GAME CLEAR No. 260 -- Halloween Forever
video games game clear poppy works imaginary monsters ps vita playstationHalloween Forever (2016, Multiplatform)
Developer: Imaginary Monsters
Publisher: Poppy Works
Clear Version: PS Vita
Clear Platform: PS Vita
Clear Date: 10/7/25
| Why should I care? |
|---|
| It’s October, baby, get in the spirit with a retro platformer full of ghouls, ghosts, and other Halloween delights. |
Get pumped
It’s not often I have a reason to bust out the lowly, under-supported PlayStation Vita. In fact, I believe the last time I finished a game on the platform was a couple months before I started this blog some five years ago. I busted it back out to continue my annual tradition of playing horror and occult-themed games during the month of October. My very first GAME CLEAR post, in fact, was for dear old Maximo way back in 2020. I’m happy to say that Halloween Forever firmly joins the ranks of my favorite terrifying seasonal games I’ve enjoyed over the years and is worthy of a spot in anyone’s October lineup.
As you can easily gather from its trailer, Halloween Forever is a whimsical pixel platformer that leans heavily into Halloween kitsch. You play as a pumpkin-head man who barfs candy corn in a sort of pitiful arc as his only attack. Great! You navigate five levels of spooky graveyards, castles, and dungeons dodging scary skeletons, sorcerers, demons, snakes, crows, and other creatures of the night. Aside from your attack, all you’ve got is your standard directional movement, double jump, and your wits to get you through each stage.
The levels each contain a mid-boss and a final boss, all of which offer a stout, nice challenge, seldom repeating the same idea twice. Beat them all and take down the Necroking to save the world of Halloween Forever from, uh, whatever threat he poses to it.
It’s great, man. It has the perfectly responsive, snappy control you want from a platformer that is pretty demanding. You only get a couple of lives to start, and if you’re impatient with the enemies and hazards you face, you will find your HP drained quickly. Before long, though, you’ll get familiarize yourself with the environments and start cruising through the game.
It’s a short one once you know what you’re doing, but its runtime is extended by the various unlockable characters you can rescue throughout the game. These buddies of Pumpkin Man come equipped with their own unique attacks that change the way you must approach subsequent playthroughs with them. Butternut Bro’s explosive attack is way better than Pumpkin Man’s wimpy one and makes for a solid character to attempt a first clear with. Ms. Witch, meanwhile, throws cats at her foes that scurry along the ground of their own accord until passing out for a catnap. Grizzledude, who seems to just be an amorphous blob man with a skull resting on top of it is adorable when he lifts up a little hand to cast his straight-flying spell attack. Hell, they’re all adorable!
That’s the thing this game is: an adorable celebration of the softer side of Halloween tradition. Its cutesy spritework of its characters and environments alike combined with its bumping chiptunes are sure to put you in the Halloween spirit. Combine that with what is a very solid, challenging platformer, and you’ve got a great ten-dollar game. I’m glad I decided to revisit it after remembering I’d downloaded it on my Vita years ago. I think the smaller form factor of a traditional handheld is the perfect place to play it, but it’s also readily available on more modern platforms like the Switch, PC, etc. Find it on your device of choice and get in the Halloween spirit… if you dare.
