I didn't expect to spend so much time messing around with virtual pumpkins, but Carve and Sort: Tidy Up Your Pumpkin Patch! made it easy to lose track of time. Developed by Dan Fury, this cozy little game lets you carve pumpkins however you like, with enough tools to get creative without turning it into a complicated process.
Carve and Sort has a lot of charm, and the core experience is fun enough that I'd like to see what the developers do with it next. There's still room for improvement, but I enjoyed what the game has to offer so far.
The joy of pumpkin carving
You might expect a game about pumpkin carving to be pretty straightforward, but Carve and Sort gives you more room for creativity than you might think. You can cut different shapes, drill holes, carve deeper into the pumpkin and even add some colour to it.
Once you're happy with your creation, you can place it on one of 26 shelves in the pumpkin hall, each associated with a different design, ranging from spooky faces to moustaches. Although the game gives you a list of suggested designs, you're not forced to follow a set pattern or use a template.
Unfortunately, all those tools and options come with a drawback. The cluttered UI tries to fit so many things and menus on screen at once that it can get in the way when you're trying to focus on the pumpkin you're working on. I would have preferred a cleaner layout, but this didn't stop me from enjoying the game.
A cozy Halloween atmosphere
Carve and Sort gives Halloween a lighter feel without losing the charm of the season. The soundtrack reminds me of the cheerful, almost magical music you hear playing in shopping centres around Christmas, but with a Halloween twist that suits the game's mood. It's the kind of music you might barely notice while focusing on your latest pumpkin, yet it helps bring the whole experience together.
That same attention to atmosphere carries over to the workshop itself. Between the coffee machine, the table with sauces and the fireplace, there are little details everywhere that make the space feel like somewhere you'd actually want to spend time.
The developers could have kept things simple and focused on the shelves where you display your finished creations. Instead, giving the workshop its own character makes it feel like more than just a place to carve pumpkins.
Sharing your creations
Carving pumpkins is entertaining enough, but the community aspect is what makes the game shine. You can play in co-op with friends, either through split-screen or online, and once you've finished a pumpkin, the game gives you a unique code to share with your friends and the developers.
If your carvings are good enough, they can even be featured in the Top of the Week or Top of All Time selections. Your creations can also appear in an in-game community garden that any player can visit to see and pick up other players' pumpkins. Personally, I found this area extremely useful because it gave me plenty of inspiration whenever I got stuck on what to create next.
Seeing how much the game encourages you to share your creations, it's easy to imagine other ways to build on that idea, such as selling your pumpkins or running a shop where you could use your earnings to unlock new tools. Those are possibilities I'd be curious about, rather than features the game currently offers. However, I think the beauty of Carve and Sort lies in its simplicity, and adding too many systems could easily take away from what makes it enjoyable in the first place.
Final thoughts
Carve and Sort: Tidy Up Your Pumpkin Patch! is a lovely game to wind down with, especially if you enjoy getting creative without having to worry about doing things perfectly. Between the freedom to carve whatever comes to mind and the chance to share your designs with other players, there's enough here to keep you coming back for another pumpkin.
The game still has a couple of rough edges, but they never stopped me from enjoying the experience. In fact, there were moments when I got so caught up in carving pumpkins that I completely lost track of time. Safe to say, I can't wait for the full Steam release on October 28, 2026.
