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Pitfall!

ColecoVision

ColecoVision

The player must maneuver a character known as 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...

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Developer
Activision

Released on
1983

Size
1 Player

Version
ColecoVision

Requirements
ColecoVision

Downloads
Platform

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

The player must maneuver a character known as 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 a vine to avoid them. 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 places. This is required to get around some surface areas that have no way across otherwise. The tunnels are filled with dead-ends blocked by brick walls, forcing the player return to the surface at one of the ladders, and try to find a way around again. The tunnels also contain treasure and scorpions Harry must jump over.

Pitfall!

Overview & History

Released by Coleco in 1983, the ColecoVision port of Activision's iconic platformer *Pitfall!* brought David Crane’s masterpiece into the homes of eighth-generation console owners with a notable visual and audio upgrade over its Atari 2600 predecessor. Players step into the weathered boots of Pitfall Harry, an intrepid explorer navigating a treacherous, horizontally scrolling labyrinth filled with dense jungles, underground tunnels, and perilous hazards. The game's narrative-light, goal-heavy structure challenges you to amass as much wealth as possible while completing a grand circuit of the jungle.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

The core objective of *Pitfall!* is deceptively simple yet fiendishly difficult: collect all 32 treasures hidden across 255 unique screen-by-screen jungle environments within a strict 20-minute time limit. Gameplay mechanics revolve around precise timing and spatial awareness. Harry must navigate subterranean dead-ends and surface hazards including swinging vines over bottomless crocodile-infested pits, treacherous rolling logs, fiery tar pits, and deadly scorpion nests. Falling into a tar pit or colliding with an obstacle forces Harry to restart at the beginning of the current screen, instantly docking points and wasting precious seconds. Successfully jumping over treasures or ducking under hazards adds to the score, while descending ladders into the pitch-black underworld allows Harry to bypass surface obstacles, though underground tunnels are finite and often bottlenecked by impenetrable brick walls.

Keyboard Controls

Arrow Keys / D-Pad: Move Harry left or right, climb up and down ladders, or duck.
Action Keys: Press the action button to jump over obstacles and holes, or to grab swinging vines.
Enter: Start the game or pause your current expedition.