CURSED MOUNTAIN

Publisher: Deep Silver
Developer: Deep Silver
Genre(s): Adventure, Survival Horror
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)
Release Date: August 25, 2009
Official web site

Set in the late 1980s, Eric Simmons is attempting to climb Mount Chomolonzo in the Himalayas on a quest to find his lost brother. As he explores the mountain, he encounters an ancient curse: the souls of the people who died in that region are stuck in limbo, caught in the Shadow World. Villagers, pilgrims, mountaineers and Buddhist monks – dead but not yet reincarnated – are all that is left on the mountain. Strange visions will disorient him, and ghosts and other evil creatures block his path. But the question remains – is his brother still alive?

Designed exclusively for the Nintendo Wii, Cursed Mountain features some extremely rich visuals and breathtaking stationary camera views creating a highly immersive world environment. Using the Wii motion sensitivity, you will need your Wii remote and nunchuck to make it through the various puzzles and gesture-based combats.

One of the coolest aspects of the game is that the character of Eric has the ability to look through a Third Eye and enter a higher consciousness. In this state you'll be able to fire energy beams to destroy enemies through a series of gestures to be followed. The atmospheric music score and background sounds will easily immerse you into this foreign world. Another cool aspect is that sometimes when things are about to get troublesome for you, the game turns into bleak black and white.

Lots of research has been done by the team of Deep Silver on Buddhist rituals. A rather realistic portrayal of the bleakness of what is probably life on the slopes of the Himalayas has been recreated for the game. Unlike most, I believe that the slow and quieter moments of the game is what makes it work so nicely. This is not a fast shoot 'em up actioner but an extremely dark and disturbing atmospheric game which makes it one of the best and innovative psychological survival horror game on the platform.