As I’m sure everyone else did the world over, when I first saw The Plucky Squire, something clicked instantly. I had never seen this game before, but something about it felt immediately familiar. The art style, the storybook come to life that every kid dreams about—a childhood memory that everyone can relate to. The Plucky Squire instantly hit home on its visuals alone; the jumps from 2D to 3D worlds pulled me in even more.
The world of the Plucky Squire looked magical, and I couldn’t wait to explore the pages to see what it had to offer. After playing the Plucky Squire, I can confidently say it is truly a magical experience, offering various 2D and 3D worlds with unique mechanics dotted throughout. The many unique ideas that come and go are a wonder and make this game feel lovingly crafted at every turn. As magical as The Plucky Squire is, it is unfortunate that certain core game mechanics drag this magical adventure towards tediousness towards the end, stopping The Plucky Squire from reaching its grand ending.
The story in Plucky Squire is simple, straightforward, and sweet. You control Jot, who must defeat Humgrump, an evil wizard who has broken the barriers of the storybook. It is up to Jot and his cute cast of courageous friends to stop Humgrump. Jot’s many friends come and go, offering cute phrases and tongue-in-cheek humour. This is all great fun and had me smiling throughout many of its conversations. Some conversations did feel more forced than others, especially when it comes to sounding hip with “yo” and “dude,” probably a little too much. Without going into too much detail, the story progresses at an expected rate, but some magical creative moments truly stand out as the “story” unfolds.
Standing toe to toe with The Plucky Squire’s amazing visuals is its unique and wondrous mechanics. So many of these ideas made me grin from ear to ear, thinking, “Wow, are they really doing this?” The magic of these is discovering them for yourself, as they are truly special. Such examples include using a jet pack in a 2D environment inspired by retro titles and navigating through dimly lit caves with nothing but the light to fill the black pages. My favourite moment was seeing a Magic: The Gathering Style card in the distance, making my way to it, and culminating in a turn-based battle inside the very card. Moments like this are scattered throughout The Plucky Squire; it is a shame though that great moments like this, I wish stayed around for longer.
One of the core game mechanics that is present throughout the game, however, is Jot and his powers to manipulate the very pages of his story. The Plucky Squire introduces this very well, with the first moment jumping out of the storybook building wonderfully. Jot over time can manipulate pages, swinging them back and forth, tilting them to make objects move to progress. This page moving is often paired with Jot running into sentences; these sentences tend to have a word that can be replaced to form new objects or alter existing ones. You’ll jump between pages, finding the right word to switch environments, often jumping in and out of the book…a lot. Over time, the tears start to show in this page-bending exercise, and the tediousness does start to set in. A great mechanic at first, but it’s a shame that this stays around for the majority of The Plucky Squire, where I would happily have traded this for another ride with the rocket.
Over time, the tears start to show in this page bending exercise, and the tediousness does start to set in.
While making your way through Jot’s world, you’ll run into various little Humgrump goons that try to get in your way. This combat gameplay is simple and straightforward; combat includes basic attacks, a roll, moves such as a spin, sword throws, and a jump attack. Companions will often spell out what to do next, health is dropped very generously, and there is a basic shop for purchasing abilities and artwork. This results in a simple gameplay loop as you make your way through.
The Plucky Squire does feel like it is aimed at a younger audience, although I do need to note that the gameplay definitely picks up in challenge with certain puzzles, mechanics, and stealth sections towards the end. We’re not talking Souls-like difficulty at all here, but the slight bumps in difficulty can be slightly jarring compared to it’s mostly simple gameplay.
The music throughout the Plucky Squire matches each level wonderfully and brings these pages to life even more. Throughout the story, there is a fully voiced narrator that does an excellent job. Outside of certain cutscenes, the rest of the characters are not voiced, leaving it to your imagination on how these characters may sound. Through each environment, whether it be flying through a 2D mountain or creeping through dark caves, the music adapts and elevates the already high level of atmosphere.
Music throughout the Plucky Squire matches each level wonderfully and brings these pages to life even more.
The Plucky Squire’s visuals are nothing short of amazing. The art style is easily the games strongest point. The pages are crafted with love and attention; each 3D space is magical and full of charm, and every character has been lovingly designed. The care in this game shows, and I always looked forward to Jot’s next task and what magic awaited on each page.
The Plucky Squire is quite literally a children’s story brought to life, bringing back all the charm, love, and imagination that these memories hold. It delivers a comfortable nostalgic feeling while feeling fresh and full of life. The Plucky Squire is full of magical ideas, so it is a shame that one of its core ideas begins to wrinkle its magical pages, stopping The Plucky Squire from reaching its own fairy tale ending.
