Pumpkin Crawler

Pumpkin Crawlers are an antagonist in Zardy's Maze.

Behavior
Pumpkin Crawlers first spawn as "traps" in the corn that spread 4 vines across paths in the Maze in a + shape. These vines are invisible when the flashlight is not on. If the player walks into one of these vines the Pumpkin Crawler appears and grabs the player. When the player is being grabbed by a Pumpkin Crawler they walk at a much slower speed while dragging the pumpkin behind them, and cannot sprint or jump. The player also cannot walk through the pumpkin or be grabbed by additional Pumpkin crawlers. If the player hits a Pumpkin Crawler 3 times with the axe or leaves the maze, the Pumpkin Crawler will break. This releases the player and summons Pumpkin Jack to the location of the broken pumpkin.

Strategy
Pumpkin Crawlers cannot kill the player, but make the game considerably more difficult. Pumpkin Crawlers can be avoided by jumping over their vines. Jumping constantly and periodically shining the flashlight down paths reduces the chances of being grabbed, though it is bad for speedrunning the game or when attempting to escape after destroying a weed due to it slowing you down. Pumpkin crawlers can be broken in strategic positions to lure Pumpkin Jacks.