When I think of publisher Devolver Digital, I think of games that are unique in some outstanding way–and, most of the time, games that also happen to be full of violence and blood. So, it was a surprise when The Plucky Squire came across my desk. Developed by All Possible Futures, The Lucky Squire is a decidedly non-bloody game. In fact, I would even argue that it’s a great game to play with your kids.
The Plucky Squire is an action adventure game that mixes perspective and art styles to blend 2D and 3D worlds. It’s told in a storybook format – and in fact, during the course of the journey, the villain of the story discovers his predicament and the true nature of his reality. Using magic, he is able to remove the book’s hero, Jot, and exile him to the real world. Luckily, with some help from a book worm and magic portals, Jot is able to go between the 3D world and the book world to put an end to the evil Humgrump’s plan.
When I say that The Plucky Squire is something you can play with your kids, I definitely mean it. It almost seems like it was made for kids. It’s not a very challenging game, even if you don’t use any of the assists to get through it. You can even skip any of The Plucky Squire’s minigames if you don’t enjoy them. There’s also a “story” difficulty that makes the game even easier, for a stress-free experience.
As Jot, you have to travel across the storybook world, the real world, and even other stories as you try to stop Humgrump. Along the way you’ll use Jot’s trusty sword to dispatch foes, along with a few other story specific weapons. The sword, however, stays a constant companion. It can be upgraded with lightbulbs that are collected through cutting down bushes, and sometimes defeating foes. These light bulbs allow you to buy new moves, too, like the spin attack and the jump attack.
Combat isn’t the only activity in The Plucky Squire though. Jot has a few abilities that allow him to manipulate his story on a meta level. Using the aforementioned portals, he can leave the storybook. Eventually, he gets gloves that allow him to turn pages – letting Jot go backwards and forwards to solve puzzles or otherwise bypass an obstacle. Puzzles in The Plucky Squire tend to be on the easy side, and I feel like if you poke at it enough, the solution is inevitable.
Jot can also find himself in platforming type situations. These side scrolling sections are competent, but never feel as fleshed out as the isometric sections.
While the idea of jumping between the storybook world and the real world sounds like something that’s been done dozens of times, The Plucky Squire is exceptional in its presentation–for the most part. The hand drawn art, despite being simplistic, is delightfully whimsical and charming. However, the 3D world that Jot finds himself in is a bit generic. I understand that the developers were probably going for “realism” but it ends up falling flat and looking boring. I would have preferred a stylized “real” world as opposed to an attempt at realism. The Plucky Squire even throws in a few retro game references without making them out to be a big deal.
The Plucky Squire is a cute, fun game that is worth picking up if you want something light and cheerful. That said, it does have a pretty short playtime, which might put off those who are looking to buy it for its full retail price.
The Plucky Squire is out today on Steam, Xbox Series S|X, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch.
A Steam key was provided to us for this review.
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