Right up there in the Mountains

This interestingly titled mission was published in 2005 with a few updated versions made after the initial released. This seems to be the only mission made by Troutpack, but it is still very impressing. It looks like he is quite an enthusiastic DromEd editor and the scripted event and effects here show just that.

As usual, I don't like to give away too much of the mission via screenshots, but be assured - the horror waits within.

The story goes like this: Garrett is offered a job to steal “The Book of the Dead” from the cabin of an old professor in the mountains. It sounds like a simple job, or so it seems. Let’s get something straight here – this is not a map for the light hearted and those who don’t enjoy Undead Missions. But those who are fans of that FM segment know that there are two general types of Undead Missions. One is the mass slaughter dead fest, with legions of undead like Inverted Manse or Deceptive Perception. The other is the tension raiser, with less but well placed undead and magnificent horror atmosphere. Right up there in the Mountains classifies in the second group and is a fine example of it.

Mission starts like many horror movies do. A short stroll in the silent forest with leaves falling from the frightful trees is creepy, but not enough to disturb anyone. How about some unspeakably horrific dying screams from the distance!? Now that would multiply the shivers fast! The map is rather tiny, with few areas around the cabin. This contributes to a short but decently scary mission – perfect if you want your daily dosage of FEAR, but don’t have much time. The main action is in the cabin and the shed at the back. Once you get in the Hellraiser experience begins.

The dreadful cozines of the cabin, can only be matched by its cruel brutality.

Visually the mission is quite descent, if not beautiful in parts. The custom objects are magnificent, but still give first place away to the scripted events and unique effects. When you begin the mission definitely check the health bar. Ambient and scripted sounds, plus the superb voice acting of New Horizon, give the map’s atmosphere. Some of Garrett’s OM voice lines are interestingly and amusingly used as well. The general gameplay is simple – overcome your fears and open that door. Still, all the loot can be tricky to find, which quite an accomplishment is, given the small size of the map. Surprise is the main play component which stays right up to the last second of the mission. Downsides feature some slow FPS reported by some users and minor bugs.

Right up there in the Mountains is a peculiar title for a mission, but it offers more fright for the buck than other undead missions out there. And it is short, and has an unexpected ending, so one can enjoy a different experience without much time consumed.