Halloween Forever

About Halloween Forever

Halloween Forever is a 2D action platformer by Imaginary Monsters, published by Poppy Works. It came out on Steam in October 2016, and later on PlayStation 4 and, in 2021, on Nintendo Switch. It was made in GameMaker in the style of 8-bit console games.

Something mysterious is happening in the pumpkin patch this Halloween. You control Pumpkin Man, a humanoid pumpkin thing brought to life by occult forces, who sets out to discover why everything has grown so creepy. He attacks by spitting candy corn.

The levels are pure Halloween imagery in bright pixels: tombstones and open graves, skeletons hanging from trees, a gallows by a wooden shack, cobwebbed crypts with dangling spiders and dark brick castles. Along the way you meet chainsaw maniacs, undead sorcerers, bats and plenty of skeletons, and the game works like a classic platformer: run, double jump, shoot and learn each stretch.

It is a game about Halloween rather than a frightening one, and its store ratings note crude humour, fantasy violence and mild blood. It suits players who want a seasonal game to share with younger players, or anyone who likes old-school platformers and wants something in the October mood.

How to play Halloween Forever

1. Pick Pumpkin Man and start in the pumpkin patch.
2. Run and jump through each level, avoiding spikes and pits.
3. Spit candy corn to defeat skeletons, bats, ghouls and other monsters.
4. Reach the end of each level and work through all the worlds.

Tips

• Learn each enemy's pattern before charging ahead; most hits come from rushing.
• Use the double jump to clear wide pits and dodge enemies in the air.
• Play with a controller if you can; the game has full controller support.

Questions