Cursed Mountain is the first true survival horror game for the Nintendo Wii. Unlike other horror games, Cursed Mountain doesn’t rely on blood and guts to shock you. It has atmosphere and storytelling to that instead.

You begin with the news that your brother Frank has gone searching the mountain for an item called Terma, a Buddhist artefact. Your mission is to find him, and on the way navigate the story filled with Eastern philosophy and Buddhism. It’s original stuff for a game, make no mistake.

The exclusive release on the Wii has done wonders for the graphics in Cursed Mountain. Rather than having toned down the gore because of the platform’s capabilities, the developers have simply opted to spend the time making the best adventure they can and it shows.

Likewise the controls have been planned from the start for the Wii. It’s not a bad port where some gimmick has been thrown at the control system to make it seem Wii-friendly. Instead, the game makes use of the motion control in all aspects of the gameplay, from combat to simple walking.

You can take different routes to the top, but as you get closer, you’ll find the game adds new difficulties for you to overcome. As you climb the Cursed Mountain, the air thins and you’ll find it harder to breathe, forcing you to run from one bottle of oxygen to the next.

It’s this mixture of new gameplay and puzzles with great graphics – unseen before on the Wii – and a proper, involved control system, that makes Cursed Mountain a game worth investigating. It’s not one for the kids, but a great game for those in search of something a little less childish to play on their Wii.

Cursed Mountain is out 4th September 2009 and is only available for the Wii.

David Taylor is the Publishing Director for the online games magazine portal, GamerZines.com. There’s more about Cursed Mountain in the exclusive Cursed Mountain magazine, and in their free Nintendo Wii magazine, PlayZine, which is published every month and offered for free download.