In Pumpkin Jack, it is your sole purpose to take control of the Pumpkin King and obliterate the disgusting forces of good. More specifically, your ultimate goal is to take out the awful do-gooding wizard who has promised to protect the Boredom Kingdom from the devil himself. Completely bored and tired of the hum-drum life of peace, prosperity, and safety that the Boredom Kingdom have built for themselves, the devil summons an entity known as Stingy Jack to unleash havoc on the unsuspecting citizens. Though he cannot fight without a proper body, the devil stuffs Jack into the skin of a pumpkin and sends him off to do his bidding.

The humour and writing in this release is spot-on. It's not so silly that it comes off cringey or weird, and it's not so dry that it falls flat; there's a great balance here, a feat that's not so easily achieved. Jack is a crabby semi-intellectual pumpkin man who 'befriends' an unwilling crow to aid him on his evildoing journey. He's led along by an owl, who narrates the story from time-to-time, provides tutorials, and sits at cauldron checkpoints. There are five weapons that are gained over the campaign, from a simple shovel to a deadly scythe, and a gun and a magical orb. New enemies become introduced during almost every level as well, ranging from ghoulish floating spectres to vomiting bats, undead snipers, and more. Each of the levels has an end boss, and each one has their own mechanics and unique, interesting character models.

Another amazing feat that the sole developer, Nicolas Meyssonnier, manages to accomplish in his landmark release is that you'll never be able to guess what's around the next bend. Whether that be more platforming, fighting some enemies, or suddenly getting swept up by a gargoyle and controlling the height at which it flies so you don't get slammed into obstacles. Or maybe it'll be a ride through the night sky on a ghostly horse, where you have to dodge projectiles and jump over fences. Perhaps you'll have to throw your pumpkin head into a tube and have it play whack-a-mole or Simon says. These are just a few of the mechanics that are continually introduced from the start of the campaign, until the very end.

Pumpkin Jack is a title that is very much in the same vein as other vividly colourful, 'spooky but lighthearted' releases such as MediEvil and Costume Quest. The use of colour here is phenomenal, and the bright blues, ghastly purples, chaotic reds, and eerie greens make the game jump to life, while the volumetric fog serves to paint everything in a ghostly light. The aesthetic it houses is inherently cartoony, but it's also flavoured with splashes of crooked-and-bent stylings that are deeply reminiscent of something that Tim Burton would cook up. There are six levels in total, and each one of them has its own atmosphere and vibe; from a creepy cemetery to a bubbling swamp, and further beyond to a twisted winter wonderland. Even if you've played thousands of games, it's guaranteed that you haven't ever seen anything quite as visually captivating as this release. Although the developer took inspiration from other artists, they managed to create a style that's uniquely their own. Aiding the visuals is the incantation-esque OST, which is hypnotic in its bewitching composure. It has been expertly crafted, and rivals any and all AAA soundtracks (aside from DOOM and Silent Hill, of course).

When there's nothing bad that can be said about a game, nitpicking starts to occur. While there really isn't anything bad about this title, there are some things that could stand to be improved in the future. For one, none of the weapons feel like upgrades, but they feel like reskins instead; the scythe, for example, does not feel more powerful than the shovel. Some additional moves or maybe one or two more special powers would've been nice as well. Additionally, VSync doesn't stay enabled when exiting and reloading the game, you have to turn it off and back on again. Again, these are extremely minor things that aren't even significant, but I am providing some improvement feedback here as I want to see this game thrive with additional content, or sequels.

The entire encompassing experience that Pumpkin Jack provides feels wonderfully charismatic and magical. There is a cinematic quality to the game, much like what is found in the darker-but-still-kid-friendly movies like Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline, and Frankenweenie. There is an allurement here that has not been present in video games for a while, and it's no wonder that Pumpkin Jack is already capturing the hearts and souls of gamers. The only downside at all is that the campaign only lasts about five hours, making it feel almost like a tech demo for some bigger project. The good news to that is, the developer did leave an open shot for a direct sequel. Let's hope that he takes that plunge, because this is a game worthy of turning into a series. The fact that this game was developed by one person, with the help of a very small handful of others, is astonishing. A deep, full-bodied congratulations to Nicolas Meyssonnier; you should be incredibly proud of what you've created and achieved.

