Mario gets credit for popularizing the platformer, but his anti-turtle rampage didn’t invent the genre. The history of platformers stretches all the way back to the early ‘80s with games like Donkey Kong, Space Panic, and Pitfall!, a thrilling adventure set in a jungle that celebrates its 40th anniversary on August 20, 2022. Pitfall! is easily one of the most influential games ever made, and despite being an oft-forgotten gem, it’s probably far more important than anybody remembers.
