Genre: Action-Adventure/Platformer
Modes: Single Player
Developed by: All Possible Futures
Published by: Devolver Digital
Release Date: September 17th 2024
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, PC
Reviewed on: PC
Cinematic experiences dominate the current plethora of anticipated game releases. As technology has progressed, game developers can compute and tailor cinematic gaming experiences for all audiences. While this is a fascinating design choice, it has become overindulgent in today's market. I do not intend to claim cinematic storytelling should be a thing of the past, but it feels like most AAA video games take this in its stride today. The Plucky Squire is an indie game that tells a cinematic story, but it feels unique compared to other games of recent memory. The story feels like a combination of Toy Story and The Truman Show, and it does not shy away from telling a surprisingly complex story. Combine this with a simple but fun combat system, memorable characters, beautiful world designs and surprising twists and turns, and you have one of 2024's latest indie gems.
A TALE ON AND OFF THE PAGE:
You play as Jot, a writer and character in a series of children's picture books called ‘The Plucky Squire’. In every book, Jot faces his arch-nemesis, Humgrump, the arrogant and snobby antagonist who wishes to take over the land of Mojo. At the end of each story, Jot defeats Humgrump, the villagers celebrate his victory, and he writes stories of his adventures for all the villagers to enjoy. The game begins in the bedroom of a young boy named Sam, an unseen character. Their bedroom is awash with ‘Plucky Squire' stories and merchandise related to the franchise. On their desk is the latest ‘Plucky Squire’ story, and this is where the gameplay begins. Humgrump becomes self-aware that he is just a character in a story, and he learns that he always loses in the end. Humgrump concocts a devious scheme to change the ending of every book in the series so that he defeats Jot. If he manages to do so, it will ultimately erase Jot's entire history, and his stories will be left to gather dust on every bookshelf where they reside. No child wants to read a story where evil triumphs over heroism. Therefore, Jot and his cast of colourful supporting characters must journey through the pages of the story to ultimately stop Humgrump from changing the course of their history and future.
For a game that has a very pleasing cartoon design, the story is surprisingly thought-provoking and manages to draw you in on several different levels. Firstly, Humgrump is a fantastic villain. He musters equal arrogance, tomfoolery and comedy across the nine-hour story. He is cocky and menacing all in one sentence. He proves to be a thorn in Jot's side, and the scale of his plan and the consequences of failure make you care more for the protagonists.
The narrative of The Plucky Squire is not just thought-provoking; it's also meta in its delivery. Characters within the story realise they are nothing more than characters in a storybook, leading to intriguing dialogue. Some characters even question their existence, fearing they are nothing more than scribbles on a page.
Finally, the narrative feels like an evolution of what Toy Story and The Truman Show touched on. The toys in Andy's room appear to be sentient, but the story starts to unfold when they come to life. Millions of people watch the live broadcast of a man's life in The Truman Show. I loved it when The Plucky Squire utilises these two components. Jot becomes part of Sam's bedroom, interacts with enemies, and the accessories on his desk, which feel like something straight out of Toy Story. The Truman Show feels like an influence in several areas:
Characters become more than just drawings in a book.
Humgrump intends to change the script of the story.
Characters realise that somebody is watching them (the player).
The story is terrific and has enough twists and turns to keep the player invested throughout its runtime.
The Plucky Squire's visuals are incredible. The character models are simple but match the aesthetics of a children's storybook. Each character has a unique colour, and they all stand out. Jot wears a pink outfit, finished with a pink tunic and his expressions are perfect for the art style. He is instantly likeable, and his expressions match his optimistic and heroic status, even though he is a silent protagonist. Jot reminded me of Link from The Legend of Zelda, and this is not the only time the game feels like Zelda (more on this later). As with Jot, the land of Mojo, the game's setting is visually striking. Mojo is teaming with colour; every area has a specific style. The colour and area themes reminded me of the original Rayman from 1995. My favourite area of the game is Artia, the land that pays homage to famous artists from history. Numerous cameos of artists like Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali, Frida Kahlo and many more are here for you to interact with. My favourite cameo in Artia is Banksy, the pseudonymous graffiti artist whose face is pixelated. I loved this subtle moment of comedy.
NOSTALGIC OF GAMING’S PAST:
One of The Plucky Squire's greatest strengths is its ability to play and feel like certain games from the past without outdated mechanics. Returning to The Legend of Zelda, the gameplay feels like a natural evolution to what was introduced by Nintendo. Swarms of enemies occur in an area, and you must use your sword and abilities to take down each one before heading to the next area. You do not have a shield like in Zelda, but Jot's dash, jump and different sword abilities make the gameplay very satisfying. Jot's primary attack is his sword; you can slash enemies by facing them and dashing out of the way when they come to attack. But when you start to upgrade your abilities, Jot can use his sword during a jump, creating a shockwave that harms nearby enemies. Jot can upgrade his sword damage and purchase new attacks, like the spin attack that allows Jot to spin for a few seconds with his sword, hurting any enemy that comes within his grasp. Jot becomes a powerful fighter with these upgrades and is worthy of his established title as 'The Plucky Squire.'
