Preview: Cursed Mountain
Written by Podunker:rrquinta
Deep Silver brings chilling fear to the Wii this August. As a Wii owner, I’ve previously compared myself to the lonely kid on the playground, always being passed over for the dodgeball team, since it seemed as if quality games (aside from first-party titles) were few and far between on Nintendo’s system.
However, it looks like the tide is turning. For one thing, the Wii is receiving not one, not two, but three original Survival Horror titles this season: Cursed Mountain, Ju-On: The Grudge, and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. Add those to the numerous Resident Evil remakes and sequels, and Wii-owning fans of the genre have something to finally be excited about.
Cursed Mountain places you in a unique setting: you play as Eric Simmons, an experience explorer and mountain climber, who travels to the Himalayas in search of his missing brother, Frank. However, he quickly finds the area to be deeply plagued by a curse that leaves all spirits trapped in the Shadow World – he must battle his way through these hostile spirits as he journeys up the mountain, his path becoming more perilous as he ascends to the peak.
Two things make this title particularly exciting: it was created specifically for Wii, and you can partake of the “view” during the entire game. In other words, the entire game world is visible from every level. You can look back down the mountain to see from where you came, but you can also peer ahead and the danger looming before you, higher up the peak.
One of the reasons Deep Silver chose to create Cursed Mountain as a Wii-exclusive was the capability to integrate the motion controls. Unfortunately, this last statement is often synonymous with “gimmick,” but in this case, gestures serve a specific purpose.
Early in the game, Eric earns the ability to see into Bardo, the limbo in which these cursed spirits linger. He also learns special gesture-based Buddhist prayers that become essential to his survival in combat: following the on-screen prompts, your gestures create a prayer that can give that final blow necessary to dispel the angry spirit.
Other motion control involves pushing or pulling away from a ghost who may have grabbed you, something the designers felt was more realistic (and thus, more engrossing) that simply pressing a button to escape.
Also, fans of the genre disappointed by the lack of combat in the new Wii Silent Hill can rejoice in the fact that it is very present in Cursed Mountain. Among his many tools (including the prayers mentioned previously), Eric has an enchanted axe that enables him to shoot magical energy at his foes. Pretty cool.
Quote:
“You think of Buddhism as a religion of peace. Did you never wonder why all our monks learn to fight?”
Cursed Mountain is certainly looking to be one of the most frightening game experiences to be published lately, and its unique setting and story will certainly draw horror fans. Look for this exciting new title August 25, 2009 for .99.
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