Pumpkin Eater
A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, and Linux
Peter, Peter pumpkin eater,
Had a wife but couldn't keep her;
He put her in a pumpkin shell
And there he kept her very well.
Pumpkin Eater is a psychological horror visual novel about a family taking care of their pumpkin-headed son.
Features:
- A 45 minute kinetic story. Sit back, relax, and watch the insanity unfold
- Hand drawn illustrations
- 100% medical accuracy, complete with a glossary and timeline of events
- Available in Turkish, Spanish, and Chinese!
WARNING: This story contains child endangerment and graphic depictions of violence and human decomposition. Visuals can be censored in settings.
“One of the most unsettling games I’ve ever played[…] Pumpkin Eater is a masterpiece of visual and narrative art. I don’t think they could make it better if they tried. It’s a perfectly succinct and full horror tale unlike any other.”
DreadXP
“The narrative is so riveting that it really pulls you in. The hand drawn visuals are fairly simple, but effective and the descriptions of the son’s decomposing body are both medically accurate and horrifying. Highly recommended.”
Alpha Beta Gamer
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $1.99 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Development log
- Turkish/Chinese Translations + 50% off sale!Dec 22, 2021
- Future of Pumpkin Eater: Steam + Price IncreaseNov 04, 2021
- Pumpkin Eater Version 1.1Oct 02, 2021
Comments
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I wish I could share my enjoyment of this with everyone I know. Fantastic, eerie, horrid. A uniquely disturbing story. I want to hold it very tightly in my hands. The research that was put into this makes the experience all the more fascinating and disturbing. I love it a LOT.
Truly unique and eerie experience. 10/10!!
I wanted to eat after playing this game, but I would prefer to never eat again
Didnt played but watched in YouTube, its so charmy and horrifying
Horrifying and chilling. I loved it!
10/10 made me never want to want pumpkins again!
Really cool !
I love watercolor games, specially visual novels.
Great job
It feels fitting that the story does not have a happy ending.
this was fascinating. great story alone but the scientific accuracy brings it to another level. absolutely amazing
i was literally eating while playing this!!!!!!!
Played this game live on stream and wow. Amazing job! Hard to get through in the beginning because I was gagging at how gross it was but I knew what I signed up for. The story was heartbreaking, terrifying, and very accurate to decomposition. It was so well done and is one of my favourite visual novels I've played/read. Thank you!
Very well made visual novel.
This one was amazing...i usually dont enjoy visual novel games but it really deserves the price and the playing time!
Didn't play the game, but watched ManlyBadassHero's gameplay, and it's really unique ! The artstyle and the water color give a really nice look. It's also rare that's I truly feel empathy for a character, the daughter simply lived a total nightmare. Also agree that it could be a really nice movie !
This game gives me the creeps. I always was disturbed from classic stories like Struwwelpeter and others because of the weird atmosphere, creepy character design but mostly the story itself. And now you did that with the intention of making it a Horror game... I guess i will revisit the sleepless nights again
I had to look up what Struwwelpeter was, but that's a very cool comparison! I'm glad people love the watercolor illustrations, it does look like something out of a children's book. Thanks!
Ok so I don't know what happened but I am currently playing this game but, I haven't payed for it. I didn't even know it costed money! I'm almost positive it wasn't a demo, was it free for a limited amount of time and that's what happened? Is it a glitch? Please let me know
Hello! Yes, this game was free for a limited amount of time. My artist and I decided to make it paid and posted an announcement of the change about two weeks ago. If you already downloaded the game before the price change, then congrats, you already own it! Everything is fine :)
If you're into body horror and visual novels, playing this game is a no brainer.
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creepy storyPositively bone chilling game... very well made!
I loved this game. I was immersed into the story. I felt the disgust from the rotting body. Thought it was weird with the pumpkin theme, probably its kind of symbolic of putting on something that hides your core problems. Hated the mother and the father and was definitely wanting the daughter to get what she deserves. The art was alright. Good job devs! Keep making more!
this is so cool!!! jaw dropping in many ways lol! im glad someone else finds these concepts intriguing and it's awesome that you did so much research to make this :)) it's very impressive and i loved playing it
Rarely does a game make me feel such strong emotions. I don't know whether to cry or gag, but take that as a compliment!
Thank you! And compliment accepted! I love horror stories that disturb, but also pull at your heart strings. :D
hehehehe lois look im a game hehehehe
hehehe lois I've been hit by a car and now my family is keeping my rotting body around the house believing I'm alive heheheheh
This is probably the best game I’ve played from itchio so far. The narration & story was so well done. I am so excited to see more from you. This was the second game I played in this video.
