is a

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

developed by

Konami , commonly known as Konami, , is a Japanese multinational entertainment company and video game developer and video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo. The company also produces and distributes trading card ...

in 1983 for the

MSX MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by ASCII Corporation on June 16, 1983. It was initially conceived by Microsoft as a product for the Eastern sector, and jointly marketed by Kazuhiko Nishi, the director at ASCII Corpo ...

, and later for

video game console A video game console is an electronic device that Input/output, outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can typically be played with a game controller. These may be home video game console, home consoles, which are generally ...

s, such as the

Family Computer The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on 15 July 1983 as the and was later released as the redesigned NES in several test markets in the U ...

and

ColecoVision ColecoVision is a second-generation home video-game console developed by Coleco and launched in North America in August 1982. It was released a year later in Europe by CBS Electronics as the CBS ColecoVision. The console offered a closer expe ...

. The player takes the role of an Antarctic

penguin Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...

, racing to various

research station Research stations are facilities where scientific investigation, Data collection, collection, analysis and experimentation occurs. A research station is a facility that is built for the purpose of conducting scientific research. There are also man ...

s owned by different countries in

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

(excluding the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

). The gameplay is similar to

Sega is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...

's ''

Turbo In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the ...

'', but plays at a much slower pace, and features

platform game A platformer (also called a platform game, and sometimes a jump 'n' run game) is a subgenre of action game in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are characterized by levels wi ...

elements. The penguin, later named Penta, must reach the next station before time runs out while avoiding

sea lion Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear flaps, long foreflippers, the ability to walk on all fours, short and thick hair, and a big chest and belly. Together with the fur seals, they make up the family Otariidae, eared seals. ...

s and breaks in the ice. Throughout the levels, fish jump out of ice holes and can be caught for bonus points. The game, like many early video games, has no ending – when the player reaches the last station, the game starts from the first level again, but with increased difficulty.

Legacy

''Antarctic Adventure'' was followed by a sequel for the

computer in 1986, entitled ''

Penguin Adventure is a racing platform game released by Konami in 1986, and a sequel to 1983's '' Antarctic Adventure''. The game marks the professional debut of game designer Hideo Kojima, who participated in the planning. The story follows Penta, a penguin w ...

''. In addition, the penguin character Penta, and his son Pentarou became a

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, university society, society, military unit, or brand, brand name. Mascots are als ...

for Konami through the 1980s. They have made appearances in over 10 games. Of particular note are his appearances in the ''Parodius'' series of

shoot 'em up Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs) are a Video game genre, subgenre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain typ ...

games. Penta, or his son Pentarou, had appeared in Medal Games like '' Tsurikko Penta'', ''Balloon Penta'' and ''Imo Hori Penta''. Following in 2002 (not released for mobile in 2001), three mobile games , were released on May 6, 2003, another titled , as part of ''Konami Taisen Colosseum'', and the fishing game as '' Penta no Tsuri Boken'', released for i-Revo. A screenshot from this game can briefly be seen in the introduction of '' Gradius ReBirth'', released in 2008 for the

Wii Virtual Console The Virtual Console was a line of downloadable retro video games for Nintendo's Wii and Wii U home video game consoles and the Nintendo 3DS family of handheld systems. The Virtual Console lineup consisted of titles originally released on past ...

and in 2014 for the

Wii U Virtual Console The Virtual Console was a line of downloadable retro video games for Nintendo's Wii and Wii U home video game consoles and the Nintendo 3DS family of handheld systems. The Virtual Console lineup consisted of titles originally released on past ...

. An MSX Version was re-released for the Windows Store as part of EGG Project in November 2014 in Japan. In 1990, Konami released only in Japan a

handheld electronic game Handheld electronic games are interactive electronic games, often miniaturized versions of video games, that are played on portable handheld devices, known as handheld game consoles, whose controls, display and speakers are all part of a singl ...

of ''Antarctic Adventure'', although it is usually listed as ''South Pole'' (a more literal translation of the Japanese title). In 2014, ''Antarctic Adventure'' was released on a special version of the

ColecoVision Flashback ColecoVision is a second-generation home video-game console developed by Coleco and launched in North America in August 1982. It was released a year later in Europe by CBS Electronics as the CBS ColecoVision. The console offered a closer expe ...

by AtGames, available only through

Dollar General Dollar General Corporation is an American chain of discount stores headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. As of January 8, 2024, Dollar General operated 19,643 stores in the contiguous United States and Mexico. The company began in 1939 in ...

stores. In other games, Pentarou appears as a fisherman.

Soundtrack

The music that plays in each level is " The Skaters' Waltz" by

Émile Waldteufel Charles Émile Waldteufel (; ; ; 9 December 1837 – 12 February 1915) was a French composer, pianist, and conductor known for his numerous popular salon pieces. Among his best known works is " Les Patineurs" (1882), known as "The Skater's W ...

References

External links

*
Review of the game
* {{Konami franchises 1983 video games ColecoVision games D4 Enterprise games Konami franchises Konami games MSX games Nintendo Entertainment System games Racing video games Video games set in Antarctica Video games about penguins Virtual Console games Virtual Console games for Wii U Windows games Handheld electronic games Multiplayer and single-player video games Video games developed in Japan

Legacy

Soundtrack

See also

References

External links