‘Alfred Hitchcock – Vertigo’ takes influence from the master of suspense films

A new game seeks to emulate the renowned filmmaker's work

Microids has released the first teaser for Alfred Hitchcock – Vertigo, a new narrative game with an original story inspired by the 1958 film.

Developed by Spanish adventure game studio Pendulo, Alfred Hitchcock – Vertigo will unfold its story through the eyes of 3 separate characters. It will release on Steam, PlayStation 4 /5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, and Nintendo Switch.

The synopsis reads “Writer Ed Miller came out unscathed from his car crash down into Brody Canyon, California. Even though no one was found inside the car wreckage, Ed insists that he was traveling with his wife and daughter. Traumatized by this event, he begins to suffer from severe vertigo. As he starts therapy, he will try to uncover what really happened on that tragic day.”

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Narrative designer Josué Monchan shared the influences behind this game. “Of course, Alfred Hitchcock’s movie was a major inspiration source, whether it’s about the game’s themes, its narration, or even the visual techniques we used that clearly mirror Hitchcock’s recurrent cinematographic techniques”

“Vertigo is not our only frame of reference. For instance, the fact that therapy is at the core of the narrative echoes Spellbound, and some characters resemble protagonists from Rebecca, Psycho, and many more”.

Pendulo Studios have been producing adventure games since 1994. Their previous games include Runaway: A Road Adventure, Yesterday, and Blacksad: Under the Skin.

Originally released in 1958, Vertigo was based on the French novel D’entre Les Morts (From Among the Dead) and starred James Stewart as former detective John “Scottie” Ferguson.

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Forced into retirement after developing vertigo during service in the line of duty, Scottie is hired as a private investigator to follow a client’s wife.

Though initial reviews were mixed, Vertigo beat Citizen Kane in the 2012 Sight & Sound critics’ poll to be known as the greatest film ever made.

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