Mountain Shadow FAQ: questions and answers
Here are quick answers to the questions players and grown-ups ask most about Mountain Shadow. Each answer links to the page with all the details.
What kind of game is Mountain Shadow?
It is a calm settler game set in 1856. Your family walks into the mountains, builds a farm under Marsfjället and gets ready for the long, dark winter. You choose the jobs, then watch everyone work. It is a planning game, not a race. See the guide's front page.
Is Mountain Shadow free?
You can try the start for free, right in your browser. The full game is part of the Contenta Games membership, which opens every game on the portal; see what a membership gives you. Your farm is saved, so you can carry on after you join.
Are there ads in the game?
No. There are no ads and nothing to buy inside the game.
Do I need to download or install anything?
No. The game runs in your web browser on a computer, a phone or a tablet.
Does it work on an iPad, an Android tablet or a phone?
Yes. Every action has a big button you can tap. Hold the phone or tablet sideways while you play; if you hold it upright, a card asks you to turn it and the game waits. See the controls page.
Can I play with a controller?
Yes. LB and RB pick a person, the D-pad and A pick a job, and A starts the season. All buttons are on the controls page.
How do I save my game?
The game saves by itself, in the browser on the device you play on: when you press Go!, at every report, when you pause and when you close the page. Next time, pick your save slot and press Continue.
Can my brother or sister have their own family?
Yes. There are three save slots, and each one is its own family in its own valley. You can go back to the slots from the pause menu with Save slots.
How long is Mountain Shadow?
The game has eight chapters over six years. At normal speed, a warm season takes one minute and a cold one half a minute, so one year is about six and a half minutes of work, plus planning and stories. See the Story Book.
Can someone in my family die?
No. Nobody in the game dies or gets hurt. If food or wood runs short, people get tired, and the worst is a season in bed. Help always comes. See the winter piles.
Why is someone in my family tired?
They were out in the cold too long, or the family needed help with food or wood. A tired person works at 60 % speed. Give them Rest for a season. See your family.
Why can't my child do that job?
The job is too heavy for their age, so the ring says When you are bigger!. Children do light jobs from 7, ice fishing from 10 and every job from 13. See the jobs page.
Why isn't my building getting built?
Tap it. The card says why: Nobody is building it, It needs a grown-up or No logs. Give someone the Build job, add someone 13 or older and send someone to Fell trees. Nobody builds in First snow or The dark. See buildings.
Why does my food pile go down in summer?
Your family eats every season. They eat fresh food first, and when there is not enough, they eat from the pile. Put more people on Fish and build a Drying rack. See the winter piles.
Is the story the same every time?
No. The eight chapters stay the same, but the stories inside them are shuffled in every new game, and the names and some places change too. See the Story Book.
Can I skip the trek?
Yes, once you have walked it before in this browser. Press Skip the trip (K, or Y on a controller). See the trek.
Which languages can I play in?
Nine: English, Swedish, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Korean and Chinese. Change the language in Settings. Every line can be read aloud with the speaker button.
The game won't start or runs slowly. What can I do?
Mountain Shadow draws its valley in 3D, so it needs a browser with WebGL, like a recent Chrome, Edge or Firefox. If it runs slowly, set Graphics to Low in Settings. The game may also do this by itself and say "We made the pictures simpler so the game runs smoothly."
See also
- Your first ten minutes
- Tips for new settlers
- Glossary
- Other guides with FAQs: the Nordic Recovery guide and the Building Town guide.
- Still curious? Play Mountain Shadow.
