"Spooky Spectacle: A Virtual Halloween Bash with Surprises"
In a bid to ditch the local park's underwhelming spooky decorations and avoid another year of Scottish farm visits, one family turned to an unlikely alternative: a virtual Halloween festival. The brainchild of game developer Adam Robinson-Yu, Ghost Town Pumpkin Festival was born out of the 2020 pandemic, when his own neighbourhood pumpkin fest was cancelled.
Fast forward to today, and this autumnal online extravaganza has evolved into a delightful micro-world that invites players to don adorable ghostly avatars and explore a creepy landscape replete with player-created pumpkins. Each year, the festival improves, introducing new attractions like haunted house escape rooms – which proved a fiendishly tricky puzzle for the author's kids and him – and a movie theatre screening eerie silent films.
Upon entering this digital realm, players are greeted by an onslaught of otherworldly spectres, some sporting fetching hats, while others proudly display gaming-themed tributes. A hollow knight helmet, Majora's Mask-inspired designs – and even a cat on the moon – all make appearances amidst the sea of jack-o'-lanterns.
But beneath the obvious attractions lies a treasure trove of hidden secrets and collectible pin badges waiting to be unearthed by intrepid explorers like the author. From the movie theatre's "access restricted" door, which led to an excellent bite-sized horror game – albeit one too scary for the author's young ones – to the ingenious puzzle-solving required to unlock special rewards, this virtual festival proves a masterclass in immersive storytelling.
With its pay-what-you-want model and downloadable format on itch.io, Ghost Town Pumpkin Festival is an inviting proposition for families, gamers, and horror fans alike. So why not stick around after the pumpkin-carving's done and uncover more of this spooky spectacle?
In a bid to ditch the local park's underwhelming spooky decorations and avoid another year of Scottish farm visits, one family turned to an unlikely alternative: a virtual Halloween festival. The brainchild of game developer Adam Robinson-Yu, Ghost Town Pumpkin Festival was born out of the 2020 pandemic, when his own neighbourhood pumpkin fest was cancelled.
Fast forward to today, and this autumnal online extravaganza has evolved into a delightful micro-world that invites players to don adorable ghostly avatars and explore a creepy landscape replete with player-created pumpkins. Each year, the festival improves, introducing new attractions like haunted house escape rooms – which proved a fiendishly tricky puzzle for the author's kids and him – and a movie theatre screening eerie silent films.
Upon entering this digital realm, players are greeted by an onslaught of otherworldly spectres, some sporting fetching hats, while others proudly display gaming-themed tributes. A hollow knight helmet, Majora's Mask-inspired designs – and even a cat on the moon – all make appearances amidst the sea of jack-o'-lanterns.
But beneath the obvious attractions lies a treasure trove of hidden secrets and collectible pin badges waiting to be unearthed by intrepid explorers like the author. From the movie theatre's "access restricted" door, which led to an excellent bite-sized horror game – albeit one too scary for the author's young ones – to the ingenious puzzle-solving required to unlock special rewards, this virtual festival proves a masterclass in immersive storytelling.
With its pay-what-you-want model and downloadable format on itch.io, Ghost Town Pumpkin Festival is an inviting proposition for families, gamers, and horror fans alike. So why not stick around after the pumpkin-carving's done and uncover more of this spooky spectacle?
. This game sounds like an absolute blast for kids (and let's be honest, adults too!) and it's awesome that it's pay-what-you-want so we can all try it out without breaking the bank 
. My kid was totally obsessed with those collectible pin badges - I loved watching them get excited about exploring new things and collecting rewards 
. It's great to see developers creating experiences like this that are both fun and engaging for kids, not just some boring old Halloween decorations 
. Also, I love the idea of hidden secrets and collectible pin badges – adulting never had to be so much fun 
.
I'm so over virtual Halloween bashes. Like, what's next? Virtual Christmas parties? 
And don't even get me started on the "pay-what-you-want" model... what's the point of that? Is it supposed to be some kind of sick joke? 
. Don't get me wrong, it sounds like a blast, but what about all that fresh air and exercise... or is that just an excuse to stay home and play games with the kids 
. But yeah, the pay-what-you-want model is genius and the itch.io format makes it super easy to jump in whenever we want 
. And the community aspect is really cool - my kids found some great designs from other players that made them giggle 
. And can we talk about the collectible pin badges – I've been searching for every single one of them! 
But what really gets me excited is how they're using their pay-what-you-want model to make it accessible to everyone, not just those who can afford a pricey ticket 
! I mean, think about it, you're just browsin' through some creepy digital landscape, don't know what to expect, and BAM! You're sucked into this immersive world with all these secrets and collectibles. It's like they're tryin' to get you hooked on somethin', ya know? And that pay-what-you-want model? Sounds like a trap to me... 
! adam robinson-yu did an amazing job creating a whole new world with player-created pumpkins & haunted house escape rooms... my kids were hooked from the get go! 
u can even pay what u want on itch.io which is super nice of them. i think its defo a great alternative to the local park's decorations & who needs scottish farms lol 
cant wait 2 stick around after its all done & see whats new 
! Who needs a soggy Scottish farm when you can hang out in a creepy digital realm 
? The attention to detail is insane - from the avatars to the haunted house escape rooms... it's like they raided a gaming convention and made it their own spooky playground 
. And the fact that it's pay-what-you-want on itch.io makes it accessible to anyone, regardless of what kind of hardware you're rocking 
. I've spent hours exploring this digital realm with my kids, and we still haven't found all the secrets 
... can't wait to come back next year! 
I mean, who needs to traipse through a Scottish farm when you can hang out with some digital ghouls and have a blast? 
The creator's done an amazing job of building this whole world from scratch. And let me tell you, the little details are what make it shine – like those pin badges and collectibles. It's like they're hiding Easter eggs just waiting for you to find 'em! 
. If you haven't checked it out yet, I'd give it a solid 10/10. Trust me, you won't be disappointed! 