Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Pumpkin King

 Game Boy Advance
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Pumpkin King Image
Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
5.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 8 Ratings

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  • Summary: Much to the dismay of Jack Skellington and the citizens of Halloween Town, unusual bugs have started to infest their township. At the root of this ever-increasing bug invasion is Oogie Boogie, a former holiday king who is determined to take over Halloween. With help from his friends Sally,Much to the dismay of Jack Skellington and the citizens of Halloween Town, unusual bugs have started to infest their township. At the root of this ever-increasing bug invasion is Oogie Boogie, a former holiday king who is determined to take over Halloween. With help from his friends Sally, the mayor, and Dr. Finklestein, Jack and his trusted pal Zero embark on a quest to rid the town of bugs and stop Oogie Boogie from carrying out his evil plot. As Jack, you must battle Oogie's creepy henchmen using an arsenal of different weapons and navigate through booby traps, mazes, and puzzles. … Expand
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. GameSpy
    80
    TOSE has done a topnotch job of proving it's possible to create a licensed game perfectly playable by children and adults alike without insulting the intelligence of either, one of the highest compliments that can be laid on games with such a shameful expectation attached.
  2. NintendoWorldReport
    80
    A beefy and satisfying adventure on a system that probably doesn't have many big games left in the pipeline.
  3. Nintendophiles
    75
    It's dramatic and overdone in typical Burton style. You can continue where you last saved or simply quit, but I'd recommend letting Jack die at least once just so that you can witness how cool it looks.
  4. Nintendo Power
    65
    Strip away The Pumpkin King's look and feel and you're left with a "Castlevania"-influenced platformer with only a handful of weapons and run-of-the-mill boss battles. [Dec 2005, p.116]
    All this publication's reviews
  5. IGN
    65
    Nightmare Before Christmas might not be all that amazing visually, and audio-wise it's the absolute pits.

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 4
  3. Negative: 2 out of 4
  1. 0pollo
    Jan 20, 2021
    7
    Great metroidvania like game. Great gameplay mechanics and a good story. If you want try it out go for it you probably won't be disappointed.
  2. KendylKlownfish
    May 7, 2011
    6
    A playable, but overall, visually unimpressive licensed GBA game. Pros: The backgrounds are pure TNBC; some Castlevania influence thatA playable, but overall, visually unimpressive licensed GBA game. Pros: The backgrounds are pure TNBC; some Castlevania influence that surprisingly works; lots of extras/secrets. Cons: Too easy, too short; visually uninspiring; lacks any kind of innovation the film held.… Expand
  4. JohnF.
    Oct 13, 2005
    4
    Instead of going for a Mario-esque platform experience, the developers of 'Nightmare Before Christmas: Pumpkin King' have turned a Instead of going for a Mario-esque platform experience, the developers of 'Nightmare Before Christmas: Pumpkin King' have turned a promising idea into a dreary 'Castleroid' rip off with no compelling reason to keep going. The map is expansive, sure, but there's not a whole lot to see. Backgrounds are impressive but sprites and levels themselves look like something from the days of GameBoy Color. Sound effects sound like they were pulled directly from "Super Mario Land". You'll see loads of characters and set pieces from the film but in the end, if that's what you want to see, just watch the movie. You'll have a much better time. And this coming from a hard-core 'Nightmare Before Christmas' fan.… Expand
  5. RyanB.
    Oct 6, 2005
    3
    Uninspired. Graphics nail the Tim Burton style fairly well, but gameplay tries to lift it's formula from Konami's Castlevania, Uninspired. Graphics nail the Tim Burton style fairly well, but gameplay tries to lift it's formula from Konami's Castlevania, while providing it's own unique twists - and ends up falling flat on it's face in the process.… Expand