Deal | 90% positive: Spooky platformer drops to around $2 for the first time on Steam

In Pumpkin Jack, players find themselves on the side of evil for a change. As a walking scarecrow with a pumpkin for a head, they travel through the cursed kingdom of Arc En Ciel on behalf of the Devil to take down a powerful wizard. The wizard is standing in the way of the Devil's plan to plunge the world into chaos. Rather than a dark horror adventure, however, players can expect a humorous spooky tale with an exaggerated cartoon style strongly reminiscent of 3D platformers from the PlayStation 2 era.

In terms of gameplay, Pumpkin Jack offers a straightforward mix of platforming, hack-and-slash combat and puzzles. Jack jumps through haunted landscapes, battles all kinds of monsters and repeatedly faces powerful bosses. Different weapons, platforming challenges and unusual puzzles help keep things varied. Some puzzles even require Jack to detach his pumpkin head from his body.

Pumpkin Jack is currently 93% off on Steam until November 2, bringing the price down to just $2.09 instead of nearly $30. According to SteamDB, the previous maximum discount was 91%, meaning the current deal marks a new all-time low.

It's hardly surprising that the action platformer is so cheap right now – Halloween is just around the corner, after all. And judging by the Steam reviews, Pumpkin Jack is a perfect fit for the spooky season. Alongside its charming presentation and entertaining boss fights, players particularly praise the game's well-executed Halloween atmosphere. The relatively simple combat system and short playtime receive less praise, but the positives clearly outweigh the negatives: 90% of more than 10,000 Steam user reviews are positive.

The reception on Metacritic is noticeably more reserved, with a Metascore of 71 and a user score of 7.0. Critics mainly point out that Pumpkin Jack brings little new to the genre and, despite its varied ideas, doesn't offer much depth. The short playtime has also been criticized. At the current sale price, however, these shortcomings may be easier to overlook.

Pumpkin Jack certainly doesn't reinvent the wheel, but its charming spooky atmosphere makes it a great fit for Halloween. Anyone looking for a straightforward 3D platformer with plenty of quirky humor should feel right at home here. The spooky adventure should also run smoothly on the Steam Deck, thanks to its Verified status.

Anyone still on the fence can check out the gameplay trailer below:

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