap 'art' instead of real graphics.”
- “It's hard to say if this was because the developer didn't have the skill to create 3D visuals, or couldn't afford to hire someone who does, but it also doesn't matter.”
- “The visuals are also pretty basic, but that's fine by me.”
emotional
110 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of "Martial Law" is widely praised for its touching narrative that explores the struggles of a divorced father in communist Poland, evoking feelings of warmth and sadness in a short gameplay experience. Players appreciate the game's ability to convey deep emotions and life lessons within its brief duration, often describing it as heartwarming and impactful, despite some critiques regarding its brevity and writing quality. Overall, the game successfully resonates with players, leaving a lasting emotional impression.
- “The story is simple but touching, showing hard times in a clear way, without too much drama.”
- “Martial Law is a short, free visual novel set in communist-era Poland, following the emotional struggles of a divorced father trying to raise his son amidst political and personal turmoil.”
- “Overall, 'Martial Law' is a quick little game that uses its setting to tell a heartwarming little story about kindness during hard times.”
music
109 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
41%
3%
The music in the game is widely praised for its emotional depth and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with many reviewers highlighting its soothing, melancholic piano and synthwave elements that complement the pixel art style. While some noted occasional glitches and repetitiveness, the soundtrack is generally described as beautiful and fitting for the game's narrative, contributing significantly to the immersive experience. Overall, the music is considered one of the standout features, elevating the game's charm and emotional resonance.
- “The music in this game is probably my favorite part; it's soothing and melancholic at the same time, and I feel I could keep listening to it forever.”
- “The music is great, just some really atmospheric piano music that sets the mood, and the pixel artwork is top-notch.”
- “The soundtrack is fantastic and the pixel art style goes surprisingly well with the commieblock era of communist Poland; very good stuff and a solid 9/10.”
- “The music is pretty at first but gets monotonous fast.”
- “The only downside is the rather poor soundtrack.”
- “The gameplay is also plodding and tedious, and the snow and tinkly piano music do not create an immersive atmosphere to get lost in.”
gameplay
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
74%
7%
The gameplay of the game is generally described as simplistic and limited, often feeling more like a visual novel than a traditional game, with many players noting the lack of engaging mechanics and shallow interactions. While some appreciate the emotional storytelling and art style, others criticize the gameplay for being tedious, short, and lacking depth, with many reviews highlighting that it primarily consists of making choices and navigating through minimal action. Overall, the gameplay experience is seen as underwhelming, with a consensus that it could benefit from more complexity and length.
- “It's free, the story is well told and the gameplay is very casual.”
- “Loved the art style and overall simple yet smooth gameplay with a rich story.”
- “The story was good and with the nice music, a nice environment, and the simple but polished gameplay was a joy.”
- “The crux of this is to push some very low quality, badly done fan-fiction tier writing, where we see once more a developer fail to understand the importance of 'show, don't tell', and for whatever reason, weren't able to convey their narrative through gameplay, giving us endless lines of badly written e-book text instead.”
- “This game is full of made-up stories that don't even connect to each other, unskippable painful cutscenes, the gameplay is literally just two arrow keys and 'F'.”
- “Since gameplay is almost nonexistent apart from choices between obviously bad and obviously good options, it all comes down to writing which feels like below average... a game trying to be wholesome rather than the roughness of Soviet Eastern Europe.”
atmosphere
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
32%
9%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and evocative qualities, effectively capturing a sense of nostalgia and emotional depth through stunning pixel art and a fitting synthwave soundtrack. Many players appreciate the game's ability to convey a heavy, serious tone reflective of its historical context, while some note that despite its short length, the atmosphere remains compelling and engaging. However, a few reviewers felt that the gameplay mechanics detracted from the overall immersive experience, suggesting that the atmosphere alone may not be enough to fully engage all players.
- “The atmosphere is heavy and serious, just like the era it represents.”
- “Throughout the game, I was constantly on edge, fearing that the seemingly perfect moment would shatter, as the atmosphere was thick with a sense of impending doom.”
- “Fitting music, well-made graphics, and a somber atmosphere that pulls you in and makes you want to play it from beginning to end.”
- “Out of money, isolated from society, this atmosphere of cold rainy days, getting drunk.”
- “Lastly, one more minor criticism: considering most of the game is walking and talking (mutually exclusive), you'd think the game would have a strong atmosphere, but at least for me the game failed to hook me even there.”
- “The graphics are charming, and do capture the atmosphere of oppression as shadowy figures dot the sidewalks by day and the darkness between lamp posts leaves a sense of unease at night.”
replayability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
The game offers a moderate level of replayability, particularly for a free title, with multiple endings and achievements encouraging players to revisit it. However, some users feel that the overall content is limited, leading to a quick completion and diminishing long-term replay value. While it provides a satisfying experience, the lack of extensive content may leave some players wanting more.
- “Overall, for a free game, it's not bad and has replay value with its multiple endings.”
- “It also offers a decent amount of replay value through its multiple endings.”
- “There is a little bit of replayability with the multiple endings and the achievements, but overall, it is a very short but sweet experience.”
- “There's no replay value to this; just get all 6 achievements and you're pretty much done.”
- “For anything else, it does not feature enough content and options to be realistically replayable.”
grinding
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
44%
Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game is excessively tedious and time-consuming, often requiring players to invest significant effort for minimal rewards. While some find it suitable for achievement farming, many criticize the gameplay as plodding and unenjoyable, comparing it unfavorably to oppressive systems. Overall, the grinding experience detracts from immersion and enjoyment.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Easy for achievement farming, but otherwise it's as much fun as Soviet-style communism.”
- “The gameplay is also plodding and tedious, and the snow and tinkly piano music do not create an immersive atmosphere to get lost in.”
humor
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in this visual novel set in 80's communist Poland is characterized by a blend of absurdity and nostalgia, featuring quirky dialogue and situations that evoke both laughter and reflection on serious themes. Players appreciate the game's ability to balance lighthearted moments with deeper social commentary, making it both entertaining and educational. Overall, the humor is described as short, sweet, and impactful, contributing to a unique gaming experience.
- “The most bizarre piece of dialogue was, 'I need to go to the fish headquarters.' and when I bought said fish (to eat), 'I need to put it in the bathtub.' It's somewhat hilarious but it does break a bit of the immersion.”
- “This game's simplicity belies its depth—prepare for a knockout combo of humor and havoc!”
- “Short, light, funny, and educational take on communism in Poland.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
150%
Overall, the game's performance is generally praised, running well on capable systems, but users with weaker hardware, particularly on Linux, report significant frame rate drops in demanding areas, indicating potential optimization issues.
- “Performance-wise, the game ran fantastically, although I am not overly shocked by the visuals.”
- “Regarding optimization, I have a weak laptop running Fedora, and in high-level locations, I get 12 FPS instead of the usual 50.”
- “About optimization: I have a weak laptop on Fedora, and in high-level locations, I get 12 FPS instead of the usual 50. So why did you add a jump in this game?”
- “The optimization is terrible; I can't even play on lower settings without significant lag.”
- “Even with the latest updates, the game still struggles to run smoothly on mid-range hardware.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game is frequently criticized for its instability, with many users describing it as a "buggy mess" that detracts from the overall experience.
- “The game is a buggy mess.”
- “Frequent crashes make it nearly unplayable.”
- “I experienced constant lag and glitches throughout my gameplay.”