Once in a while, you’ll find an Indie game that is truly special. These are games like Hades, Stardew Valley, Shovel Knight, Vampire Survivors, and other gems that stand out and shine amongst the masses. These are experiences that could stand up to AAA games and have no trouble winning. The Plucky Squire is one of these gems.

The Plucky Squire is an Action-Adventure game where you play Jot, the titular Plucky Squire, as he and his friends take on the evil sorcerer Humgrump. After losing to Jot numerous times over the years, Humgrump discovers a spell to truly even the odds, and attempts to eject Jot from their storybook permanently.

Jot must band together with his allies to ensure their story stays intact, thus inspiring the book’s owner for years to come. Jot’s quest will lead him to take on threats in the real world, as well as in their storybook. It is a clever premise, and yet the longer I played the more I was impressed by how the developers crafted it.

There are two difficulty levels, Adventurer Mode (Normal Mode) and Story Mode (an easier mode). There are also a variety of accessibility options, including the ability to swap joysticks if for some reason you need the left stick and the right stick to be in reverse. You can also choose to skip any of The Plucky Squire’s minigames if they prove too difficult for you, which I find to be a wonderful option for people with various disabilities.

The Plucky Squire’s influences can be seen all over the game. From things like The Legend of Zelda to even Punch Out, the game wears its inspiration on its sleeve. At the same time, it never asks those inspirations to overstay their welcome. Even on Story Mode, it will test your skills too.

Most of your time in The Plucky Squire involves Zelda-esque combat and exploration, though there are times when you will jump out of the storybook to collect items in the real world. You will also find yourself manipulating the storybook to unlock new ways to progress. There are a lot of things to collect as well, from Lightbulbs that act as currency, to art scrolls that allow you to see concept art from the game’s development. There is more, but I’d rather you discover that for yourself.

I completed The Plucky Squire in about ten and a half hours, but I could have easily played it for longer. It is fairly linear, but the collectibles are hidden so well at times that a second playthrough will likely be needed for completionists. Each chapter of the story is a new challenge, and the story itself goes from a fairly simple “Hero’s Journey” tale to something rather heartfelt and interesting.

I don’t want to talk too deeply about mechanics or anything, because part of the joy I found in The Plucky Squire was the discovery. I was surprised at how the developers kept adding new ideas in without the game feeling bloated.

The art style is well done too. It is vaguely reminiscent of Chicory: A Colorful Tale, at least the top-down storybook sections are. The 3D sections in the “Real World” remind me of Tinykin (for a recent example) along with traditional mascot platformers, in a colorful, interesting way. The Land of Mojo is full of comedic references, as well as artistic ones, so nerdy adults will enjoy it just as much as kids will.

It’s hard to have a complaint about The Plucky Squire when my main issue was that I wanted another 10 hours or more in the world that All Possible Futures created. It is rare that I finish a game that I’m reviewing, and yet I’ve not only finished it, but I’m also aching for a sequel when the game isn’t even out yet at the time I’m writing this.

Overall, The Plucky Squire is a heartfelt, well-crafted experience. There is a certain magic to it, a spell of its own that evokes memories of childhood exploration and wonder. I hope that people see the love and care that the team at All Possible Futures has put into The Plucky Squire because, in the times we live in, I think we need more joyful, kind experiences like this.

A PC review copy of The Plucky Squire was provided by Devolver Digital for the purposes of this review.

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The Plucky Squire

$29.99 USD

10

Score

10.0/10

Pros

• Heartfelt, Cute Story
• Useful Accessibility Features
• Simple Controls
• Fun, Engaging Gameplay
• Beautiful, Detailed Art Style