Pitfall: The Lost Expedition (Multi, 2004/Wii, 2008)

• Mostly linear structure (can only progress to the crashed plane at first and then to the tank (a couple of temporary points of no return during this part of the game), after that you can go back for some optional items (one more if you buy the smash move) but forward progression is still linear, can reach the eldorado gates before going to white valley but it's pointless, plenty of optional paths to explore in the late game but there's not much interesting to buy with the remaining idols at that point), Backtracking and looping back around to progress and sometimes for optional items, Partial hub area near the beginning

• Save at the beginning of area/levels only (can at least save at any point; 4 slots - shows completion percentage+number of idols collected and left to collect+time taken but not the current area), Frequent healing points and very frequent checkpoints

• Three teleporters and a couple of shortcuts (between bittenbinder camp and renegade fort for example; there could have been more of both though)

• Some other tools used for traversal and exploration (innertube, smash, sling, torch, TNT, shield - can be used as a weapon but more of a key)

• Hints toggle (some hints are overly obvious and frequent, hints don't pause gameplay, hints tend to outright tell you what tool or move you need to progress at an ability gate)

• Some interesting level gimmicks (can push enemies into traps to temporarily disarm them, use certain enemies as platforms, )

• Some large scale environmental changes (water levels, felling some large trees, blowing up or toppling over some larger structures)

• Some infighting between different types of enemies (tribals and animals)

• Vague world map only (no area maps and no mini-map, named sub areas, marks the next sub goal on the map)

• Audio cues when near hidden items (Ecco Jr., Powerslave, Rayman 2, Metroid Prime)

• Some sequence breaking possibilities (can double jump from rolling position (while getting back up) at a point near the beginning where the game expects you to use the high jump/air strike - lets you reach one more shop+idol earlier as well as the native jungle area a bit earlier, can dash into mid-air and then jump to reach further at some points for some minor skips (similar to DKC and M2), earlier excavation camp with some tricky jumping; more with glitches (can get to battered bridge without the torch for example, TNT lets you skip both the gas mask and the shield if you did some out of bounds sequence breaking at the turtle monument and got to the jungle->cavern teleporter which let you reach the snow area early), )

• A couple of decent puzzles but it's not a focus

• Some new enemies appear when revisiting previous areas and at the final area there's an invasion by the excavators when you get there for the finale (environmental storytelling; could've been more visually exciting though)

• Can keep playing after beating the game

• Some death pits but the frequent checkpoints make them not matter much (some also just do 1 HP damage and respawn you where you previously stood)

• Some mostly straightforward "corridor" segments with minor detours here and there

• A few neutral animals but you can't interact with them

Some notable cons:

• Some control/interface issues (can't reverse the camera rotation movement (it's inverted by default - can fix it in an emulator though; vertical looking around while still can be inverted but not if you use the alternate method of looking around that lets you move at the same time), Harry's head should've become transparent when looking around (it actually is if looking upwards but no other angles), no proper area maps - vague world map only? (and can't place markers on it), fall faster than the camera can keep up with, can't attack after double jumping, etc)

• Some boring backtracking - for example the backtracking for a couple of cutscenes in the late game (you also don't get to use the TNT that much unless you take detours here)

• Some tedious parts (not enough teleporters and shortcuts (there are three teleporters in the game - they could've just used them a bit more), some of the vertical platforming, introduces too many ability gates before you get any new tools/abilities (something like 8?, otoh you suddenly gain 2 after getting to the tank, takes forever to gain the TNT which is used quite a bit for gates), some of the gates could've been less binary to reward risktaking or thinking outside the box, parts of the mines - hard to see+overly vertical focused and some untapped potential with few hidden items to find if you go higher, etc)

• Some trial & error (progressing at cavern lake - need to hit the ice stalactite exactly right with the slingshot or it won't fall and open the way forward, kinda hard to spot some paths forward)

• Some later idols are sort of placed right out in the open

Playthrough - Video Review - Mini Review

Influenced by: Metroid series, possibly DKC or DK64, Tomb Raider series, Jak and Daxter

Influenced: Possibly Uncharted