Pitfall II: The Lost Caverns is a 1985 arcade game developed by Sega. It is based upon Activision's two home console games Pitfall! (1982) and Pitfall II: Lost Caverns (1984) for the Atari 2600. It has been described by historian Brett Weiss as a "rare occurrence" of an Arcade game being influenced by a console game.[2]
| Pitfall II: The Lost Caverns | |
|---|---|
 European arcade flyer | |
| Developer(s) | Sega |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Series | Pitfall |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, SG-1000 |
| Release | SG-1000 |
Gameplay
editPitfall II: The Lost Caverns focuses on Pitfall Harry locating three treasures hidden in large caverns. The player must maneuver the character within a time limit to earn extra points and additional playtime. When Pitfall Harry interacts with a key, a hope opens which allows the player to continue into a new cavern allowing for bonus points and more time allotted on the timer.[3]
Production and release
editSega licensed the Pitfall name from Activision to develop Pitfall II: The Lost Caverns.[3] The arcade combines elements of both Pitfall! and Pitfall II: Lost Caverns as well as introducing unique obstacles such as lightning and volcanic rocks.[2]
Pitfall II: The Lost Caverns was released to Japanese arcades in February 1985.[4] In Japan, Game Machine listed the Sega arcade remake of Pitfall II: Lost Caverns on their March 1, 1985, issue as being the most successful table arcade unit of the month.[5] It was released in the United States by Sega USA in May 1985.[6] The game was among Sega USA's earliest releases, which were games that were no longer turning a profit in Japan. It was not a significant hit in Sega USA's market.[7] The game saw a home release on Sega's SG-1000 console in July of that same year in Japan.[1]
Reception
editFrom contemporary reviews, Computer and Video Games declared the game to be "as good as, if not better than" the original Atari 2600 games.[8]
From retrospective reviews, Earl Green of AllGame stated that the game boasted more detailed and colorful graphics than either of the Atari 2600 Pitfall games, with enough twists to challenge console veterans.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b "Home Video Game Console(Japanese, top-right)". Game Machine Magazine 1st May '86. Amusement Press Inc., Osaka, Japan. 1 May 1986. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ a b Weiss 2014, p. 171.
- ^ a b Pitfall II - The Lost Caverns (arcade flyer). Sega. 1984. Retrieved June 12, 2023 – via Archive.org.
- ^ "ピットフォール 2". Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
- ^ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 255. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 March 1985. p. 21.
- ^ Akagi 2006, p. 131.
- ^ Horowitz 2018, p. 86.
- ^ "Arcade Action". Computer & Video Games. No. 46. August 1985. p. 108. ISSN 0261-3697. Retrieved June 12, 2023 – via Archive.org.
- ^ Green.
Sources
edit- Akagi, Masumi (2006). "海外編" [Overseas Edition]. アーケードTVゲームリス 国内 • 海外編 ( 1971 - 2005 )ト [Arcade TV Game List Domestic/Overseas Edition (1971-2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. ISBN 978-4990251215.
- Green, Earl. "Pitfall II: The Lost Caverns". Allgame. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
- Horowitz, Ken (2018). The Sega Arcade Revolution: A History in 62 Games. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-1-4766-7225-0.
- Weiss, Brett (2014). The 100 Greatest Console Video Games 1977-1987. Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7643-4618-7.