The Plucky Squires’ new gameplay trailer shows giant bugs and giant mugs

Sony’s Playstation Showcase event gave fans of big-name titles plenty to get excited about: a Metal Gear Solid 3 remake, new gameplay footage of the upcoming Spider-Man 2, and the reveal of Bungie’s new Marathon project, to name a few. Those who tend more toward the indie side of things weren’t left out, however. The Showcase also featured a plethora of small-yet-mighty titles, including Giant Squid’s Sword of the Sea, Nomada Studio’s Neva, and a new gameplay trailer for the upcoming genre-bender from All Possible Futures, The Plucky Squire.

The Plucky Squire gets new gameplay trailer at Sony’s Playstation Showcase

Originally announced in June 2022, The Plucky Squire is being published by Devolver Digital, a company well-known for their eclectic selection of experimental titles, such as Cult of the Lamb and Inscryption. The Plucky Squire looks more than capable of standing its own in such venerable company, with an inspired storybook art style, and an even more inspired gameplay hook.

Image via Devolver Digital

The player takes up the mantle of the titular Squire, navigating the pages of the book he calls home. Initially, at least. At a certain point, they’re allowed to escape their paper prison, and explore the fully-realized 3D world beyond. This leads to a huge switch-up in gameplay, and it’s this aspect on which The Plucky Squire seems to be leaning the hardest, if the new trailer is anything to go by. That, and a fair bit of Zelda inspiration, too.

We see top-down 2D sections reminiscent of A Link to the Past, 2D platforming reminiscent of Link’s Awakening, and surface-merging in the style of A Link Between Worlds, all in the span of around 20 seconds of trailer. The transition between the 2D and 3D sections is incredibly smooth, and opens up a bevy of new options, from 3D platforming with a jetpack, to warding off huge insects with a handheld torch.

Image via Devolver Digital

There’s an air of handmade creativity that pervades throughout, particularly in the section where you’re dodging meteors while moving along the side of a ceramic mug, or zip lining across a series of 2D flags to cross a large gap. Varied as these gameplay styles are, they all come together beautifully when wrapped in the game’s strong art style and whimsical music.

While no solid release date was given for The Plucky Squire during the Playstation Showcase, a broad (though narrowing every day) window of ‘2023’ has been provided. It has also been confirmed that the game will be released for PC, PS4/PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.