Cursed Mountain
Score: 85% ESRB: Mature Publisher: Deep Silver Developer: Deep Silver Vienna Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 Genre: Survival Horror
Graphics & Sound: Genres change and evolve every bit as much in games as they do in films and books. However, I'm confident that no gaming genre has gone through more rapid and radical re-inventions than survival horror. It's gone from the archaic tank-like controls of the early Resident Evil games and the isometric view point of the original Silent Hill to the over-the-shoulder shooting action of Resident Evil 4 and Dead Space. If you're a survival horror fan who yearns for a mix of elements from the old and new school, consider Cursed Mountain an answer to your prayers. Being a Wii game, Cursed Mountain isn't the sharpest-looking game you'll find on the market. However, the game looks good, and it does a whole lot with what it's given. The camera is dynamic and often quite cinematic. Usually, it's centered behind the back, but it will shift if there's a particularly impressive view to behold. Even better, when you make your way into an area corrupted with restless spirits, the screen will gradually tilt and desaturate of all color. The only downside to Cursed Mountain's visuals is that it tends to get way too dark. However, that's kind of a blessing in disguise, and I'll explain why in a bit. Cursed Mountain sounds really good. The voice acting is great, right down to the Scottish accents. There's a lot of aural creepiness all over Mt. Chomolonzo, and it helps to suck you into the experience. This game also features what is quite possibly the best use of the Wii-mote's speaker; you'll hear ghostly whispers and radio chatter that's peppered with static. Since the Wii-mote's speaker is of extremely low quality, it sounds very appropriate in this context.
Gameplay: A culturally-insensitive Scottish mountaineer named Frank Simmons has gone missing on an expedition to the top of the sacred Himalayan mountain Chomolonzo. It's not that simple, however. Frank was contracted to find and extract a precious artifact from the summit. As his far-less ethnocentric brother Eric, it's your job to scale the mountain and find him, armed with nothing but an open mind and a special ice axe. From the beginning, it's clear that the elements are not your only enemies. Frank's disdain for the local religion seems to have brought down the wrath of Palden Lhamo, the iconic goddess and protectress of Tibet. Yes, that's right. The locals are not part of some zany cult hellbent on allowing a parasitic infection to move mankind up the evolutionary chain. Rather, they belong to a full-blown religion that exists to this date: Tibetan Buddhism. Cursed Mountain is a survival horror game that places much more emphasis on exploration and adventure than combat. That's not to say there's almost no combat to be found, rather, the combat definitely takes a back seat to the thrill of making your way up the mountain. You'll explore ghost towns, many of which are in the aftermath of a catastrophe that seems to have either driven everyone off or killed them all. Getting to the bottom of this mystery is very satisfying, and much of your progress in that regard is made by finding bits of writing such as diaries and sacred texts. If you don't like this kind of stuff in a survival horror game, chances are you won't enjoy Cursed Mountain as a whole. If you do, you'll likely love it.
Difficulty: Cursed Mountain begins easily enough, and eventually you'll wonder why you haven't used a single incense stick. However, once you reach the game's first boss encounter, you'll start using a lot of them. Unfortunately, much of the challenge exists for the wrong reason. The controls are simply not reliable. For starters, you might have trouble with the targeting reticle when you're trying to weaken spirits. Even if you've got the shooting down pat, you will definitely struggle with some of the motion controls. Diagonal slashes with the Wii-mote and Nunchuk work just fine, but forward flicks don't. MotionPlus support probably would have fixed this problem, but alas, there is none. The exploration holds some challenge, but you probably won't get stuck very often (something that happens to me nearly every time I play a traditional survival horror game). Since the game is almost oppressively dark as far as visuals go, the visible light sources make it easier to find out where you're supposed to go. Items you need in order to proceed are marked with pillars of light and when all else fails, the Third Eye will reveal seals that must be broken.
Game Mechanics: Knowledge is power in Cursed Mountain, and the Buddhist theme lends itself well to the gameplay. Eric's proclivity for all things anthropological earns him some really useful weapons and tools. One of these is the Third Eye. Not only does it reveal things that are invisible to the naked eye, but it allows him to engage restless spirits in combat (well, technically, it's part of a soul-releasing ritual). Holding down the (C) button will "open" Eric's Third Eye. If he's in combat, you will have to aim the Wii-mote at the screen and fire a few bolts of light from your ice axe at the spirit to wear it down. When a fiery icon appears in your enemy's chest, you can perform a ritual by pressing (A) and following the on-screen prompts, all of which involve motion controls. These seals can also be found in the environment (usually on doors or barricades), and you'll have to break them in order to proceed. You can also simply swing the ice axe like a weapon, which can smash urns and reveal incense sticks or other goodies. If you dig traditional survival horror, you should consider Cursed Mountain a sleeper. It's immersive, unsettling, and somewhat educational, in spite of its glaring imperfections. The incorporation of Tibetan Buddhism into the narrative and gameplay mechanics is brilliant, and the production values only serve to sweeten the package. With a little bit of tweaking, Cursed Mountain could have emerged as one of the year's best games, but as it is, it's simply really good. If any of what I've just explained appeals to you, pack a bag and get climbing. Palden Lhamo is waiting.
-FenixDown, GameVortex Communications AKA Jon Carlos
Related Links: Official Website of Cursed Mountain Tibetan Buddhism at Wikipedia
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