Pumpkin Jack is a game that embodies the Halloween spirit, and it’s enthusiasm for the spooky season is infectious. It’s almost enough to forgive its many flaws. Almost.
Developed by one man – Nicolas Meyssonnier – Pumpkin Jack is truly a labour of love. A 3D platformer very much in the mould of Playstation classic Medieval, it sees you directing the titular Jack through a range of linear levels set in various locations.
These include graveyards, mines, church yards – you get the general gist. They all exude a light hearted spooky vibe, utilising a mix of moody greens, reds, blues, and purples.
Through each stage you’ll battle enemies, jump on platforms, and solve fairly simple puzzles. It’s never particularly taxing to know where to go though, as you’re generally funnelled in the right direction.
So for such a simple set up it’s a bit disappointing Pumpkin Jack doesn’t excel in certain key areas. The combat is relatively one note, and to up the difficulty later you just get more enemies thrown at you – rather than introduce new ones with more challenging attack patterns.
When it comes to the platforming it often feels a little clunky too. Some sections require you to nimbly move along narrow paths for instance, but it often feels like you’re guiding an oil tanker down a one foot wide pier. You never feel fully in control.
The side diversions the game throws at you – such as sections where you have to direct a bomb around with just your head, and minecart segments – are very hit and miss too, although the variety they bring is very welcome. Yet it just doesn’t feel polished enough for the £24.99 pricepoint.
Despite this Pumpkin Jack is far from being a lost cause, largely due to its impressive ability to capture the spirit of Halloween.
The locations are just about varied enough throughout the six hour long adventure, and there’s a memorable cast of characters – including most notably the bosses. Your fights with the latter are some of the more memorable and inventive moments in the game.
The Switch handles it relatively well overall too, although we did bump into the occasional glitch (a platform refused to rise in one segment) and the load times are often a touch too long.
Pumpkin Jack is not the perfect Halloween game, but is certainly worth investing your time in if you’re a fan of the season – especially if you can get it on sale. Anyone else might find it, like the titular hero, a little hard to truly embrace.
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