There have been plenty of video games over the years that have attempted the horror theme and have done so successfully. these types of games are great to play especially during the Halloween season. Surprisingly though, there aren’t that many video games that evoke the Halloween spirit even when they are horror-related and provide very scary experiences. Headup’s spooky and seasonal game Pumpkin Jack looks to change all that by giving a Halloween spirit-like game that is perfect to play every October. It may not be horrific or even that scary, but Pumpkin Jack has plenty to offer in this short but spiritual experience.
In a peaceful but boring kingdom, the devil himself puts a curse is put upon the land bringing in ghouls and ghosts to roam the kingdom. The people of the kingdom out of fear send out a magical wizard to put a stop to all this madness. Meanwhile the devil sends out his own accomplice named Jack to stop the wizard from stopping what the devil has started. Jack takes the form of a pumpkin scarecrow and reluctantly makes allies with an owl and a black crow who aid him on his quest. Can Jack stop the wizard and bring terror and fear to the kingdom before it’s too late?
So yeah the story of the game is very twisted, but what else did you expect from a Halloween-themed video game. The story of the game is mostly told through narration at the beginning of each of the levels. The dialogue for the characters is silent which harkens back to when platformers didn’t have voice actors which is very refreshing in a modern-day platformer. It’s really fun to read the dialogue of the characters we focus on and the way they bounce off each other. My personal favorite is when Jack talks to other characters in his mean and sarcastic ways which bring a level of personality to make the game seem more interesting.
Pumpkin Jack is a 3D platformer where you need to make your way through six spooky levels while defeating ghouls and ghosts that try to stop you dead in your tracks. There is nothing particularly new with how the game functions. But the gameplay still uses tried and true mechanics to help make things fascinating and fun. The controls are very simple, you basically have to attack and dodge enemies using weapons that can be unlocked as you progress through the levels. There are also some unique fast-paced challenges that may require you to time your moves to avoid obstacles in your path. Boss fights are quite good and are just challenging enough to test your skills to figure out how to stop them. There are even side quests that will require you to accomplish a certain goal before moving on to the next area. My only real complaint would be some of the floaty mechanics when it comes to jumping and moving on thin surfaces. Other than that though, the game is good at giving us something old and making it feel new again even if it would be even better to change things up a bit.
The visuals just scream Halloween from its spooky colors to its gothic atmosphere. Every level has a unique color palette and they truly do take full advantage of the setting this game takes place in. character designs look great and I find it pretty cool that you can trade the raven heads you find in the game to unlock different skins for Jack. there is even some variety in the visuals as you get further into the game. The visuals suddenly get less and less fall and a little bit more winter. The layout for each level is great and you can expect to run into different obstacles that will stand in your way.
I’m not sure who did the music for the game, but it is quite good regardless. The music reflects the spooky and eerie feel of the Halloween season and while most of the tracks may not be hummable or even that memorable, they certainly succeed at creating an atmosphere of spooky tunes
Pumpkin Jack is overall a 3D platformer that is just plain fun. It’s a perfect game to play around the Halloween season thanks to its seasonal visuals, fun characters, and old but good gameplay mechanics that overall create an experience worthy to try out. I’m not gonna act like this is a masterpiece of platforming, but I will still confess that I had a lot of fun playing this short but fun platformer and I am all the more curious to play through the game again when the Halloween season comes around.
(Final Grade: B)