Wii Gamers Cursed Mountain Video Game Review
Cursed Mountain (4 out of 5)
In my preview of Cursed Mountain much was made of Deep Silver’s desire to immerse the player in a world of cold fear that draws you into its cold embrace. Deep Silver succeeded in introducing a level of fear into the experience using the eerie sound of icy winds, the creepy groans of spirits, and the scratchy and wavering voice of your own character. Plus immersive horror settings upon the frozen slopes of mount Chomolonzo within the dangerous ranges of the Himalayan mountains. The physical effect of the cold environment on your character is displayed visually by your breath immediately being chilled by the air upon exhalation as you desperately search the shadows for leftover oxygen canisters to keep you alive. You battle hostile spirits as you fight to draw air through your burning lungs. Cursed Mountain is a definite candidate as one of the 5 best Wii video games for hardcore horror fanatics.
Are the Controls of Cursed Mountain Useful and Satisfying? (3 out of 5)
The controls of Cursed Mountain are useful and entertaining to use, when they work properly. Even when the controls work the way they’re suppose to, they occasionally don’t respond or are slow to respond to your motions. Cursed Mountain would have really benefited from a useful implementation of the Wii MotionPlus accessory to improve the responsiveness of the controls and help prevent any Wii remote accidents and disasters.
Using your Wii remote as a walkie talkie works the best of all the motions and they provide you with a friendly voice to guide you. The part of the game play where you have to tilt the Wii remote forward while keeping it parallel to the ground to avoid falling just doesn’t work properly. It can be accomplished but it’s a hit and miss affair that’s more chance than skill. This forward motion is used all the time during the game play, so this problem significantly affects the game play. You swing the Wii remote to swing your equipped weapon. This control system works and it’s easy to use and simple to learn. You start with a basic pick axe, but you find relics as you progress that do greater damage and add different attacks. The slow turn rate and sluggish swing of your motions make for combat that is a little awkward at times.
Is the Game Play of Cursed Mountain Fun for All Ages? (4 out of 5)
Cursed Mountain is a Wii horror adventure video game that grabs your senses when you begin the journey up Chomolonzo. Interacting in the cold environments allows for a few game play elements linked to the physical problems of trying to survive in a cold environment. These game play elements are fun, entertaining and useful to the progression of the story of this Wi action adventure video game.
Cursed Mountain also includes a realistic and well designed recreation of fascinating and surprisingly engaging Buddhist rituals and even the Sherpa’s who live within the shadows of the Himalayan mountains. You investigate Buddhist temples and Sherpa villages in your quest to discover clues and learn of the events leading to your brother’s disappearance. You search in a linear path, using a measured walk or jog, and battle spirits when you’re searching. The search-based game play is slow and drags on during the moments when you’re checking doors to see which ones you can open.
How Does Cursed Mountain Look Visually? (3 out of 5)
Cursed Mountain’s graphical presentation combines with all the other elements to make climbing the slopes of Chomolonzo immersive and engrossing at times. There are a few jittery and awkward animations as Eric ascends the mountain, but his movements look real as he climbs. The visual effect of Eric using his third eye to peer into Bardo makes the screen turn hazy and the color wash away into nothing. This effect was overdone a bit and it’s unattractive to look at and it doesn’t induce the fear factor in the viewer that it was designed to create.
The Last Word on Cursed Mountain (3 out of 5)
Cursed Mountain does put a measure of fear into you as you progress up the slopes of Chomolonzo but this effect disappears after a few hours and is replaced with a sense of boredom. The fear factor just doesn’t have enough power to keep your senses involved in the game play for an extended period and the combat isn’t challenging enough to prolong the adventure for long. Casual Wii gamers of a mature age and hardcore horror adventure gamers will enjoy the first part of the journey but they’ll be glad when the end finally comes.
This post is part of the series: Cursed Mountain Guide
More articles about Cursed Mountain for Nintendo Wii.
