As the genre has slowly phased out of the AAA sphere, several modern games have attempted to resurrect the late 90s to early 00s 3D action platformer. Insomniac released a much shinier take on the original Ratchet and Clank in 2016, Other Ocean Emeryville undertook the task of remaking the first MediEvil game last year, and THQ Nordic remastered SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom just a few months ago. However, very few studios have attempted to kickstart the genre with a fresh IP.
Pumpkin Jack, a new Halloween-focused platformer devised by a single passionate developer, sets out to do just that. Introducing the player to a tongue-in-cheek world of ghosts, ghouls, and dastardly demons, it's a game that's not shy about wearing its influences on its sleeve, delivering a mix of platforming and combat that riffs on some of the genre's most iconic names. Unfortunately, this soon becomes as much Pumpkin Jack's gift as its curse, with the game ultimately relying too heavily on its nostalgic roots and never cementing what sets it apart from the pack.
For players itching to revisit the glory days where action platformers were a staple of the AAA scene, this lack of a unique selling point likely won't immediately set in. Nicholas Meyssonnier, the sole developer of the game, has gone on record stating he was a diehard fan of Jak and Daxter and the aforementioned MediEvil, and the influence of both becomes apparent from the moment the game begins. Not only does it stand as something of an ode to the fun-focused action platforming featured in both classic titles, but its wonderfully tongue-in-cheek tone replicates what made them such enduring cult-icons.
Following an appropriately whimsical storybook prologue, the player is thrust into the role of the titular Pumpkin Jack, an imprisoned spirit who makes a deal with the devil to free his soul. He soon discovers that this will be no easy task, with Satan instructing Jack to journey to the land of Boredom Kingdom and defeat a sorcerer who's challenging his dastardly plans. The only problem? The kingdom is filled with the devil's most frightening minions, including ghostly scarecrows, flying skeletons, and spectral knights.
Pumpkin Jack's endearing humor and dialogue immediately leave quite the impression. While its story really isn't anything to write home about, its characters and world are, with the witty text-based conversations and smart world-building feeling oddly reminiscent of classic platformers like Banjo Kazooie and Conker. Whether chatting to the shifty costume salesman who often remarks about the sheer number of graves he's dug up or Jack's cowardly crow partner who pales at the sight of scarecrows, Pumpkin Jack never takes itself too seriously and is all the better for it.
Jack's action-packed adventure leads players to six distinct levels, with each offering a colorful new Halloween environment to explore. All in all, it takes around 4 - 5 hours to see everything the game has to offer, with the journey wasting little time pumping in a variety of wacky mini-games and side-mechanics. In fact, Pumpkin Jack's most interesting moments frequently come when it's showing off how diverse its six levels can be.
Whether it's mounting a ghostly horse and giving chase to a flying carriage or hopping into a minecart and attempting to not careen off its precarious tracks, it seems Meyssonnier has taken extra care to ensure Pumpkin Jack never wears out its welcome. It always has something fun up its sleeve, and even if the mini-games grow repetitive towards the climax of a section, it's nice to know that the next area will have some fresh activities on the itinerary
The same can be said of the levels themselves. From a war-ravaged castle to an eerie graveyard, each area has a unique style to call its own, featuring fun elements not present in other levels. One segment tasks players with bouncing over spawnable mushrooms to reach elevated positions, while another introduces a semi-open hub that requires them to accomplish several objectives to progress. It's nothing groundbreaking, but it's nice to see that time was poured into making each area feel individual.
Outside of these varied mini-games and mechanics is where the game begins to lose some steam, with Pumpkin Jack offering a fairly mundane mix of combat and platforming. The former is definitely the weaker of the two, with a lack of real weight or punch to battles. It often seems like Pumpkin Jack wants to offer something more compelling when it comes to enemy encounters, making an assortment of weapons available for the player to try their hand at, but it soon becomes clear that this is little more than a frantic, button-mashing affair. Health plentifully cascades from dead enemies, meaning brute force is often the most direct path to success, and there's such a small variety of foes to contend with that it's hard to ever feel compelled to switch up playstyles.
Platforming is still somewhat uninspired but definitely offers a more satisfying experience. While Jack doesn't control as precisely as fellow genre stars like Mario or Crash, a number of his acrobatic sections are simple but gratifying to play, often requiring some fun navigation that never spikes the difficulty to the extreme. It could use a few more hazards and some additional depth to keep late-game setpieces interesting, but for the most part, it's a solid platformer.
Unfortunately, it often feels like Pumpkin Jack doesn't aspire to be anything more than just that. While the game is a fun callback to a variety of esteemed classics, it constantly fails to carve a niche of its own, relying on a base lineup of serviceable mechanics and a hefty load of nostalgia with little else to sweeten the deal. Few moments stand out as truly trying to push the bar, with the entire game resembling a cushy stroll down memory lane rather than an inventive modern platformer.
Looking back on what made Pumpkin Jack's influences so iconic, they were all defined by something unique. Jak and Daxter turned levels into expansive open-world areas, Ratchet and Clank had its wonderfully over the top weapons, and Sly Cooper had its stealth mechanics. In comparison, Pumpkin Jack tends to feel slightly forgettable, bringing an endearing story and functional mechanics to the table, but never managing to be anything more than an entertaining callback to a bygone era.
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 avaliable now on PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One. Game Rant was provided with a PC code for this review.
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