If you're trying to figure out how to beat the Clown duo, or want to know the best way to anticipate the unnerving Skinwalker and what to do about that seemingly "innocent" deer especially when it decides to sneak its way in front of your door, then this Pumpkin Panic all monsters guide is here to help!
Pumpkin Panic is a cute, survival horror game disguised as a cozy farming sim.
Imagine Stardew Valley meets Don't Starve -- except that since this is currently a free-pay-what-you-want indie game, it's not as fleshed out yet as those 2 -- but it nailed the basics right!
💡 Tip: Be sure to have a good pair of headset or earphones ready as we have to rely on music cues a lot to be able to survive until we have enough gears to run the boat and leave that cursed farm.
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As of version 1.1, your pumpkin-headed farmer will deal with 5 different cryptids depending on the day and time in the game.
Initial attempts of aentropygames and I in playing this + my audacious speedrun lol
TABLE OF CONTENTSPumpkin Panic Monsters:I. Skinwalker II. Shadow Twin III. Well Creature IV. Clowns V. Deer |
I. Skinwalker
The skinwalker is the very first monster you'll encounter in the game. It's a hairless creature that acts like a rabid dog on all fours but with the body and face of a disturbing screaming human.
A. When It Spawns
The first time it shows up in a playthrough is after around 2 1/2 minutes, followed by every roughly 4 minutes or so after. Sometimes it spawns slightly 10-15 seconds earlier (for reasons unknown), or sometime later (if spawn time coincides with the Clown, or if the player is somewhere near the edge of the farm and this cryptid decides to be nice enough to say hello around the fence outside).
💡 Tip: Have a timer or speedrun clock ready (even if you're not speedrunning) to anticipate its spawn time better especially if you're still having the newbie jitters.
You hear a disturbing harmonica sound 10 seconds or so before it shows up and chases you -- so you can still quickly plant or harvest crops before dashing inside the house.
The skinwalker then stays for roughly 30 seconds, going back and forth near the door (or slamming it repeatedly if you're standing 2 blocks near the door), before running back to the woods.
B. How to Defeat the Skinwalker
If you're still new or somewhere at the far end of the farm (near the boat), dash your way back to the house the moment you hear the harmonica sound to avoid being clawed and munched on. Otherwise, don't panic, just chill and finish whatever it is that you're doing before heading home -- but all within 10-15 seconds.
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| Shoo! |
After more than 30 seconds have passed, it will finally return to the woods.
Usually.
There are moments when it randomly returns even after 30 seconds of running wild near the house, and can totally catch you off-guard especially since it doesn't warn you beforehand anymore with any sound.
But this time instead of tailing you, it will run straight horizontally (left to right, or vice versa). Moving your character vertically (up or down) away from its current path will help you survive.
C. Thoughts About This Monster
This creature made us all scream the first time in the game, particularly if you've been lured into playing it as a chill cozy game with just a spooky atmosphere, and didn't know that this is actually a survival game.
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| But I like this one the most because it adds excitement, yes? |
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II. Shadow Twin
As its name suggests, it's the dark shadowy doppelganger (with red eyes) of your pumpkin-headed farmer.
A. When It Spawns
It spawns under your bed once all 3 candles have been snuffed out from staying longer than you should inside the house. Each candle lasts for only 20-25 seconds. After more than a minute of being inside the house, the Shadow Twin will spawn.
B. How to Defeat the Shadow Twin
Just don't stay for more than 1 minute inside the house, and get out, go back farming as soon as the Skinwalker is gone, and you're done buying and upgrading whatever it is you need in the Shop table.
C. Thoughts About This Monster
You see a red bed like in Minecraft and think,
"Ah, it's time to sleep after a long day of farming!"
NOPE.
There is no work-life balance and boundaries on this farm. The Shadow Twin ensures that you get up, and keep grinding 24/7.
How dare you sleep?!
The Shadow Twin is literally the personification of every startup entrepreneur's subconscious that jolts us back awake even though a sleep-deprived state is never sustainable.
We don't sleep. But we gotta take naps. Plenty of naps. (Just kidding, it all depends on one's chronotype -- Samsung and Google Pixel have an app to track it! Track yours and follow it! Don't ever listen to that "Wake Up at 3 a.m." nonsense. Always listen to your own body and follow what works for you.)
For those with normal careers, it's a nod to the shadow being you see during sleep paralysis lol.
III. Well Monster
The Well monster is another shadow figure with red eyes and a Cheshire cat smile.
We sometimes call it "Well Being".
Vibe check?~
A. When It Spawns
The Well being creature spawns from inside the well (duh) usually at night time, but sometimes during the break of dawn... as well.
B. How to Defeat the Well Monster
Unlike the other 4 monsters, this one is totally harmless like the Crow. It just spooks you while getting water at night, and your lantern is off to save fuel.
It's not gonna chase after you like Sadako.
C. Thoughts About This Monster
This is the type of monster I was initially expecting in this game before I got munched on by the Skincrawler for the first time. Since then, I got panicky (I mean, this game's name totally checks out) and I dashed back into the house the first time I saw it.