The Horror Network Curator | Group Click for Gore

In Pumpkin Jack, it is your sole purpose to take control of the Pumpkin King and obliterate the disgusting forces of good. More specifically, your ultimate goal is to take out the awful do-gooding wizard who has promised to protect the Boredom Kingdom from the devil himself. Completely bored and tired of the hum-drum life of peace, prosperity, and safety that the Boredom Kingdom have built for themselves, the devil summons an entity known as Stingy Jack to unleash havoc on the unsuspecting citizens. Though he cannot fight without a proper body, the devil stuffs Jack into the skin of a pumpkin and sends him off to do his bidding. The humour and writing in this release is spot-on. It's not so silly that it comes off cringey or weird, and it's not so dry that it falls flat; there's a great balance here, a feat that's not so easily achieved. Jack is a crabby semi-intellectual pumpkin man who 'befriends' an unwilling crow to aid him on his evildoing journey. He's led along by an owl, who narrates the story from time-to-time, provides tutorials, and sits at cauldron checkpoints. There are five weapons that are gained over the campaign, from a simple shovel to a deadly scythe, and a gun and a magical orb. New enemies become introduced during almost every level as well, ranging from ghoulish floating spectres to vomiting bats, undead snipers, and more. Each of the levels has an end boss, and each one has their own mechanics and unique, interesting character models. Another amazing feat that the sole developer, Nicolas Meyssonnier, manages to accomplish in his landmark release is that you'll never be able to guess what's around the next bend. Whether that be more platforming, fighting some enemies, or suddenly getting swept up by a gargoyle and controlling the height at which it flies so you don't get slammed into obstacles. Or maybe it'll be a ride through the night sky on a ghostly horse, where you have to dodge projectiles and jump over fences. Perhaps you'll have to throw your pumpkin head into a tube and have it play whack-a-mole or Simon says. These are just a few of the mechanics that are continually introduced from the start of the campaign, until the very end. Pumpkin Jack is a title that is very much in the same vein as other vividly colourful, 'spooky but lighthearted' releases such as MediEvil and Costume Quest. The use of colour here is phenomenal, and the bright blues, ghastly purples, chaotic reds, and eerie greens make the game jump to life, while the volumetric fog serves to paint everything in a ghostly light. The aesthetic it houses is inherently cartoony, but it's also flavoured with splashes of crooked-and-bent stylings that are deeply reminiscent of something that Tim Burton would cook up. There are six levels in total, and each one of them has its own atmosphere and vibe; from a creepy cemetery to a bubbling swamp, and further beyond to a twisted winter wonderland. Even if you've played thousands of games, it's guaranteed that you haven't ever seen anything quite as visually captivating as this release. Although the developer took inspiration from other artists, they managed to create a style that's uniquely their own. Aiding the visuals is the incantation-esque OST, which is hypnotic in its bewitching composure. It has been expertly crafted, and rivals any and all AAA soundtracks (aside from DOOM and Silent Hill, of course). When there's nothing bad that can be said about a game, nitpicking starts to occur. While there really isn't anything bad about this title, there are some things that could stand to be improved in the future. For one, none of the weapons feel like upgrades, but they feel like reskins instead; the scythe, for example, does not feel more powerful than the shovel. Some additional moves or maybe one or two more special powers would've been nice as well. Additionally, VSync doesn't stay enabled when exiting and reloading the game, you have to turn it off and back on again. Again, these are extremely minor things that aren't even significant, but I am providing some improvement feedback here as I want to see this game thrive with additional content, or sequels. The entire encompassing experience that Pumpkin Jack provides feels wonderfully charismatic and magical. There is a cinematic quality to the game, much like what is found in the darker-but-still-kid-friendly movies like Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline, and Frankenweenie. There is an allurement here that has not been present in video games for a while, and it's no wonder that Pumpkin Jack is already capturing the hearts and souls of gamers. The only downside at all is that the campaign only lasts about five hours, making it feel almost like a tech demo for some bigger project. The good news to that is, the developer did leave an open shot for a direct sequel. Let's hope that he takes that plunge, because this is a game worthy of turning into a series. The fact that this game was developed by one person, with the help of a very small handful of others, is astonishing. A deep, full-bodied congratulations to Nicolas Meyssonnier; you should be incredibly proud of what you've created and achieved. [h1]Rating: [b]5.0/5.0[/b] - An astonishing achievement, this game must be played.[/h1] The Horror Network [url=http://store.steampowered.com/curator/28221963/]Curator[/url] | [url=http://steamcommunity.com/groups/thehorrornetwork]Group[/url] Click for Gore