PITFALL - THE MAYAN ADVENTURE REVIEW - December 1993
| Even in the world of the next-generation console, the
platform game is pretty big news. However, this being the next generation and everything,
it's a different breed of platformer that's attracting punters to the new
machines. On the Playstation there's the innovative and esoteric Jumping Flash or the
insane mayhem of Rapid Reload, the Saturn's got the charisma and novel 3D style of
Bug, and the Ultra 64's Mario game is already wowing the faces off everyone who sees
it despite being only about 30% finished. So far, of course, the Jag has had to make do
with the horrible Bubsy and the out-of-time Zool 2, but now... oh. If you're looking for state-of-the-art 64-bit sophistication here, you're going to be disappointed. Pitfall is so old school it's actually got an exact rendition of the original Atari VCS Pitfall hidden in it as a bonus game, and while The Mayan Adventure itself only borrows a few key themes and visual cues from its 15-year-old parent (15? What's going on there, then?), the game design is as old as the Inca temples and jungles that form the backdrop to the straightforward jumpin', shootin' and whippin' action within. To be honest, if you've ever played a platform game of any kind at any time in your life, there's very little to tell about this one. The graphics and animation are lush, the music atmospheric, the runaway mine-cart sequence present and correct. There are secret rooms to find, little bonus games to play, and a funny joke at the end (which I won't spoil for you if you haven't heard about it already). But that's about it. The five levels are reasonably sized, although a little loosely laid-out and samey, so it can be easy to run in circles around the same area several times without noticing. Baddies are pleasantly plausible and plentiful (basically lots of bats, rats, snakes and birds, who just knock you around and get in your way, rather than having annoying magical powers of bullet-firing and suchlike, but are numerous enough to keep you on your toes all the way through), and the overall difficulty is pitched hard enough to stop you going straight through it on your first attempt, even if you use the handy and well-placed save feature. It's hardly going to save the Jaguar (it's all but identical, in fact, to the versions of the game already seen on the SNES and Mega Drive), but if you've already got one (which I presume you have) and you're up for a bit of decent platforming action, then it's easily your best bet. And hey, what else are you going to spend your money on - Ultra Vortek? |
By Activision
HIGHS * It's pretty * It's hard * It's got Pitfall in it
LOWS * It's not very big * It's a bit of a sprawl
IN SHORT... The best Jag platformer yet. But how hard can that be? 80% |