Video games based on popular film franchises are a dime a dozen. But what about a video game inspired by one of the most iconic films from a cinematic auteur?

It’s happening. French video game publisher Microids announced on Saturday that Pendulo Studios is developing “Alfred Hitchcock – Vertigo,” which is being billed as a psychological thriller video game. The game is slated to release by the end of the year on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, and PC.

Despite what its name implies, “Alfred Hitchcock – Vertigo” will not be a direct adaptation of the original film. The game will feature an original story about obsession, memory, manipulation, and madness and will include three playable characters. The game will also feature multiple timelines that the publisher says will be used to “separate reality from deceptive memories.”

Microids’ synopsis for the game 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.

“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,” Josué Monchan, narrative designer for Pendulo Studios, said in a statement. “’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.”

Hitchcock’s 1958 “Vertigo” film centered on John, a retired police detective who suffers from acrophobia and vertigo, who is hired to investigate an acquaintance’s wife. The film has endured as one of Hitchcock’s most beloved movies and is widely regarded as one of the all-time greatest films in the medium’s history.

As for Pendulo Studios, the developer previously worked on titles such as “Runaway,” “Yesterday Origins,” and “Blacksad: Under the Skin.”

Check out the teaser for “Vertigo” below:

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