with Mountain Smiling

"with Mountain Smiling" is an adventure game set in the Antarctic interior, created by veterans of the Japan Antarctic Research Expedition.

There's an anecdote about Ernest Shackleton, an explorer from the early 20th century, who reportedly advertised for crew members in a newspaper during an Antarctic expedition with lines like these:

　　　MEN WANTED for Hazardous Journey. 　　　Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, 　　　safe return doubtful. 　　　Honor and recognition in case of success.

In this game, set within a limited one-year timeframe, the story revolves around a trip from the Showa Station on East Ongul Island near the Antarctic continent to the Dome Fuji Station inland. The distance is roughly 1,000km. While this might seem like a manageable distance on paved roads, the speed of snowcat is at most 8km/h, and limited fuel, food supplies, rugged terrain, and adverse weather conditions obstruct progress.

Even if the inland trip fails, there's no need to despair. One can easily return from the snowcat to the station using the Return-to-Base (RtB) Pod. By failing or gaining experience, new stories can be acquired, which can then be utilized during subsequent trips.

Gather stories through repeated failures and reach the lost Dome Fuji Station. Now, it's time for the departure of new expedition members. No lose, No win.