There’s something inherently fascinating about games built under absurd deadlines. Most of the time, that kind of constraint leads to creative chaos — a neat idea buried under rough edges. But every so often, someone manages to pull off the impossible. Enter sodaraptor and their new 3D platformer, Sugar Ghouls!, developed in just two weeks for SCREAM JAM 2025.
On paper, that sounds like a recipe for disaster. In practice, it’s a small triumph of style, tone, and tight design — and one of the most charming Halloween throwbacks you’ll play this year.
Low-poly candy and PSX chills
This isn’t your average Unity asset flip. Sugar Ghouls! is a dedicated love letter to 1990s 3D platformers, the era of chunky polygons and camera angles that did their best. The result is part Crash Bandicoot, part Pumpkin Jack, and 100% PlayStation-core — complete with dithering, texture warping, and blocky shadows that feel lifted straight off a CRT.
You play as Ghost Kid, who’s on a frantic mission to recover the legendary Ghoul Bar™ — a suitably ridiculous goal wrapped in genuine charm. The world around you is packed with slime pits, chomping goblins, and fireball-spewing pumpkins, all moving to a perfectly chaotic soundtrack by BassClefff and DJ Trooz.
You might say it has the Halloween energy of 1998, bottled and served with a retro controller and a Blockbuster video card.
Trick, treat, and test your reflexes
Halloween might have passed, but don’t let that put you off.
You can play Sugar Ghouls! for free right now on Itch.io, and as a free, short game (it’s about half an hour, give or take) it nails the early 3D platformer vibe. It feels like an old PlayStation or N64 game, and that alone makes it worth checking out.
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Christian Cawley is the founder and editor of GamingRetro.co.uk, a website dedicated to classic and retro gaming. With over 20 years of experience writing for technology and gaming publications, he brings considerable expertise and a lifelong passion for interactive entertainment, particularly games from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras.
Christian has written for leading outlets including TechRadar, Computer Weekly, Linux Format, and MakeUseOf, where he also served as Deputy Editor.
When he’s not exploring vintage consoles or retro PCs, Christian enjoys building with LEGO, playing cigar box guitar, and experimenting in the kitchen.
