Pitfall!
| Pitfall! | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Developer(s) | Activision |
| Publisher(s) | Activision |
| Designer(s) | David Crane |
| Platform(s) | Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit family, NES Version 0.83 (Homebrew), ColecoVision, MSX, Commodore 64, Intellivision, Apple II, Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, Windows Mobile, iOS, Android |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | Platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Publication | Score |
| AllGame |  |
| Arcade Express | 8 / 10 |
Pitfall! is a platform video game designed by David Crane and released by Activision for the Atari 2600 in 1982. In the game, the player controls Pitfall Harry, and is tasked with navigating a jungle and collecting treasures while avoiding obstacles and hazards, with limited time to complete the game.
Pitfall! received very positive reviews upon release, and is one of the best-selling games made for the Atari 2600, with over 4 million copies sold. It was the top video game on the Billboard charts for more than a year, and inspired numerous sequels and ports across a variety of gaming consoles. It is widely viewed as helping define the side-scrolling platformer genre.
The player must maneuver a character (Pitfall Harry) through a maze-like jungle in an attempt to recover 32 treasures in a 20-minute time period. Along the way, he must negotiate numerous hazards, including pits, quicksand, rolling logs, fire, rattlesnakes, scorpions, and crocodiles. Harry may jump over or otherwise avoid these obstacles by climbing, running, or swinging on vines. Treasure includes bags of money, gold and silver bars, and diamond rings, which range in value from 2000 to 5000 points in 1000 point increments. There are eight of each treasure type, with 32 in total. A perfect score of 114,000 is achieved by claiming all 32 treasures without losing any points. Points are deducted by either falling in a hole (100 points) or touching logs; point loss depends on how long contact is made with the log. Under the jungle there is a tunnel which Harry can access through ladders found at various points. Traveling though the tunnel moves forward three screens at a time, which is necessary in order to collect all the treasures within the time limit. However, the tunnels are filled with dead-ends blocked by brick walls, forcing the player to return to the surface at one of the ladders, and try to find a way around again, thus wasting time. The tunnels also contain scorpions. The player loses a life if Harry comes in contact with any obstacle (except logs) or falls into a tar pit, quicksand, waterhole, or mouth of a crocodile. The game ends when either all 32 treasures have been collected, all three lives have been lost, or the time has run out.
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