Ludography
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Pitfall! cover

1982 · Activision · Platformer · Adventure

Pitfall!

Timed Atari exclusive

Pitfall! is a video game designed by David Crane for the Atari 2600 and released by Activision in 1982. The player controls Pitfall Harry and is tasked with collecting all the treasures in a jungle within 20 minutes while avoiding obstacles and hazards.

Released
1 September 1982
Platforms
ColecoVisionAtari 2600Atari 8-bitCommodore C64/128/MAXWindowsIntellivisionAtari 5200Xbox 360Legacy Mobile DeviceMSX
Genres
PlatformerAdventure
Developers
Activision
Publishers
JAMDAT MobileFirebird SoftwareMicrosoft Game StudiosHome Entertainment Suppliers Pty LtdPony CanyonPolyvoxActivisionDigiplay
Modes
Single-player
Perspective
Side view
Themes
Action
Languages
English, English (UK), German, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Mexico), Thai
Time to beat
1hmain story1.5hwith extras3hcompletionist
›Story

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 gold and silver bars, diamond rings, and bags of money.

Under the jungle there is a tunnel which Harry can access through ladders found at various points. Travelling 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, which can harm Harry.

Keywords

  • 2d
  • side-scrolling
  • treasure hunt
  • jungle
  • precision platforming
  • pulp fiction

Media

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
Atari 26001 September 1982North America
MSX31 December 1983Europe · Japan 31 December 1984
ColecoVision1 February 1984North America
Intellivision1 February 1984North America · Brazil 1 November 1984
Atari 8-bit1 March 1984North America
Commodore C64/128/MAX1 July 1984North America · Australia 31 December 1984 · Europe 31 December 1987
Atari 520031 December 1984North America
Legacy Mobile Device31 December 2003North America
Xbox 3605 May 2010Worldwide
Windows5 May 2010Worldwide · Worldwide 23 February 2011

Editions and related releases

Included in
Activision's Atari 2600 Action PackActivisionAtari Flashback PortableActivision AnthologySuper Action PakActivision Flashback Blast!Atari Flashback 2Atari Flashback XAtari Flashback X DeluxeActivision Hits RemixedActivision Anthology: Remix EditionAtari Flashback 8 Gold: Activision Edition
Ported as
Pitfall!
Built on it
Pitfall!

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Added from the IGDB catalog; not on any collection yet.