Total Game Boy


Pitfall: Beyond The Jungle

Categories: Review: Software
Publisher: Crave Entertainment
Machine: Game Boy Color

 
Published in Total Game Boy Issue 03

Pitfall: Beyond The Jungle

If you tried to guess the longest running videogame series then Pitfall would have to be somewhere near the top of the list. The original Pitfall game was released on the Atari 5200 back in 1982 by Activision and was a horrendously simple afair where the hero, Pitfall Harry, had to jump pits, kill snakes and tackle crocs. Obviously the graphics and sound back then were nothing but blobs and bleeps, but the gameplay was what made the game so popular!

More than seventeen years on, Pitfall: Beyond The Jungle for the Game Boy Color stars Pitfall Harry's son, cunningly named Pitfall Harry Jr. Following in his dad's footsteps, Harry has gone and got himself into a scrape that involves rescuing Princess Mira from the people of Shenrak. This would be simple if she weren't being protected by the deadly Scourge who surrounds himself with scorpions, vultures and booby traps. It must be a real pain if he needs to pop out for anything!

Developed by American Crave Entertainment, Pitfall: Beyond The Jungle is a six level platform game where the lead character is equipped with nothing but a pickaxe. This axe is extremely versatile though, it can be used to break open the skulls of any enemy, swing from hooks placed on the walls of caves and tucks away neatly when not needed. Armed with this, Pitfall Harry Jr will have to negotiate his way through a volcano, underground caverns and a prison to reach the ultimate showdown with the Scourge.

The main objective has remained the same as the original game - collect as much treasure as possible and make it to the end in one piece! Being a platform game, you can pretty much guess the kind of things you will find in the adventure. Conveyor belts, bubbling lava, deep pits and vanishing floors are all pretty standard fare - but this is exactly what all Pitfall fans will be looking for.

Whether you are old enough to remember the original Pitfall (flippin' heck, you are old!), or you're young, fresh and simply looking for a challenging adventure game, Pitfall could be the one for you.