Videos
Reviews:
-
Ah, tis the season for games that deliver at least a
spooky feel, even though I’ll acknowledge more often than not Halloween season
games tend to be a bit lacking in overall quality and simply hoping to
capitalize on peoples’ urges. While by no means a horror game Pumpkin Jack may
be one of the best games I’ve played that leans into the Halloween-y spirit with
a timely release, delivering high-quality platforming plus a fair amount of
variety with a reasonable degree of value. You obviously play as the
Jack-o-Lantern headed Jack, jumping, dodging, and slashing your way through a
variety of well-constructed stages that consistently change up what you need to
do and have plenty of secrets to find without going overboard. In particular I
appreciate that the camera tends to do a great job of giving you the right
perspective pretty naturally and I rarely had issues with depth perception when
making tough jumps to small platforms which usually plague lesser 3D
platformers. Where I think the game shines the brightest though are the
action-driven sequences in between the platforming sections, including a
fast-moving escape from a burning barn, wild horseback rides, a riff on the
classic minecart sequence in a few places, and more. Throw in boss fights that
have some smart variety to them and while visually it may be a bit rough around
the edges at times (though there’s no denying its aesthetic style is perfect for
this time of year) Jack and his crow companion absolutely deliver a treat of an
experience a mere week before Halloween.
Justin Nation, Score:Nindie Choice! [9.0]