Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 74 | 46 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 91% | 85 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 92% | 86 | 25 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 70 reviews sampled · 63 total reviews in window · weighted 38.6 up / 3.5 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (68)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 75
“Pumpkin Jack is a reminder that you don’t need a bunch of fluff to make a fun video game. It’s designed in the same way as the 3D platformers from decades past and does a great job capitalizing on what made them fun, with solid platforming mechanics, cool level variety, and even a nice aesthetic and sense of polish to top it all off.”
read full review ↗ - 80
- 75
“Pumpkin Jack is an intriguing Halloween one-hander that, even with a low-budget production, showcases incredible quality, fun and an unexpected challenge. From the workshop of one young developer came a great game boasting the mechanics and feel of those old titles from the nineties. The question is whether it will have the same positive resonance with the younger generation, for whom the title may be a little harder. As much as I enjoyed this quest to plunge the world into darkness, I probably won't repeat it again right away, especially due to some technical issues that made the gameplay experience slightly unpleasant. Even so, the negatives listed below are largely due to the fact that only one person worked on the game.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“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.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“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.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“I think Nicolas Meyssonnier's work falls just short of its action-platformer goals. But when you consider its great Halloween-themed visual design, engaging soundtrack, strong personality, creative potential, and its place in today's market, genre fans can still have a gourd time with it.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“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...”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Although dull platforming and a forgettable script hold it back, button-mashing action that feel fresh with each level, characters and bosses that would fit in any cartoon's Halloween special and a world that is filled with collectables to find and creepy things to see, proves that Pumpkin Jack has the foundation built for what could be an awesome Halloween franchise.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“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!”
read full review ↗ - 65
“Pumpkin Jack is a competent Halloween platformer that's too generic, shallow, and short to make it a must-play.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Pumpkin Jack isn't going to blow your mind here in 2021, but if you're on the market for a few hours of Halloween fun, you can't really go wrong. A game that knows exactly what it wants to be, and delivers with confidence.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“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.”
read full review ↗
cublikefoot
GameMAG
Gaming Professors
Nintendo Life
Kakuchopurei
VGChartz
Nindie Spotlight
Cubed3
Prima Games
PC Invasion
Push Square
NintendoWorldReport…and 56 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Update 1.3.9 adds Japanese to Pumpkin Jack!Nov 25, 2020
- Version 1.3.8 is now live! Also, Steam Trading Cards incoming! 🎃Nov 3, 2020significant · resets scoring window
- Pumpkin Jack - Version 1.3.4 is now live!Oct 23, 2020significant · resets scoring window