Alfred Hitchcock: Vertigo

77%
Game Brain Score Based on 163 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.
Starting at $1.90Buy now
Get on Steam

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

77%
Audience ScoreBased on 163 reviews
story88 positive mentions
gameplay6 negative mentions
  • The story is captivating and filled with unexpected twists, making it a compelling experience for players who enjoy narrative-driven games.
  • The game features atmospheric visuals and a phenomenal soundtrack that enhances the overall experience, reminiscent of classic Hitchcock films.
  • Character development is strong, with well-rounded personalities that keep players engaged throughout the game.
  • The gameplay is heavily reliant on quick-time events and lacks meaningful interactivity, making it feel more like a movie than a traditional game.
  • Technical issues such as poor lip-syncing, awkward animations, and long loading times detract from the immersion and overall enjoyment.
  • The pacing can be slow, especially in the early stages, which may lead to player frustration and a lack of engagement.
  • story217 mentions

    The game's story is a central highlight, described as an engaging and intricate narrative that draws inspiration from Hitchcock's works while presenting its own unique twists and characters. While many players appreciate the depth and suspense of the plot, some criticize its pacing, linearity, and lack of meaningful player choices, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite its flaws, the storytelling is often deemed captivating enough to warrant a recommendation for those who prioritize narrative over traditional gameplay mechanics.

    • “The story is absolutely fantastic with lots of puzzle pieces.”
    • “Engaging narrative: the game builds upon the essence of Hitchcock's Vertigo, presenting a new storyline that keeps players invested through its twists and turns.”
    • “The story is brilliant, well worth playing.”
    • “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.”
  • graphics41 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the unique art style and atmospheric visuals that capture the setting effectively, while others criticize the character design and animation quality as janky or wonky. Many users note issues with loading times and graphical glitches, particularly in the latter half of the game, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite these shortcomings, some players find the graphics satisfactory for the price, especially when paired with the engaging story and sound design.

    • “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.”
    • “Then I started getting graphics not loading or loading with the left side of people being separated by a huge distance from their right side and things like that.”
  • gameplay41 mentions

    The gameplay is largely criticized for being minimal and lacking depth, often resembling an interactive movie with basic mechanics such as quick time events and simple interactions. Many players noted that the focus on storytelling comes at the expense of engaging gameplay, with some describing it as tedious and slow-paced. While the narrative is praised, those seeking substantial gameplay or exploration may find it disappointing.

    • “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.”
    • “Gameplay is kind of like 'Life is Strange' (you get to control characters in a full 3D environment), while the plot is very heavy on thriller and mystery solving, think of 'Heavy Rain' but about 10 times more mystery thriller.”
    • “Full of annoying and pointless QTEs, very little gameplay, very little exploration, mediocre cutscenes, quite ugly graphics.”
    • “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.”
  • music30 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its quality and atmospheric fit, reminiscent of classic 1940-1950s film scores, while others find it occasionally overwhelming or mismatched to the scenes. Some players highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature that enhances the storytelling, despite criticisms regarding its volume and repetitiveness during loading screens. Overall, the music is generally regarded as a strong element, contributing significantly to the game's immersive experience.

    • “The music is phenomenal and very reminiscent of 1940-1950s movie scores.”
    • “The music is also first class, as are the graphics.”
    • “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.”
  • atmosphere11 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 disrupt the experience, the overall ambiance, combined with a gripping story and atmospheric music, creates a compelling environment that many players find worth the journey.

    • “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.”
    • “I know Pendulo from their earlier games (John Yesterday but also The Runaway), so I know the creepy atmosphere they know how to create.”
    • “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, has to 'load' every scene every 5 minutes or so... these are short load times, mind you, like 10 seconds or so... but they are happening all the time, especially midway through an important moment of a scene, which wrecks the atmosphere achieved through the presentation.”
  • optimization9 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players noting significant performance issues, particularly in the latter half, where stuttering and frequent loading times disrupt the experience. While it runs adequately on medium to high-end machines, the constant loading every few minutes detracts from the immersion, leading to frustration among users. Overall, many consider the optimization to be subpar, with some labeling it as one of the worst they've encountered.

    • “The script and performances feel wonderfully natural at some points, and like a first draft at other points.”
    • “First, the game, while it runs pretty well performance-wise, at least with a medium to high machine, it has to 'load' every scene every 5 minutes or so. These are short load times, mind you, like 10 seconds or so, but they are happening all the time, especially midway through an important moment of a scene. As a result, it wrecks the atmosphere achieved through the presentation.”
    • “I expected what I saw in the trailer: decent performance and a good story.”
    • “Same general times of day, same buildings, etc. It was just like the second half of the game was nowhere near as optimized as the first half.”
    • “Even on medium settings, the game was stuttering now and then!”
    • “I've never played a title so badly optimized in my life.”
  • humor5 mentions

    The humor in the game is a mixed bag, featuring occasional funny facial animations and moments of black humor that provide entertainment, though it often detracts from immersion. While some plot points are amusingly unexpected, the overall experience can be frustrating and hilariously bad at times.

    • “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 content.”
    • “That ending was hilariously unexpected.”
  • stability5 mentions

    The game's stability is frequently criticized, with users reporting various glitches such as frame rate drops, unsynchronized audio, and buggy quick-time events. While some players found these issues tolerable amidst the engaging storyline, others experienced severe problems, including corrupted saves and frequent crashes, leading to significant frustration and low ratings. Overall, stability appears to be a major concern that detracts from the overall experience.

    • “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 into 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).”
  • emotional4 mentions

    The game features 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 impactful moments that resonate deeply, especially as the narrative unfolds beyond its slow start.

    • “Pet was easily the best character, and the romance option was unexpected but wholesome. Bonus points for that.”
    • “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.”
  • grinding3 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspects of the game to be tedious and often frustrating, with some tasks feeling unnecessarily repetitive and lacking clear purpose. The voice acting and controls also contribute to a sense of amateurism, further detracting from the overall experience.

    • “Some of the voice acting and editing felt amateur initially, some of the controls were clunky, and some tasks were a little tedious.”
    • “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.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Character development is enhanced by detailed environments and character designs, which contribute positively to the gaming experience; however, some users find certain character designs to be distracting and less effective.

    • “The detailed environments and character designs enhance the overall gaming experience.”
    • “The character development is incredibly rich, allowing players to form deep connections with each character.”
    • “I love how the characters evolve throughout the story, making their journeys feel personal and impactful.”
    • “At times, I found the terrible character design distracting.”
  • replayability1 mentions

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

  • monetization1 mentions

    The game's monetization strategy is largely unobtrusive, as it lacks significant advertising and players often approach it without preconceived notions or expectations.

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 2 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

Similar Games

Game News