Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure

• Release Date: 1994
• Genre: Action
• Style: Side-Scrolling Platform

Game Description

Within the jungle ruins of the ancient Maya, your father has been kidnapped. But this isn't just any old dad. He's Pitfall Harry, star of such earlier video games as Pitfall! for Atari 2600 and Super Pitfall for the NES. As Harry Jr., only you can free your old man from the clutches of the evil Zakelua in Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure.

In order to be successful, you'll have to run, jump, and fight your way through 13 levels of action. Hindering your progress will be angry monkeys, hawks, gargoyles, snakes, ghosts, skeletons, tricky jumps, and more. To help you stay alive, you've got your trusty whip and special weapons such as sling stones, Mayan boomerangs and Exploding Stones of Pacal. Certain levels will even call for you to work your way through a mine shaft aboard a mine car.

Hidden within the game is the classic Atari 2600 version of Pitfall!. So you can even play the original game starring the person you are trying to save in Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure.

Roots & Influences

This game was created as a sequel to the Atari 2600 classic, Pitfall. It was also preceded by the less successful Super Pitfall for the NES.

Review: Overall

Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure isn't exactly groundbreaking. While it does have several distinctive properties, there's really nothing here that doesn't owe something to earlier video games, or even movies for that matter. Its frequent high jump objects (spider webs and statue head tongues) immediately reminded me of Super Mario Bros., while the whip and special weapons brought back memories of Castlevania. The most obvious derivative, though, would have to be Harry Jr.'s look. Can you say "Indiana Jones?"

Still, the appealing animations and fantastic play control make Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure pretty close to irresistible. And there's definitely something to be said for the original layout of the levels. They are maze-like without actually involving a maze (if that makes any sense). In other words, there's a designated path you must follow that isn't always obvious. Further, you'll travel in all directions -- up, down, left and right -- breaking the monotony of merely one or two directions as found in other platform games.

Perhaps the best thing about the game is the way it maintains the feel of the original classic yet is very much a game released 12 years later. You're still fighting and jumping over jungle animals, for instance. There are even times when you'll have to jump on the heads of crocodiles to pass, just as in the original. And if that's not enough, the original Pitfall! is even included -- if you can find it. But even if you can't, you probably won't worry about it. You'll be too preoccupied just trying to survive your way through Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure.

Review: Enjoyment

This game is tons o' fun, though frustration can mount when you can't make that proper jump.

Review: Graphics

These are some of the best, most appealing graphics you'll find on any 16-bit system.

Review: Sound

The music is okay, but the sound effects are fantastic, recorded directly from the jungle in which the game takes place!

Review: Replay Value

The game's fun factor will bring you back, as will the search for {*Pitfall!}, if you didn't find it the first time through.

Review: Documentation

The instructions feature {%Pitfall Harry}'s diary and some nice art as well, each explaining how the game is played.

Production Credits