Common Sense Media Review
By Paul Semel
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Clever cooperative puzzle game for all ages.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Pitfall Planet
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's It About?
In PITFALL PLANET, a pair of robots land on a mysterious planet after the robot captain of their space ship falls asleep at the wheel and doesn't notice his ship is heading into an asteroid field. After landing safely, the two survivors see their ship crash in the distance, and head out to find the captain and, presumably, the stuff they left behind in their cabins. To help them do so, you must move the two bots independently around the world -- or cooperatively if you play with a friend -- doing what you can to unlock an elevator that will take them to the next area.
Is It Any Good?
It seems simple enough, but this puzzle game gets increasingly more complicated and clever as time goes on, and it's full of cooperative fun for players of all ages. In Pitfall Planet, two robots are stranded on a mysterious planet and are trying to get home. To do this, they must move around the world, hitting switches, picking up rocks, and doing whatever they must to unlock the elevator that will take them to the next area. This proves to become more complicated and clever on each level. But not only do players have to figure out what to do, they also have to work together to it.
The twist with solving the puzzles in Pitfall Planet is that you can play this game cooperatively with a friend sitting on the couch next to you, or on your own controlling the two robots individually. This latter action does, naturally, add another layer of complexity, since you use the Switch's two thumbsticks to move the robots around on their own, and sometimes simultaneously. What stands out is that the robots and the gameplay are just so darn cute that any player will get entranced by this game. That's a nice bonus to the gameplay as the worlds get increasingly more complex, clever, and even hazardous and as the robots get closer and closer to escaping Pitfall Planet.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about working together. In Pitfall Planet, two robots have to work together to get through each section, and you can either play on your own or with someone else controlling the other robot. What does this experience teach you about cooperation?
To get through Pitfall Planet, you have to think ahead and solve problems. Does this show you anything important about thinking before you act? How has planning made it easier for you to solve this game's puzzles?
Game Details
- Platform : Nintendo Switch
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : Abstraction
- Release date : April 4, 2019
- Genre : Puzzle
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : April 30, 2019
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