Gourd on a Mission
Explore and escape China’s famous walled city in Mr. Pumpkin 2: Walls of Kowloon from Lilith Games. Solve puzzles and help residents as you make your way outside the walls.
Fiction Peppered with Fact
I went into Mr. Pumpkin 2 with no knowledge of the first game or Kowloon, so I had no expectations. This game does a splendid job of capturing the feel of the real city while you explore and solve puzzles. The game starts with the title character being sucked into a portal and transported to the real world. A young boy finds him and meets up with his grandpa, a former resident of Kowloon. Soon Mr. Pumpkin travels back to the game world to start his adventure. Tap an area to walk towards it and double tap to run. When near other people or objects, a speech bubble will appear over them; tap to talk or collect. The objects found are stored in the suitcase Mr. Pumpkin carries until they’re needed. To use an object, stand near a designated area or person, open the suitcase, and double tap the object.
Unique Puzzles & Characters
As Mr. Pumpkin travels through the city, he comes across different types of puzzles to solve. They need to be solved to advance to the next chapter of the story. Puzzle types include fixing an electrical box, making a costume prop, and unlocking a door, among other things. The difficulty of the puzzles range from simple to tricky, and some don’t always have the necessary parts. Some hints are scattered about the city, though they won’t be obvious hints until Mr. Pumpkin finds the related puzzles. Sometimes the answer to a puzzle requires talking to people. No two characters look the same, and every interaction is different. Help others to help Mr. Pumpkin, whether it’s making a meal or reuniting a father with his daughter. Giving them the correct item always grants him a puzzle-solving object, but he’ll have to figure out which puzzle it belongs to.
Searching in the Dark
Though solving the puzzles in Mr. Pumpkin 2 are easy, finding certain items for them can be tough. Hidden objects are often too hard to find, causing Mr. Pumpkin to become temporarily stuck. For example, he (eventually) found a roll of black electrical tape in a dark corner of a room. Black electrical tape. In a dark corner. There’s hard to find and then there’s impossible to find. If he wanted to use a hint, he’d have to use a Dragon Scale, which in turn costs real money. It’s unfair to be stuck on a puzzle and be blocked by a paywall guarding the hints. The developers could’ve at least offered free Dragon Scales by watching an ad.
Out on a Vine
Mr. Pumpkin 2: Walls of Kowloon is a puzzle game where you explore a city the size of a city block. Help multiple residents and solve different puzzles to make it outside the walls in this low-key adventure. Though it’s easy to get stuck, the game is still worth checking out.
Is it Hardcore?
Kind of...
Detailed background art and character design, along with creative puzzles, make for a unique gaming experience. Objects could be a little easier to find to prevent getting stuck a lot.