Save My Pumpkin

Save My Pumpkin is a single-player, time-management and precision-based puzzle game released in 2023 by independent developer Frostbyte Forge. The game is set in a stylized, autumnal farm environment where the player assumes the role of a scarecrow tasked with protecting a single, oversized pumpkin from a series of escalating threats. These threats include crows, insects, frost, and mischievous woodland creatures that attempt to damage or steal the pumpkin before a midnight harvest deadline. The core objective is to maintain the pumpkin’s health bar, which depletes when hazards make contact. The game features a day-night cycle, with each in-game day introducing new enemy types and environmental obstacles. The visual style employs a flat-shaded, cartoon aesthetic with a muted orange and brown color palette. The game includes a single-player campaign of 30 levels, each with a unique layout of fences, scarecrow posts, and resource nodes. A scoring system awards points based on the pumpkin’s final health percentage and the speed of completion. No multiplayer or online functionality is present.

Gameplay and controls are structured around a point-and-click interface. The player controls a scarecrow avatar that can move freely within the farm plot using the mouse or a controller’s left analog stick. The primary action is to collect resources—such as straw, nails, and water—by clicking on resource nodes scattered across the level. These resources are used to construct defensive structures. To build, the player selects a structure type from a radial menu (activated by right-click or the B button) and then clicks a valid location on the ground. Structures include scarecrow decoys to distract crows, fences to block ground-based enemies, and sprinklers to repel insects. Each structure requires a specific resource cost and has a cooldown timer before it can be repaired or replaced. The player can also directly interact with the pumpkin by clicking on it to perform a manual repair, which consumes a small amount of straw. The game uses a health bar displayed at the top of the screen, which decreases when the pumpkin is hit. A timer in the upper right corner counts down to the end of the level. The player can pause the game at any time using the Escape key or the Start button. No keyboard shortcuts beyond the Escape key are supported. The game does not include a tutorial; all mechanics are introduced through on-screen text prompts during the first three levels.