Pumpkin Jack Reviews
Pumpkin Jack is a pleasant surprise just in time for Halloween, the overall design is amazing considering it comes from a single developer. The six levels offer enough variety and challenge as to not get repetitive and as this will take about 5-6 hours to complete on the first run players will come back to get all the hidden items for extra skins. However, the gameplay feels slightly dated, visually the quality really drops in handheld mode if playing on the Switch and the camera needs to be a bit more reactive especially as the platforming requires precision at a fast pace.
It's good to be bad in Pumpkin Jack - a nostalgic 3D action platformer set in a wonderfully created spooky burtonesque world.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Pumpkin Jack proves that with good ideas and the right perseverance you get what you hope for. Meysonnier's video game amazes with its varied gameplay and entertaining dialogues. It stands as a title that is not perfect but a must for the little ones and that will give a nice sense of nostalgia for the older ones.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Pumpkin Jack is not just a good platformer for Halloween, its a treat for any day of the year. If you miss the platformers of old or just fancy a platformer that doesn’t star a blue plumber for a change, Pumpkin Jack is well worth your time.
Overall this game gives us an excellent experience leaving the players completely immersed in the game, which the single major flaw is simply being too short! With a very solid design, both in terms of graphics and gameplay, it is certainly an excellent title to play not only during Halloween, but all year round! The inspiration in Medievil is tangent, yet in a honorific proper kind a way, which is a good thing for all the fans!
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Pumpkin Jack is a game that surprises, especially because watching its trailers appears to be something it is not. Actually, it is much more than that, with great characters, a story that is not deep but is very fun and with an excellent script, a combat system that, within its simplicity, is very attractive and a magnificent setting. All coupled with a spectacular level design and a fantastic soundtrack. One of the few drawbacks that can be put is that it is a little short.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Ultimately, players' enjoyment of Pumpkin Jack will crux on how nostalgic they are for the 3D action platformers of yesteryear. The makings of a great game are definitely here, with witty dialogue, a wonderful selection of fun mini-games, and some serviceable platforming. But, outside of its clear homages and lofty inspirations, Pumpkin Jack feels like it has nothing new to say and no modern insights to add. It ultimately winds up a jack of all trades but a master of none, offering plenty of ideas rife with potential but never honing in on one long enough to make it stand out.
Pumpkin Jack is a fun and nostalgic title that is perfectly placed to be your Halloween game this year. Highly recommended for any fans of old school platforming adventures, but also worth checking out for the spookier sorts too. It doesn't revolutionise anything, but it also doesn't outstay its welcome, and the fact that it is the work of a solo developer makes it even more impressive. This particular pumpkin deserves to carve out some of your seasonal gaming time.
Pumpkin Jack is a hilarious 3D adventure platformer, with clear and obvious references to MediEvil. But while the pace is good and the aesthetics charming, the repetition of the same gameplay loop becomes tedious already halfway through the game. The controls are also a bit slippery, but Pumpkin Jack is still a very enjoyable action platformer.
Review in Italian | Read full review
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...
I wish the combat had a little more nuance to it, but the rock-solid platforming and silly minigames more than made up for it. It’s a great alternative to all the oppressive horror games coming out this month, and I’m super glad I tripped over it. It’s good!
Jack, the king of the Pumpkin field, will accompany us on an exquisitely old-fashioned adventure, modest in ambition and dignified in realization: if you do not expect the true heir of Medievil, nor a 3D platformer finished down to the smallest detail, the work of Nicolas Maysosonnier will entertain you enough with its lively style, its variety of situations and its lively artistic frame.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A worthy piece to the collection of platformers on your shelf.
Pumpkin Jack is a competent Halloween platformer that's too generic, shallow, and short to make it a must-play.
Pumpkin Jack is a good first effort from a one-man game-designing army. It’s fun for its short length, it offers a bit of variety with its puzzles and challenges, and the platforming & design is solid.
While the style is certainly remarkable, the gameplay is the exact opposite. There isn’t much to think or do within combat besides spam the attack button and dodge. Admittedly, rushing through each stage and finishing the game was purely driven by wanting to explore the outstanding art. However, after only three to four hours the adventure ended anticlimactically. Pumpkin Jack is like any Halloween candy; appealing for all ages but isn’t going to hold your interest for long.
Pumpkin Jack is an absolute triumph. For a debut title, it's remarkably confident in its vision, delivering a delightfully spooky experience that feels very familiar to MediEvil without outright copying it; in fact, with MediEvil's controls feeling distinctly dated by 2020 standards, we'd go so far as to say Pumpkin Jack is superior. The controls are slick with satisfying combat mechanics, and while the platforming can occasionally feel a bit frustrating, it's mostly very well done. Visuals in handheld mode can look a little grotty, so we'd recommend playing on the TV if you can, and make sure you crank up that camera sensitivity. Fear not though, folks; Halloween is well and truly alive in 2020 thanks to Pumpkin Jack.
Combat can start to feel a little ridiculous towards the end as it throws huge amounts of enemies at you in a desperate attempt to provide a challenge against your evermore powerful weapons. But platforming and other gameplay elements keep things from getting stale. Pumpkin Jack is a surprisingly charming package that is worth playing through in this or any season.
Pumpkin Jack is janky, but still very enjoyable. It’s the kind of simple and straightforward 3D platformer that’s missing in today’s world. It was a lot better than last year’s MediEvil remake, that’s for damn sure.
There’s so much to like about Pumpkin Jack. What issues I do have are minor, and don’t impact the overall enjoyment. It’s a game that’s easy on the eyes, has satisfying combat, and rewarding puzzles. Pumpkin Jack will have kids and adults both wanting to play it, and having a blast working towards 100% completion. The soundtrack features a theramin and other spooky instruments that easily set the mood. Pumpkin Jack is a real Halloween treat.