Evil Pumpkin: The Lost Halloween
- July 11, 2014
- Two Desperados
Get on Steam"Evil Pumpkin: The Lost Halloween" is a humorous adventure game where you help Lemuel Barnabas restore the lost Halloween celebration in the city of Dern. The game offers 10+ hours of gameplay across 6 chapters, with the choice between point-and-click and hidden-object game modes. Collect and use various objects, including Giztruments, to uncover the mystery behind the missing holiday.
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Reviews
- The game features a challenging and engaging set of puzzles that require critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
- The artwork and Halloween-themed atmosphere are visually appealing and contribute to an enjoyable gaming experience.
- The game offers a lengthy playtime, providing a substantial amount of content for players.
- The game suffers from poor translation and confusing storytelling, making it difficult to follow the plot and objectives.
- Many puzzles are illogical or frustratingly obscure, often requiring players to rely on hints or walkthroughs to progress.
- There are numerous bugs and glitches that can lead to game-breaking issues, significantly detracting from the overall experience.
- story42 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's story revolves around a young boy's quest to restore Halloween in a town that has banned it, featuring quirky characters and a mix of humor and drama. However, many players find the narrative poorly written and difficult to follow, with complaints about backtracking, nonsensical plot elements, and frustrating puzzles that detract from the overall experience. Despite its interesting premise and engaging visuals, the execution leaves much to be desired, leading to a mixed reception regarding the storytelling quality.
“The story in this game starts with a little boy reading a stolen Halloween book that tells the 'actual' story of Halloween.”
“The story follows a little boy on a journey to find out why his town is the only place in the world without a Halloween.”
“Interesting story: a young boy tries to bring back Halloween in a town that has banned it for years, lots of quirky characters and creatures along the curious journey.”
“The story is completely nonsensical; some dexterity challenges and frustrating puzzles with an obtuse help system; strange voice acting at times.”
“The story (if that's what you want to call it) makes no sense whatsoever; it's like the guy who wrote it was on some kind of hallucination trip.”
“Interesting idea for a story that was very badly ruined by mechanics and jumps of logic that required the use of inventory items that were less ideal for a solution than others.”
- gameplay18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this game features traditional hidden object and puzzle-solving mechanics typical of the genre, but it suffers from inconsistencies and poorly designed puzzles that detract from the experience. While it offers a lengthy playtime and a hint system, many players find the gameplay frustrating and illogical, with RPG mechanics that feel superficial. Overall, despite its charming graphics and atmosphere, the gameplay is often described as uneven and lacking coherence.
“The gameplay of this game, and all other HOPA games, consists of you going through rooms, solving puzzles, collecting items, and, most importantly, looking for hidden objects.”
“Yeah, did I mention that this game has difficulties, a hint system, and even RPG mechanics?”
“Gameplay: difficult, very difficult in places, but not impossible as some of the negative reviews claim.”
“Interesting idea for a story that was very badly ruined by mechanics and jumps of logic that required the use of inventory items that were less ideal for a solution than others.”
“The gameplay, though...many of the puzzles are really bad and obtuse.”
“And, while the graphics and atmosphere are charming, the gameplay is all over the place - it's a mess.”
- graphics16 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as charming and visually appealing, with a cartoonish art style reminiscent of Tim Burton. While not of AAA quality, the artwork is detailed and contributes positively to the game's atmosphere, complemented by good music and entertaining character designs. However, some users noted inconsistencies in quality and animation, suggesting that while the visuals are enjoyable, they may not meet everyone's expectations.
“I quite liked the art style and animations; they're not AAA quality, but that's not really what you expect from this type of game anyways.”
“Beautifully detailed artwork; a motley crew of entertaining characters; wide variety of fun puzzles to play through; abundance of interactivity and observations; lengthy for a casual game.”
“The really neat, cute-yet-spooky artwork and the Halloween-themed story alone could make you easily addicted to this.”
“And, while the graphics and atmosphere are charming, the gameplay is all over the place - it's a mess.”
“I do recommend this game but only if you really like Halloween, have lots of patience with puzzles, don't mind mixed quality graphics and sound, and can purchase the game for 5 dollars or less.”
“The graphics are neat, as is the story.”
- music9 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 22 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as fitting the spooky atmosphere, but it suffers from repetitiveness and a lack of variety, with some players noting long periods of silence and a short looping soundtrack. While the visuals and overall presentation are praised, the limited and generic music detracts from the experience for some users.
“The presentation is good, with nice graphics and music, along with tolerable voice acting and limited animation.”
“Beautiful visuals, good music, and charming puzzles and setting.”
“The puzzle variety includes music, sliders, logic, recipe, and picture puzzles.”
“Not only that, but most HOPA games seem to take place in a spooky mansion with eerie music and other generic creepy themes.”
“The same thirty seconds of music loops over and over.”
“This game suffered from translation issues, poor design, and repetitive background music.”
- humor5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is noted for its absurdity and clever references, providing a mix of Halloween-themed comedy and dramatic elements that resonate well with players. While the story is described as both hilarious and nonsensical, some reviewers feel that the gameplay does not live up to the same standard of enjoyment.
“It's funny, Halloween-y, and challenging.”
“Absolutely illogical and utterly absurd, but rather funny too.”
“The story is very funny and dramatic.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of "Evil Pumpkin: The Lost Halloween" is characterized by a spooky, Halloween-themed charm that enhances the game's appeal, despite its reliance on still images and a somewhat chaotic gameplay experience. While the graphics contribute to the overall ambiance, the focus on puzzles over hidden object elements may leave some players wanting more cohesion. Overall, the atmosphere is described as cheesy yet enjoyable, fitting well with the Halloween spirit.
“This game seems to focus more on puzzles and point and click than hidden object, and the atmosphere is perfect for Halloween.”
“The graphics and atmosphere are charming, creating an engaging experience.”
“"Spooky" atmosphere (cheesy, but fun for the spirit of things).”
“Thus, Evil Pumpkin: The Lost Halloween also falls in the category of still images, spooky atmosphere, and a few puzzles.”
“While the graphics and atmosphere are charming, the gameplay is all over the place - it's a mess.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is criticized for being plagued by numerous bugs and glitches from the start, leading to frustrating experiences with both puzzles and gameplay. While some aspects of the game are enjoyable, the persistent technical issues detract significantly from the overall experience.
“It's annoying and buggy from the beginning, but after some time I encountered a bug I wasn't able to work around.”
“This isn't helped at all by the game's terrible puzzles, which range from annoying to buggy.”
“But be forewarned about the eventual problematic puzzles and game glitches that will have you spinning around and feeling resentful that a game this good for much of its run doesn't have the last several wrinkles ironed out.”