IV. Clowns
There are 2 clowns in Pumpkin Panic: the first one is the Red Clown. It has a smiley face and holds a red balloon which it wants the player to take and give to the second one -- the Blue Clown. It has a sad face and waiting for the red balloon.
A. When They Spawn
The Clowns spawn one after the other (with Skinwalker running about in between) every night. They're usually found somewhere along the edges of the farm near the fences.
But there are instances where they spawn in the middle too which makes it trickier for players to find them -- more so when the Deer shows up by Day 2 and is sneaking somewhere in the shadows at night (then again, if you already made it to the Deer, it's safe to assume you don't need this Clown guide).
B. How to Defeat the Clowns
Before Day 1 ends, you'll get a note giving you a hint on what to do about the Clown situation. By nighttime, follow the music box sound twice.
💡 Tip: There's a sound of a key being turned before the music box plays. Staying alert in spotting where this sound is coming from is way easier than figuring out where the music box tune is originating -- especially since there are times when it seems like it's echoing all over the farm.
You must get the red balloon from the Red Clown, and then give it to the Blue Clown. Missing one of these will result in an instant game over because the Blue Clown is relentless in chasing you even inside the house.
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| Why can't the Red Clown just give the balloon directly to Blue Clown? I need lore lol. |
C. Thoughts About This Monster
This enemy is the one I felt nervous about first before I got to play Pumpkin Panic myself because even if I didn't watch any Let's Play videos about this game to avoid spoilers, I kept seeing players asking around how to beat the clown.
Seriously, what is a clown doing in a supposedly chill, cozy farm in the middle of the woods?
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V. Deer
The Deer is a seemingly peaceful, harmless creature that suddenly transforms without any warning into a Wendigo that moment you get too close: either right beside it or one block away from it.
There's even a sign in the forest hinting that we shouldn't trust the deer.
Heed it.
A. When It Spawns
The Deer spawns on Day 2 at the bottom right side of the farm as a way to slow down any players trying to tend the purple-keyed farm with the most expensive (but also most lucrative) crop in the game.
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| Go away! |
This creature then moves toward the center right after spawning, if -- IF -- player is constantly refilling water from the well. Otherwise, it saunters towards wherever the player is for around 60 seconds, before stopping to feed on grass or stare at nothing for 30 seconds.
💡 Tip: Don't stay on the right-most edge of the map for too long right after the Deer's spawn time, or else, it will stay there and you'll have a harder time dealing with it if you're still on the farm by Night 2 and have to look for the Clowns (which again, tend to spawn near the edges). Also, the farm's lanterns are located near the center, so it's more manageable if you contain the Deer somewhere in the center too, and let the edges be your safe area where you can occasionally turn off your lantern.
B. How to Defeat the Deer
To prevent the Deer from transforming into a Wendigo, just keep at least 2 blocks between your farmer and that creature.
If it's right beside the well (as in, literally touching the well), don't even try getting water even if you're on the opposite side. It will also trigger its transformation and start chasing you down.
Luckily, you can hide safely in your house unlike the Clown, but this Deer is too fast. Even with upgraded speed boosts, you'll still most likely won't make it.
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| Stay right there. |
If you're still new and you know that you'll still be on the farm by Night 2 onwards, invest in the lantern upgrade (reserve 200 gold for this) so you have more chances of easily spotting where it lurks at night, assuming you contain it somewhere in the middle by following the tip above.
Try not to stay in one area for too long and always plan ahead to avoid the chokepoints I'll be discussing below.
C. Thoughts About This Monster
Yeah, yeah... the Deer is supposedly there to add some challenge to non-newbie players and slow them down even just a little (if I'm not mistaken, this was added after old time players suggested it). But it still is the most annoying one for me because if you’re not careful, you might find yourself in certain unsavory chokepoints that are tricky to escape from -- which is very reminiscent of my experience in FH:Termina:
- the deer going right in front of your door while hiding from the Skinwalker, AND you only have 1 candle lit left
- the deer blocks your door when you’re about to get in the house to hide from the Skinwalker
- the deer appearing at the edge of the farm or anywhere near the Clown
- the deer trapping you from running back to the farm after fishing or installing motor gears on the boat
💡 Tip: If you end up experiencing the first chokepoint above, just wait for the Deer to go sideways and be at least 2 blocks away from your door, before going outside and dashing to the opposite direction of where it’s currently facing.
For other chokepoints, there's no other way but to prevent them in the first place.
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Now that you're armed with the knowledge of these creatures, you'll be better prepared to survive and finish Pumpkin Panic. According to its developer, players can complete version 1.1 of the game in an average of 40 to 60 minutes. But if you do some cheeky tactics, you can even cut that average time in half -- or more!
Related Post: How to Survive and Escape Quickly in Pumpkin Panic
Currently, this game is only available on Windows PC (download Pumpkin Panic from itch.io). Hopefully, it becomes available on other platforms too someday (it definitely deserves it!), so invite your friends to play it too, spread the word around, and if you can, consider giving a tip or 2 to support the game.
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| Oh, dear. |
Stay vigilant, keep your lantern fueled, and may you escape from that cursed farm! 🎃
All images are from gameplays of the author. Pumpkin Panic logo is by Bilalaika and is only used for editorial purposes. All rights reserved.
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