Alfred Hitchcock: Vertigo

70%
Game Brain Score Based on 334 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • gameplay
Alfred Hitchcock: Vertigo Game Cover
Vertigo offers a thrilling and captivating playable story that touches on some very serious themes. Not for the feint hearted or weak in temperament.
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Can you trust your own mind? In Alfred Hitchcock: Vertigo, dive into a new kind of psychological thriller, and walk on a thin line between reality and fantasy.Live a powerful narrative experience paying tribute to the visual and storytelling techniques of the thriller genre. Investigate through the vision of three characters: everyone has a different story to tell. Explore several timelines to cro…

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

70%
Audience ScoreBased on 334 reviews
story179 positive mentions
gameplay12 negative mentions
  • The story is captivating and filled with unexpected twists, making it a thrilling experience for players who enjoy narrative-driven games.
  • The game features well-developed characters and a strong psychological theme, providing depth and engagement throughout the gameplay.
  • The atmospheric visuals and music effectively capture the essence of Hitchcock's style, enhancing the overall immersive experience.
  • The gameplay is primarily linear with minimal interactivity, often feeling more like an interactive movie than a traditional game.
  • Technical issues such as poor character animations, lip-sync problems, and frequent loading screens detract from the overall experience.
  • The pacing can be slow, with some scenes dragging on and a lack of meaningful choices that impact the story's outcome.
  • story443 mentions

    The story of "Alfred Hitchcock - Vertigo" is described as a captivating and intricate narrative that draws inspiration from Hitchcock's themes, featuring numerous plot twists and well-developed characters. While many players appreciate the engaging storytelling and atmospheric presentation, some criticize the lack of meaningful player choices and the game's pacing, which can feel slow and drawn out. Overall, the narrative is seen as the game's strongest aspect, despite technical issues and a linear structure that limits interactivity.

    • “However, what finally won me over was, the story is absolutely fantastic with lots of puzzle pieces.”
    • “The story is brilliant, well worth playing.”
    • “The plot is very well thought out, and there are several ingenious twists that kind of blew my mind.”
    • “I know what this genre has to offer and Vertigo gives nothing - no emotions, no good story, no good views, no connections to Hitchcock.”
    • “Be warned that there are massive plot holes in the story of this game that make no sense.”
    • “Due to the chapters, the choices you make in the game don't matter too much and you're not going to affect the overall outcome or find any new story paths of any real significance.”
  • graphics83 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the unique art style and atmospheric visuals that effectively capture the setting, while others criticize the character models and animations as wonky and janky. Many players noted issues with loading times and graphical glitches, particularly in the latter half of the game, which detracted from the overall experience. Overall, while the graphics are considered decent for the price, they are not without significant flaws.

    • “The graphics are quite unique, not because they are realistic, but because they are a very good transition between animation and realism.”
    • “Atmospheric visuals: the game's graphics effectively capture the iconic San Francisco setting and the film's distinct visual style.”
    • “But wow.... what a story, what beautiful graphics and how incredibly good the voice acting is!”
    • “Full of annoying and pointless QTEs, very little gameplay, very little exploration, mediocre cutscenes, quite ugly graphics.”
    • “The graphics - the way characters were made are wonky, very wonky, and some of the way the characters were made is pretty bad.”
    • “The plot, dialogue, and music are all excellent, but the poor graphics and long load times between regular and multiple chapters reduce the quality of the overall game.”
  • gameplay83 mentions

    The gameplay is largely criticized for being minimal and lacking depth, often resembling an interactive movie with basic quick-time events and limited exploration. Many players found the mechanics tedious and unengaging, with a heavy reliance on cutscenes and mundane tasks that detracted from the overall experience. While the story is praised for its immersion, those seeking substantial gameplay will likely be disappointed.

    • “Gameplay features a mix of exploration, puzzle-solving, and decision-making, providing a challenge for players while ensuring they remain immersed in the game world.”
    • “You choose a weapon at one point, and this very tactile mechanic makes that action so much more immersive.”
    • “Starts off pretty slowly but it helps build the atmosphere; gameplay is like Quantic Dream games but with nearly no QTE, which is a good thing.”
    • “All of the gameplay is boring and not adding value to the game.”
    • “If you're looking for gameplay, you won’t find it here, just basic interaction.”
    • “And because it is so heavy on the story, there is almost zero gameplay, so they make the players do mundane things like pouring water into a glass, opening doors, etc. The final chapters are kind of dragging, and I personally find the twist could've been better.”
  • music61 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its nostalgic quality reminiscent of 1940-1950s film scores and its ability to build atmosphere and suspense. However, some players find the soundtrack occasionally unsuitable for certain scenes, leading to a disconnection from the mood, and note issues with volume levels and repetitiveness during loading screens. Overall, while the music is often described as beautiful and integral to the experience, its execution can be inconsistent.

    • “The music is phenomenal and very reminiscent of 1940-1950s movie scores.”
    • “The mystery is great and sucks you in - the music quality and the pacing of the scenes keeps you going, even when the voice acting and art is a bit hit and miss.”
    • “This game additionally has a phenomenal soundtrack.”
    • “It's a visual novel that can take up to 12 hours to complete, some of that time will be spent waiting for the loading screen between scenes, during which you will have to listen to the eventually monotonous theme music.”
    • “The music is also lacking, sometimes not suitable for the scene and kind of ruins the mood.”
    • “The music is also really loud, over the top, and obnoxious.”
  • atmosphere22 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its captivating visuals, immersive sound design, and effective recreation of iconic settings, particularly San Francisco. While the slow pacing and frequent loading times can detract from the experience, the overall ambiance, combined with a gripping story and strong music, creates a compelling atmosphere that resonates with players. Despite some minor technical issues, the atmosphere remains a standout feature, earning enthusiastic acclaim.

