The Plucky Squire is a dimension-bending adventure game that masterfully combines elements of 2D and 3D platformers. Pre-release footage for the game looked incredible, and I had high hopes going in. After beating the game twice over 20 hours, I’m thrilled to announce that the title mostly delivers, even with my lofty expectations.
You play as Jot, the Plucky Squire, on his quest to defeat the evil wizard, Humgrump. The story is as rudimentary as it gets, but as with many of the best platformers, simplicity isn’t a bad thing.
A plucky hero at the start of a grand adventure
The game opens with a wonderfully narrated introduction about Jot’s love of writing. A page opens, with dance music quietly rumbling in the background, and you’re off. That music is coming from the house of the good wizard, Moonbeard, and he needs Wax to print records.
It’s all rather silly, and random humor like this pops up throughout the entire game. Every scene is introduced with a page flip, and travel between the book and the real world is seamless.
The whole 2D to 3D schtick has been done before, but I’ve never seen this artbook style so well executed. The stunning graphics certainly help with that, and the attention to detail is second to none.
It’s worth mentioning that none of the images in this review are altered. The Plucky Squire really looks THAT good. The 2D art style is charming and vibrant, and the 3D environments are simply gorgeous. There’s so much effort put into the world outside the book, and I found myself stopping to marvel at my surroundings on several occasions.
On that note, the absence of any life bars or HUD really sells the vibe that you’re reading a book or watching a story unfold as an observer. There is technically a health meter, but it only appears when you take damage.
The game is split into ten Chapters, and locales range from swamps and tropical beaches to prehistoric doodles. You never know where you’re heading next, and the visuals and soundtrack are always on point.
A spellbinding approach to puzzle gameplay
Jot earns several powers through the game, which allow him to bend reality in various ways. Leaving the page of a book to solve a puzzle from the outside is such a cool idea, and these riddles are easily my favorite part of The Plucky Squire.
By the end of the game, I had a respectable arsenal of abilities, and multi-step puzzles were well executed.
Another standout feature is the word puzzles. These are introduced during the first chapter, and you can swap words in sentences to change their meaning. In turn, the new sentence alters the events on the page. I adore this feature and even found places where I could mix up sentences with purely cosmetic effects.
I get major Baba Is You vibes from sentence-bending mechanics like this. Even though I’m dreadful at it, I enjoy Baba Is You for its wordplay creativity. There is a generous sprinkle of that in The Plucky Squire.
If we ever get a sequel, I would love to see this idea expanded even further.
Respectful nods to the classics
While The Plucky Squire puts on a masterclass in creative scenarios and environments, gameplay mechanics are notably more basic. We’ll get into difficulty later, but combat, in particular, is a little shallow.
Jot has a few abilities at his disposal, but almost every encounter can be beaten by running in and mashing the attack button. Healing items drop from defeated enemies if you’re missing health, which is nice but makes combat feel mindless.
Fights became tiresome during the closing Chapters as waves of enemies fell to the same tactic with zero incentive to mix things up.
Even though the combat is pretty rudimentary, the gameplay is frequently broken up with mini-games. There are plenty of not-so-subtle nods to classics, like Punch Out, and it’s a great way to keep things fresh.
I was pleasantly surprised to walk into a section inspired by Crypt of the Necrodancer, and these creative flourishes were a big highlight for me. Despite its simplicity, it’s hard not to smile while playing The Plucky Squire.
Each time you finish a Chapter, you unlock it in the Chapter Replay list so you can revisit areas. Sadly, I couldn’t bring all the powers I’d gathered back into earlier areas, but it’s a decent addition.
Accessibility comes with a cost
If all the puzzle-solving talk makes you uneasy, let me put your mind at rest. The Plucky Squire is extremely easy, which will be a huge plus for some and a disappointment for others.
I was stumped during a few puzzle sequences, but Minibeard (an adorable pocket-sized wizard) is always nearby to assist with hints. The advice is often too “on-the-nose” for my liking, and I was never stuck for long. Boss battles and mini-games can even be skipped from the Pause Menu if you don’t like them.
I get that the plight of Jot and his pals is the focus, but I would have enjoyed some threat of failure. On that note, there is no NG+, so players can only choose between Adventure (easy) and Story (very easy).
Surely an axe would be best for bushes?
There are dozens of collectibles scattered throughout the game, and you are compelled to explore each scene with a fine-toothed comb if you want them all.
While entirely optional, this part of the game is a mixed bag. Some collectibles are creatively hidden, requiring you to backtrack and return to areas with items or powers you obtain later.
On the flip side, others are crudely concealed in trees or pitch-black areas, and you won’t get them unless you check every object in every location.
Lightbulbs are currency, most of which are “hidden” in bushes. If you want upgrades, you’re forced to smack every object you see. This choice feels oddly lazy in a game overflowing with such creativity.
I almost feel bad harping on the bushes and collectibles. The world is bursting with unique ways to traverse and explore, but you know you may miss out if you don’t give the shrubbery a hearty wallop at every opportunity.
A rocky review period
While I thoroughly enjoyed my time with The Plucky Squire, I did run into several severe bugs. These will undoubtedly be fixed, but I managed to sequence-break the game about halfway in. I couldn’t find any way to correct the problem and started from scratch.
This was the most egregious error I encountered, but I finished the game twice and became quite proficient in ironing out various kinks.
These issues made me fear for my saved data, and they were ultimately my biggest bugbears with the game. While I don’t think it’s fair to dock points for pre-release woes, I’d be remiss, not to mention their impact on my enjoyment during the review period.
While my time with The Plucky Squire wasn’t flawless, the good far outweighs the bad. The game is charming from start to finish, and the creative environments and boss battles make up for the simplistic combat.
If you go into The Plucky Squire expecting a beautiful indie experience that doesn’t overstay its welcome, you will enjoy every moment of its 9-10-hour run time.
Published: Sep 17, 2024 12:00 pm