In this age of multi-million selling franchises that spawn at least one new title per year, original IPs have to work harder than ever to stand out on shelves.
But judging by the pre-release hype, Cursed Mountain – the new survival horror title from Koch Media’s Deep Silver label – should have little trouble getting noticed.
“Cursed Mountain is Deep Silver’s first Wii-exclusive title, and has been designed and developed for the Wii from the beginning,” says Koch’s sales and marketing director Paul Nicholls.
“We are expecting the game to become the must-have new IP for the platform this year by appealing to both hardcore and casual Wii users who want to play something that is very different from other games that are available for their console.”
The game blends the action and survival horror genres together, spinning the tale of a mountaineer searching the Himalayas for his missing brother. As they explore, they discover the villagers and other mountaineers they encounter are the souls of the dead, unable to move into the next stage of Nirvana. It’s a rich narrative, of which Deep Silver is extremely proud.
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“Players that pick up Cursed Mountain will have a unique game experience,” says Nicholls. “They will be playing through an intense story featuring aspects of Buddhist beliefs and mythology, all of which are true to life, and a Westerner trying to accept the strange things that happen all around him.
“The game also explores the greed of some of the people he meets along the way, his desperation to find his missing brother and the trials he endures to survive in a harsh environment.”
The Austrian developer of Cursed Mountain Sproing has worked hard to squeeze everything it can from the
Wii’s hardware.
“Deep Silver has made exceptional use of the Wii’s features by utilising the Remote to defeat enemies in a way never seen before, by imitating Tibetan monks’ prayer gestures, as well as providing guidance from your allies through the Remote’s speaker.
“Visually, the game is stunning with exceptional attention to detail and fully-rendered environments. You can see your whole route through the game including all of the villages, farms and monasteries you visit from almost anywhere on the mountain – weather allowing, of course.”
Koch has high hopes for Cursed Mountain. The game has been in development for several years, and under the watchful eyes of hardcore Nintendo gamers for just as long. The firm is confident it will enjoy a strong
sales performance.
“Retailers can expect a high demand for this title which will be generated by a thorough PR and marketing campaign,” adds Nicholls. “Feedback on gaming forums shows that hardcore gamers are excited by the prospect, while the more casual Wii owners will learn about the game through all of the magazines and websites that they read, and for them it will be like playing through a well written, classic horror movie.
“The competitive landscape for Cursed Mountain is small, both in terms of products that have come before, and those planned for release on Wii. As such, we’ll be marketing this heavily, with TV the main focus. Viral ads will lead the way for pre-awareness with strong support from online and print media. The creative we are using is very original and eye-catching.”