    • “Lots of atmosphere, good music, twists and turns, I recommend it.”
    • “Atmospheric visuals: the game's graphics effectively capture the iconic San Francisco setting and the film's distinct visual style.”
    • “While the game has its shortcomings, the captivating story, atmospheric visuals, and immersive sound design make it well worth the experience.”
    • “Pacing: the game's pacing can be slow at times, with a focus on exploration and atmosphere-building rather than action.”
    • “First, the game, while it runs pretty well performance-wise, at least on a medium to high machine, has to 'load' every scene every 5 minutes or so. These are short load times, mind you, about 10 seconds, but they happen all the time, especially midway through important moments of a scene. As a result, it wrecks the atmosphere achieved through the presentation. It really does, even for a slow thriller like Hitchcock movies usually are; it just ruins it.”
    • “I know Pendulo from their earlier games (John Yesterday but also The Runaway), so I know the creepy atmosphere they know how to create.”
  • optimization19 mentions

    The game's optimization has received significant criticism, particularly in the second half, where performance issues such as stuttering and frequent loading screens disrupt the experience. While it runs adequately on medium to high-end machines, the constant loading every few minutes detracts from the atmosphere, leading many players to describe the optimization as poor and even "horrendous." Overall, the game's technical performance fails to meet expectations, impacting both immersion and enjoyment.

    • “The script and performances feel wonderfully natural at some points, and like a first draft at other points.”
    • “I expected what I saw in the trailer: decent performance and a good story.”
    • “First, the game runs pretty well performance-wise, at least with a medium to high machine.”
    • “Even on medium settings, the game was stuttering now and then!”
    • “I've never played a title so badly optimized in my life.”
    • “The game, while it runs pretty well performance-wise on a medium to high machine, has to 'load' every scene every 5 minutes or so. These are short load times, mind you, like 10 seconds or so, but they happen all the time, especially midway through important moments of a scene. As a result, it wrecks the atmosphere achieved through the presentation.”
  • stability11 mentions

    The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent glitches, frame rate drops, and audio-visual desynchronization, which can detract from the overall experience. While some players found that the engaging storyline helped mitigate these problems, others reported severe bugs, including corrupted saves and inconsistent quick-time events, leading to frustration and low ratings. Overall, the game's stability is a major concern, impacting enjoyment for many users.

    • “The QTE would constantly get buggy and jump between using arrows or dragging with the mouse, with no indication why or when.”
    • “I received a buggy mess with a mediocre storyline that could have been condensed in 2 hours but took 20 hours to finish at 15 fps.”
    • “I really enjoyed that game as well, but man, that game was a buggy mess. I ended up giving that game a 0.5 out of 5 because my close to end game save became corrupted when the game crashed multiple times randomly (on a PS4).”
  • humor10 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as a mix of amusing facial animations and unexpected plot twists, with moments of black humor reminiscent of Hitchcock films. While some players find the comedic elements entertaining, others feel that the overall experience can be frustrating and detracts from immersion. Ultimately, the humor serves as a lighthearted aspect of the narrative rather than a deep exploration of themes.

    • “The end result is that the plot points themselves are enough to keep you playing, but the general experience of progressing through that story is frustrating at best and hilariously bad at worst.”
    • “As in Hitchcock movies, there are few moments of black humor; overall it’s a work of entertainment not aimed at expression of deep committed contents.”
    • “That ending was hilariously unexpected.”
  • emotional8 mentions

    The game is praised for its well-developed characters, particularly the protagonist Ed Miller and the standout character Pet, whose unexpected romance adds a wholesome touch. Players appreciate the emotional depth and engaging storytelling, with many noting that the narrative delivers impactful moments and emotional "gut punches" that resonate deeply, especially as the story unfolds.

    • “Well-rounded characters: the game's characters, including new protagonist Ed Miller, are well-developed and interesting, with emotional depth that keeps players engaged in their stories.”
    • “Although it has a slow first few hours, by the end of the game I was in love with the smart and emotional story it had to tell.”
    • “There are emotional moments and gut punches.”
  • grinding6 mentions

    Players have criticized the grinding aspects of the game for being tedious and unengaging, with specific tasks like organizing groceries in flashbacks feeling unnecessary and frustrating. Additionally, the hypnosis segments are noted as particularly dull, contributing to an overall sense of monotony in gameplay.

    • “I had to stop playing when I was tediously putting up groceries in a flashback for no discernible reason!”
    • “The hypnosis parts of the game are tedious and boring.”
    • “Some tasks were a little tedious.”
  • character development4 mentions

    Character development is highlighted through detailed environments and character designs that enrich the gaming experience; however, some players find certain character designs to be distracting and lacking in quality.

    • “At times I found the terrible character design distracting.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    The game has limited replayability due to its linear story structure and the inability to skip dialogues, though players can reload progress to explore different dialogue options at specific points.

  • monetization2 mentions

    The game features a monetization model that is largely unobtrusive, as it had minimal advertising and players often approach it without prior expectations. This lack of promotion may contribute to a more organic experience, allowing users to engage with the game without feeling pressured by monetization tactics.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

70% average critic score

Buy Alfred Hitchcock: Vertigo

Play time

14hMedian play time
11hAverage play time
5-17hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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