Pitfall: The Mayhem Adventure.

Legendary Mayan Mayhem

Like father, like son. Harry Jr.'s dad has been snagged. 
Now Junior has to dive headlong into uncharted jungles 
filled with unthinkable hazards. The game? It's Pitfall: 
The Mayan Adventure from Activision. With some of the 
finest animation we've ever seen on a Genesis title 
(created by crew that specializes in full-length animated 
movies), this game sends one player on a vine-swinging, 
mine-cart-riding, tomb crawling search for your pop, who's 
been nabbed by an evil spirit. Armed at the outset with 
only your trusty sling and a few stones, you'll take on 
both natural and supernatural opponents as you fight your 
way through Central America. The best-selling Pitfall 
series is back, and it looks better than ever.

Publisher: Activision

Controller: 3-, or 6-Button (recommended)

Players: 1

Rating: Not Yet Rated

Multi-Talented Harry Jr. Makes Good

Longtime Pitfall fans are gonna be amazed at the number of 
things Harry Jr. can do. This guy can climb ropes and vines 
hand over hand (and slide down ’em after), swing on vines, 
launch himself into the air on bungee plants, use his whip 
to cross peg bridges, spring off spider webs, ride 
ziplines, pull levers, ride mine cars, crawl on his belly, 
and more, more, more. You get ten big levels chock full of 
hidden areas, bonus games, stuff to collect, and ways to 
die. There are plenty of items like the Time Keeper 
(freezes time), the Mayan Chili Pepper (increases running 
and jumping), the Sacred Heart (restores health), the 
Golden Idol (adds a life), and various Treasure Pieces 
(collect 50 points' worth for a continue). 

Astounding Animation and Art

The animation in Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure is the work 
of Kroyer Films, the same folks who did the movie 
Ferngully. This crew used traditional cell animation 
techniques to give the game life. The hand animation of the 
sprites and art (done by a team of more than 40) before 
conversion to digital gives Pitfall an amazing edge in look 
and feel. With more than 2,000 frames of animation (1,000 
for Harry Jr. alone), the character movement is absolutely 
spectacular. Add 3-D effects created on Silicon Graphics 
computers, like swinging pendulums of flame in the temple 
stages, and you get an astounding hybrid of cutting-edge 
techniques and traditional animation. The musical score 
feels more like an adventure film than a video game and 
adds greatly to the experience. Welcome back Pitfall. It's 
great to be hangin' with Harry again.

Hot Hints

The Mayan Boomerang disappears if you don't grab it 
immediately after use.

Crouch on tree stumps for a launch upward.

If a passage is blocked with a web, use the Super Shot to 
clear it.

Try the walls. The game is riddled with hidden passages.

Avoid being downhill from your enemies.

There is always a path to items you see but can't seem to 
get to. Keep trying.