Pumpkins in Video Games

Written by: Adam "ManKorn" Korenman, CC2K Video Games Editor

Pumpkins are a festive, if somewhat limited, gourd. They can be made into short-term decorations, mashed into delicious pies, or hurled unceremoniously from the rooftop to splatter below. These traits don’t lend themselves very easily to the world of gaming, but some developers found creative ways to bring the Autumn treat into their titles. 

Here are the 5 most creative uses of Pumpkins in video games. 

Ichabod Clay – Clayfighter

Clayfighter arrived on gaming consoles during a precarious period in the industry. Development teams operated with zero regard for story or even playability. This was especially true in fighting games, and the era heralded the arrival of dinosaurs fighting robots and about a dozen Street Fighter knockoffs. However, amidst a sea of terrible titles arose a beacon of hope.

Clayfighter.

It’s not hard to see the appeal of such a game. Developers were looking for the next Mortal Kombat killer, and any way to get around the draconian ESRB’s blood rules was fair game. Taking a violent sport and telling it through the medium of cartoonish clay figures opened up a world of possibility. 

With a cast of incredibly diverse characters, Clayfighter was a sleeper hit. Sure, the controls were clunky and unresponsive, and there was no balance between the different twisted creatures, but damn was it fun. The colors and sounds drew you into a world of poorly animated magic. This was an era when stories were seen as unecessary distractions from the killing, and carnage reigned supreme. 

Enter Ichybod Clay.

In an obvious play on Sleepy Hollow’s Ichabod Crane, Ichybod uses his ghost powers and jack-o-lantern face to obliterate his opponents. While not the most powerful of creepies in the game, he was faster than most and had a powerful ectoplasm attack. 

Clayfighter saw second life on the Nintendo 64, but has yet to make the leap to the current generation. Can we get on this already?