Pitfall - The Mayan Adventure is one of those classic Genesis platformers that feels way more intense than it looks. You play as Harry Jr. (yep, the original Pitfall guy's kid), swinging over bottomless pits, dodging traps, and dealing with some seriously aggressive wildlife. The jungle vibes are strong here—expect vines to grab onto, quicksand that'll swallow you whole if you hesitate, and those iconic rolling boulder chases.

What surprised me was how smooth the controls are—Harry Jr. has this satisfying weight to his jumps, and the whip attack actually feels useful instead of just being a last-resort panic button. The Mayan ruins levels get pretty creative too, with hidden passages and some light puzzle-solving mixed in. Just watch out for the piranhas—they're way faster than you'd think.

It's got that perfect balance of "tough but fair" that makes you want to try one more time when you faceplant into spikes. Definitely holds up better than a lot of 16-bit platformers from that era.