In certain game sections, you play as Jot's two friends, Thrash and Violet. Thrash is a troll with a penchant for drumming and heavy metal music. Thrash uses his drumsticks in brief combat encounters where you must counter objects thrown by enemies. These moments are a nice change of pace, and they are satisfying to complete as the rhythm of each attack matches the beat of the game's soundtrack. I was a drummer in high school, so I could quickly grasp the beat of the attacks, even when the attacks got faster and the difficulty increased.
On the other hand, Violet's combat encounters have you shoot different coloured spheres at an enemy who uses the identical spheres as a shield. You have to combine three or more of the same colour to make the shield disappear, similar to Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine. These combat scenarios only occur twice in the main story, with the final encounter being the most challenging part of the game.
A MEETING OF MINDS:
What makes The Plucky Squire a unique experience is that it fuses 2D and 3D gameplay. Humgrump's master plan has unveiled green portals across the map. When Jot interacts with them, he momentarily escapes the book's pages and can interact with our world. More often than not, these encounters serve as a means to gain access to the next area of the book. An obstacle will be blocking your way, and Jot must venture out of the pages and find the necessary tools or upgrades to clear the path. In the 3D world, all of Jot's moves and abilities remain the same. When encountering enemies and platforming challenges, Jot's attacks and moves are identical and transfer well into a 3D space. I preferred the 2D moments of the game, and the controls felt more fluid in those segments (more on this soon), but the 3D moments changed the game's pace and were welcoming despite how infrequent they were.
The 3D world is also a necessary mechanic for The Plucky Squire's gameplay puzzles. At specific points in the game, a blocked path will appear, and you will have to go out of the level via a portal to gain access to certain areas. My favourite instances of this are when you are completing the sentence puzzles. In certain regions, text will appear on the book's pages, and you can interact with and change specific words in these sentences to progress. If a large boulder is in the way, you can remove the word 'large' and scour the area for another sentence containing another word you can interchange. If the other sentence you find has the word 'small', you can alter the environment and make the boulder tiny, thus clearing the path to your next objective. I adored this mechanic, and it allowed for some great experimentation, which often led to getting an in-game achievement.
In addition to sentences, Jot can alter most 2D environments from the 3D world. As you progress through the story, Jot can manipulate the book by turning its pages and tilting the different sides. By tilting the book and turning its pages, Jot can slide boxes to reach new areas and return to places where collectibles are hiding or find hidden secrets within specific pages. Jot gains two different stamps to alter the book even further. The first is a bomb stamp, allowing Jot (in the 3D world) to stamp an area of the book so a bomb appears. You can then detonate this bomb any time you wish. The other is the hand stamp, which freezes certain obstacles to help Jot with platforming challenges. Sometimes, these obstacles can be switches; other times, larger enemies stand in your way. I would have liked to see these mechanics used more in combat than in puzzles, but they are fun and often make the puzzles brain-scratching.
A TOUCH MORE FINESSE:
There is a lot to love in The Plucky Squire, but the developers could have refined a few aspects. Playing as Jot in the 2D world is a delight. His controls are very smooth and responsive, and each attack and dash feels entirely under your control. In the 3D world, the controls feel heavier. Jot's movement is sluggish, and his turn is much heavier than the 2D controls. The 3D gameplay does not take up much of the runtime, but it does make the 3D gameplay less fun than 2D.
Another aspect is the different gameplay styles. The game does not let you fight bosses with standard gameplay. Instead, you fight bosses with a different gameplay style. The bosses are fun, but having them fight through a mini-game does not make them feel as rewarding and challenging as they could have been. Bosses should be there to test all the skills you have learnt in the game. Seeing Jot fight a boss in the style of an RPG or beat-em-up game, Thrash in a rhythm game and Violet in a strategy game makes the bosses feel like a gimmick. I like the Violet and Thrash segments because they are not playable in regular gameplay, but Jot's segments were a disappointment. Even the final boss against Humgrump felt underwhelming because it did not test my skills at all, despite how epic the encounter was.
My final criticism would be the collectibles, in particular the light bulbs. The game has two main collectibles: art scrolls and light bulbs. I loved the art scrolls because they are often well hidden and off the beaten path. When you find an art scroll, you unlock concept art from the game, and I like this idea. The light bulbs are the game's currency; you must collect them to afford upgrades from the game's shop. I do not have a problem with the light bulbs themselves; the problem is how unrewarding they are to find. 90% of the time, they are hidden in a bush or a tree, and you slash it with your sword, and you have the light bulb. It sounds fine in the first few areas but becomes tedious when every area is like this. Even more so when you find enemies dropping light bulbs is much less frequent than scavenging bushes and trees. It would be best if you got the light bulbs to afford the upgrades, so you will have to do this same bush and tree hacking in every area you get to. It can kill the flow of the exploration and be more of a pain than it has any right to be.
VERDICT:
The Plucky Squire combines well-written storytelling and nostalgic gameplay to create a unique indie game experience. The characters are memorable, and you can see All Possible Futures's effort in the game. The 2D and 3D worlds coalesce well despite some control differences, and the gameplay is satisfying, even if the bosses and specific gameplay scenarios slightly fall short. It was a privilege to journey with Jot, Thrash, and Violet, and I hope to see them return.
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