It was uncomfortable in certain instances to act it out in real time as I previously mentioned it’s a retracing of steps you’ve already seen before – but like the movie – the obsessive tendency is to repeat it, over and over. The obsessive acts turn violent, sexual and the all-consuming nature was palpable during my 12-hour playthrough. Characters are superbly acted, working with a great script that walks a fine line of realism without being too cheesy. Obsession is a toxic trait and like the film, the game explores the theme just as competently. The overall ambition of what Pendulo Studios was going for is one not to look past as it tackles tough subjects and does so admirably – all the while serving up a mystery worthy of the Hitchcock name attached to it. With all that being said, the story and the way in which it’s told is something to praise. But by the end you kind of get the picture that bad person is bad, why do even worse things that don’t necessarily feed into the current plotlines? It even throws some curveballs to catch you off guard. At first it brought a scope to the narrative I wasn’t expecting. It extends further than the Scott Shelby plot line in Heavy Rain in Alfred Hitchcock Vertigo you’re aware of the persons motives and the problem solving to continue puts you firmly in their mental position. Scenes that you play as the antagonist are tough to retrace narratively, as they put you in the shoes of doing bad to heinous things. When the cards are all supposedly on the table in the final quarter, there’s less intrigue. The choices you make alter a couple of character details, making it feel more personable. There are multiple choices you can make in the game as well as different dialogue options, but the main narrative stays the same. With all the stakes set up and all the turns that twist, it’s hard to pull off something that a majority could be happy with and I think it sticks the landing. By the end of the story, I think it comes off as a satisfying narrative. The playthrough presents the events in non-chronological order, heightening the tension and the questions that were left rattling in my brain. Unravelling the mystery, finding red herrings, plot twist after plot twist, all comes at an impeccable pace through most of the game. At the same time, Sheriff Nick Reyes is on a missing persons case for a neighbour of Ed Miller and quickly finds them dead. Now bed bound by his unexplainable new diagnosis of Vertigo, and convinced his child and the mother (though there’s no record of their existence) went along with his car – it is up to Dr Julia Lomas to delve into his troubled past to solve the mystery. He suddenly experiences Vertigo whilst atop the bridge, and before he can jump he’s saved by a passer-by. Chasing after him, Ed is too late and without hesitance attempts to follow the same fate. Miller awakes in the middle of the road, with his car at the bottom of a cliff he spots a man he seemingly thinks is his father about to jump off a bridge nearby. The story takes place through multiple timelines, following a slew of characters. The quality of the story isn’t diminished by said themes, I think Pendulo Studios haven’t taken it lightly when developing the narrative to include them. It’s heavy going, and although it’s not egregious, it came as a surprise during my playthrough. Whilst themes of this nature are seen in a lot of media – the drawn-out actions in certain instances and even problem solving with the exploitative nature of these themes is one to bring up. I would like to quickly warn anyone reading that there may be some trigger warnings ahead themes of suicide, mental health, violence and sexual deviance are contextually exploited in the game. This game has room for that similar obsession if you can look past some of its flaws. Whether it’s a moment of manufactured genius or a coincidence, Vertigo became an obsession. Mentioned as a favourite of one of his films, Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo was panned by critics and notably disliked by Orson Welles. Pendulo Studios are known for their narrative driven games, so it must have been a huge undertaking to make a game worthy of the Hitchcock brand – and like Hitchcock – the Vertigo game may be polarising.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |