Harry’s back in the Lost Caverns, again searching for Rhonda, Quickclaw and the Raj Diamond. Unlike Sega’s arcade game, this is an attempt to adapt Pitfall II directly. Micronics handled the port for Pony Canyon, and in typical Micronics fashion, managed to botch the whole thing.
The problems become obvious the moment you start the game. Harry now has a gun (with limited ammo). There are loads of blind traps scattered everywhere. The controls are pretty bad. You have absolutely no idea where to go, and it’s far too easy to die, both from the aforementioned traps or getting hit by a random creature. Also, for some reason, Harry looks like Mario in a miner’s helmet, and his whole outfit is blue, like he stole one of Mega Man’s outfits. You have unlimited continues, but since you have no idea where to go, no matter how far you get, when you inevitably continue, you find yourself back at the starting point, unless you enter a code at the title screen.
Creatures are everywhere. They’re an interesting bunch, at least. The bats, scorpions, eels and frogs all return. New enemies include spiders, snakes, piranhas, and vultures. You can shoot most of these, although you have to be a really good shot. In a first for the series, some of the frogs will jump around the caverns, not just back and forth over a hole. Waterfalls will drag you into the underground rivers or into spike pits or lava pits. Other obstacles Harry must overcome include falling rocks and spike mashers. The balloons are back, doing the same job they’ve been doing ever since Pitfall II. There are also ropes to swing from in some areas. Another new enemy type are the indestructible giant Moai heads. There are three of them, and they’re each guarding something important. You see, it’s not enough to just rescue Rhonda and Quickclaw. Rhonda has been turned to stone, and only the Flask of Medicine will cure her. Quickclaw’s been locked in a cage, which you need the Key to open. And of course, there’s also the Raj Diamond to collect.
To progress to each part of the caverns, you’ll need to unlock rock doors with keys based on card suites: Heart, Diamond, Club and Spade. As one might expect, they’re hidden around the caverns. What you wouldn’t expect is that every single one of them is invisible, unless you just happen to be jumping in the right spot. This is probably the most frustrating thing about Super Pitfall. This also applies to extra ammo for Harry’s gun, as well as treasures. Speaking of which, the only visible treasures are stacks of gold bars. Another bizarre thing about the game is having to jump into some enemies to access other parts of the game. This is something no one would really ever consider doing, so why Micronics came up with that idea is a genuine mystery. You also have to jump into unlabeled empty spaces just to warp to other areas of the game.
The one interesting idea Micronics came up with was to incorporate a second set of caverns, called the Dark World, which is like some version of Hell that Harry needs to traverse to reach the exit of the Lost Caverns. Unfortunately, the same issues apply in here. The treasures you can find in the Dark World, if you’re lucky enough to be jumping in the right spots, include a Star, a Cross and a Ring. There are no gold bars in the Dark World, so finding those hidden treasures is the only way to raise your score here.
There are quite an interesting batch of monsters in the Dark World. The first sign that you’re getting close to the Dark World are the appearance of the indestructible Deruzos. Once you’ve entered the Dark World, Harry to fight off creatures like Ammonites, Dokuro Shots, Dokuro-radons, Honeramas, Gnomes, Gaias, Almas, Yarigais and Pterodons. If you manage to make it past all of the monsters, along with rescuing Rhonda, Quickclaw and the Raj Diamond, then work your way back to the beginning of the game, you’ll exit the caverns, get a lousy ending message, and immediately get sent back the beginning to play a harder second quest.
Super Pitfall‘s graphics do the job, if nothing else. They’re rather plain. The creatures have an innocent, cartoony look that doesn’t quite jibe with the level of difficulty. The music is bland and repetitive, with the exception of the Dark World theme, which is very gloomy. The whole thing feels kind of rushed, and then, of course, is the obscene difficulty. It could definitely have used more time in the oven, so to speak, or at the very least some additional playtesting.
As if the NES game wasn’t bad enough, Super Pitfall was also ported to the Tandy Color Computer 3. This was a mistake. Graphically, it looks almost the same as the NES game, but it’s slow, there’s no music, and it’s really nothing more than a curiosity at this point. The NEC PC-88 port, on the other hand, is almost an entirely different game. It’s straightforward, the items you need to progress aren’t hidden in random spots, and despite Harry’s odd new look (he’s blonde. Who knew?), it’s the best version of Super Pitfall overall.
However, in 2016, an extensive graphic hack and game overhaul titled Super Pitfall: 30th Anniversary Edition, was released for the NES. Among other things, the game is now playable. There’s also a new soundtrack and previously hidden items are now out in the open, among other improvements. Had this hack of the game been released back in 1986, it might be at least fondly remembered today.
Super Pitfall II
Activision had plans for a sequel, titled Super Pitfall II, appropriately enough. It almost made it to release, but was canceled for reasons unknown. It’s just as well, because it’s just the Famicom game Atlantis no Nazo, one of the most well-known kusoge games, with a shiny new title screen slapped on it. We missed nothing by losing out on it. The prototype was eventually found and dumped, and is freely available online.
Super Pitfall II
David Crane had some thoughts about Super Pitfall: “I created, designed, and programmed Pitfall!. But I did it while employed by Activision. (Of course, I was part owner of Activision, but the way those things work, the company holds the intellectual property.) So after I left Activision the company was free to use the name Pitfall however they wished. They licensed many versions of the game, from the arcade to the NES and PC.
The NES Super Pitfall was one of the lowest-reviewed games made. I had nothing to do with it, and I had to ignore the low quality games that Activision allowed to carry the name Pitfall after I left. I never let it ‘get to me,’ I just recognized that the business works that way and I couldn’t do anything about it.”
Screenshot Comparisons
NES
NES – 30th Anniversary
PC88