The best game?! Oh thank you so much, I really appreciate the letsplay!
I really appreciate you taking so much time to create this game. The research you did must have been excruciating! It made such a compelling story. Was definitely disturbing & I simply couldn’t stop playing.
This was a great psychological horror. I loved the graphics and the disturbing story of the family's descent into madness. The description of the son's decomposition along with the mother's denial was very unsettling. The increasing tension/dysfunction in the family really had me rooting for poor Gloria. A beautiful and dark game/visual novel - I hope to see more.
Wow what a crazy story. A crazy good story. Kudos to all the research put in. Feels bad for the dad tho TT
Thank you! I enjoy hearing people's thoughts about my cast of characters. <3
Terrifying! The storytelling is beautiful yet haunting at the same time. Plus, the art style and visuals are incredibly charming. I loved this very, very much and this is coming from someone who has devoured almost every piece of horror media out. Hope I'm able to read or see more of your work! Excellent job! <3
P.D.: I only created an itch.io acc to leave you a comment, I'm seriously in love with this!
Creating an account just to compliment my game, that is very kind of you! I'm a horror fanatic too, so I'm glad you enjoyed my game just as much as me creating it :)
bestie thugzilla out here with another banger!
bESTIE OH YOU ARE SO SWEET! Thank you! I hope you enjoyed playing it!
Really enjoyed this one! The art style goes really well with the creepiness, and the timeline and decomposition glossary at the end was very educational...
Thank you! I put countless hours of research making this as accurate as I could! I'm planning on going into forensic pathology, so I have to know my stuff! :D
God this was so good, and one of the few games that genuinely left me shaking after playing. Theres always something about psychological horror that hits 1000 times harder than jumpscares ever could. Imma be honest im almost sympathetic for the mother, clinging to her sons life so hard she deludes herself into believing it'll be okay again. And god, the poor little girl, having to struggle through her mothers delusions. I honestly dont think a single person in this game isnt a victim, the mothers trying to cope, the fathers going along with it at risk of his own life, and the poor little girl having to deal with it all.
All in all. 10/10 game
Thank you! I'm a big lover of horror films, especially psychological horror like The Lighthouse or The Shining, so I completely agree on how you feel. I enjoy stories that get under your skin and keep you up for hours thinking about what you just saw, and not how the spoopy ghost is hiding under your bed.
And I'm glad you enjoyed the family dynamic and how you still felt sympathy for these characters, despite the events that occurred. It was definitely difficult writing multiple characters interacting at once! :D
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THIS IS AN EPIC VN GAME DEV
Damn, this is an amazing horror story, I loved it and it was INTENSE! The visual style is absolutely gorgeous, it was one of the first things that caught my eye and it works great with the gruesome details of the story itself. In a way, it had the Ari Aster intensity and family dynamic, which is to say, I will probably think about this story for quite a while.
Personally, I did not think that it needed longer scenes, I think it had the right length since it’s just short enough to reel in people who are new to the genre and might be a little overwhelmed by the longer visual novels. Plus, I actually love if things are left to the imagination, especially with stories like this.
I think my only tip would be to include not just child endangerment but child abuse and death to the content warning because it might be triggering for some people who expect not more than kids playing dangerous games and it's not necessarily a spoiler since it all happens very early on in the story/game.
But other than that, absolutely gorgeous. I actually wanted to read quite a few horror visual novels for October and I guess I couldn’t have picked a better story to start the month.
A-ARI ASTER??? You are too kind, my friend QwQ
Thank you for the letsplay!
great story vids up 10th october on my little channel doing a 3rd year of horror games for the hallloween season
This would have to be one of the most disturbing visual novel games I have ever played. Great job at creating a creepy story that sticks with you afterword. Keep up the good work!
Awesome and creepy plot.
This game is so goooooood!!👀🙏🙏
I instantly fell in love with the art as soon as I started playing it. It's truly beautiful! From the sprites' expressions to the character's design, everything is so eye-catching. Amazing work with it.
The story is super immersive! At some points I was at the edge of my seat biting my nails and losing my mind🥺👌 it was awesome! I couldn't stop playing until I reached the end srsdessfzffhaa everything was perfect🥰🥰
As a horror/gore lover, I need to thank you for creating such a beautiful game.
I loved this so much I don't even know how to put it into words anymore agsvjsvsjx Seriously. Awesome work🤗❤️
Thank you, I appreciate it! Awiola is an absolute beast for drawing all this art in a month! XD