Pitfall the Lost
Expedition is an action arcade game similar to Indiana Jones and the Last
Emperor and to a lesser degree, Tomb Raider. My main complaint with those two
games was the poor gameplay control on both the keyboard and gamepad. I wasn’t
comfortable playing Pitfall with my gamepad, but the keyboard scheme turned out
to be very intuitive. Players must guide Harry through a dangerous adventure
that requires a lot of jumping, climbing and rope swinging challenges. This may
sound like a harrowing experience for PC gamers. Jumping puzzles don’t always
translate very well onto the PC but I must admit that I found Pitfall to be
quite good and can recommend it to fans of the genre.
After his plane crashes
in the South American jungle, Harry, adventurous explorer, must figure out how
to rescue members of his expedition, get rowdy with the local natives and
compete with his archrival. Harry has an arsenal of items and attacks that will
help him on his quest, but first he must find them. Most of Pitfall consists of
swinging over gaping holes or treacherous chasms however there is enough variety
throughout the game to keep it all interesting. You must recover different
items in order to gain access to other portions of the environment For instance
a raft may be required to leave an area or a torch may be necessary to rescue a
member of the research crew or to burn through dense spider webs that are
blocking new locations.
Ancient idols are hidden
throughout the game. Once you recover them, Harry can use them to buy new
abilities and items from native medicine men. These abilities are similar to
power ups and help Harry progress through the game. You can buy a special
attack move that takes down enemies or you can upgrade your slingshot. Harry
can also smash through walls, spin kick monkeys, sweep kick coconut tossing
natives, sneak, roll through small openings, jump, double jump and super jump
just to name a few of his many abilities. All of these game dynamics help keep
the run and jump challenges fresh because each location requires a specific
ability in order to move forward..
I found the keyboard
control configuration optimal. Harry can be manipulated by using standard
shooter controls, w,s,a,d. He can also pick up items and pull levers by
pressing the arrow keys. All the action abilities can be found on the num pad
keys. To perform a double jump you simply tap the number two twice. An
inventory can be pulled up quickly by punching the five key and one of the
directional keys simultaneously. Harry has a canteen which can replenish his
health. To put it in his hand you simply press five and the up key. The camera
can be moved in any direction. The controls do take a bit of getting used to
because there are so many combinations and many abilities to master, but once
you’ve been playing for thirty minutes you should be good to go.
The graphics do a
serviceable job with the environments. The game has an overall cartoonish
quality about it. The character models appear dated or goofy or both. Doesn’t
really matter as it doesn’t ruin the experience. The real fun and value in
Pitfall is its over-the-top humor. Whether he is trading quibs with Nicole, one
of the expedition members or just standing around scratching his butt, Harry
never fails to entertain.
There are only four save
slots. I had to keep an eye on each one closely in order to remember what each
one represented. One major complaint I have is the lack of a quicksave
feature. With all the successive swings, rolls and death defying leaps a
quicksave would’ve been sweet. Instead we can only save when you enter a new
area or travel back to the beginning of an older location. I suppose this is
forgivable but in this day and age I feel that a quicksave option should be a
given. For those of you who are of the opinion that it ruins a games pacing, to
that I say, then just don’t use it.
Review Scoring Details |
Gameplay: 7.5
Many abilities and various different challenges keep gameplay fresh. However,
some of the puzzles toward the end of the game tend to be very difficult.
Graphics: 7.5
Good environments with enough variety to appear interesting. Character models
are goofy and bobble-headed. Overall cartoonish feel that fits with the silly
humor.
Sound: 7.5
A good voice cast with a decent amount of atmosphere to help us get lost in the
moment.
Difficulty: Hard
The later
challenges get quite difficult. Without a quicksave option I found myself
repeating things over and over in order to get it right. It does get a bit
tiresome in places.
Concept: 7
There is nothing ground breaking but what Pitfall does, it does pretty well.
Overall: 8
I thought the humor alone was worth the price of admission. Every thing that
Harry does or says is over-exaggerated to the point of absurd silliness.
Harry’s just a big dope, like a bull in a china closet. But he’s a lovable dope
