Pitfall: The Lost Expedition

No more parachutes, the last went out the door with a winsome lass that seemed rather obviously oblivious to Harry’s charms. Swirling downward, it seemed like certain death …

… or maybe not.

Harry finds himself on the floor of the jungle, a plane to find, survivors to rescue and dangers to overcome. Ah, the joys of being known as Pitfall Harry.

Pitfall: The Lost Expedition is an Xbox title from Activision. The game is also releasing on the GameCube, Game Boy Advance and PlayStation2.

The game has a rather intriguing timeline. It begins with a simplified version of the boss fight, then back tracks and asks players to work through the game to the end. The plane goes down, Harry is on the ground and the early levels are akin to a tutorial. You are guided through the basic functions of the game – which include swinging across gaping maws of teeth, swimming through piranha-infested waters, pulling a Tarzan (swinging from vine-to-vine), collecting treasure, punching out monkeys, and rescuing a wayward explorer.

Jungle totems will point the way along toward the remains of the crashed plane. There are healing pools of water, which will restore your health icons (which are akin to attempts). If you pay attention to the nooks and crannies along the way, you may find statutes and other treasures, which can be exchanged with shamans for items you may find useful, like more health.

The path through the game seems somewhat linear, and the puzzles are not overly complex. Players familiar with the style of game should not feel overly challenged in figuring out the right course through the game.

You can climb vines or lower down, swing back and forth to build momentum for long jumps (a double jump will gain that extra distance as well – and you can re-direct your momentum in mid-leap), crouch, roll, and sneak. The camera controls are linked to the L and R triggers and will swing for a panoramic view of the surroundings. The left thumbstick controls movement and the right thumbstick controls Harry’s actions with either his left or right arm.

While the game is not overly complex, it is a delight for the eyes. The environments are bright and lushly rendered, and the animation is cartoonish but very nice. Even when in the jaws of a crocodile, the animation is fun and smooth. Harry has a distinctive personality and it seems that each character has defined characteristics that make this a light-hearted adventure.

The audio of this game is a combination of voice acting, ambient sounds and support music – all of which do a nice job in supporting the graphical elements.

Pitfall is not overly complex, but for younger players this may be a delightful romp. The game has a rich three-dimensional look that really does a wonderful job of bringing this series to life. In many ways this is the side-scrolling adventure brought to life in a three-dimensional world. The game has obvious ties to its roots while transitioning into the new arena of adventure console titles. Don’t look for anything overly complex and you will certainly enjoy this title.