93) The Plucky Squire (2024)

Developed as the debut title for indie studio All Possible Futures, The Plucky Squire follows the exploits of Jot, a writer and protagonist of a children's storybook, and his friends as they battle against the forces of the dastardly Humpgrump. As the studio was founded by James Turner, who had previously worked for Game Freak designing Pokémon from generation five onward, and Jonathon Biddle, who had worked for Devolver Digital as the creative director for The Swords of Ditto, the game has a heavy focus on its cute, child friendly aesthetic. This extends beyond merely the artstyle, with forgiving and easily accessible gameplay that makes it an ideal game to play with children to introduce them to the medium. The story, though by no means complex, offers a fair amount of intelligent humor and references that work well for all audiences.

Our story begins with Jot and his friends going on yet another adventure to defeat the villainous Humpgrump. The action is a top-down style adventure game very much in the vein of older Zelda titles, with traveling to new sections of the map being shown as a turn of the page. We're introduced to Violet, an apprentice mage and artist, Thrash, a mountain troll drummer, and most importantly the wizard Moonbeard. As we make our way to deal with Humpgrump, we discover that he now wields a terrifying new power. He's come to the realization that he exists as the villain in a storybook, meaning he's always destined to be defeated by Jot. Using this knowledge with some powerful magic, he forces Jot out of the book entirely. With no hero to stop him, he's free to rewrite the book in whatever way he chooses.

It's here we're introduced to the primary gimmick of the game. Jot is forced out of the book an into the terrifying three dimensional world, finding himself out the desk of a very creative child. This shifts the gameplay to a three dimensional adventure game, and Jot gains the ability to enter and exit the storybook at will. Or rather, at specific points where portals open up. This also allows him to manipulate the book, shifting things in the two dimensional world. It becomes a fun and clever way of solving various puzzles, though you're rarely left wondering what to do. Hints and advice are readily available, though rarely shoved down your throat. Among my favorite of these is Jot's ability to pick up and move certain words on the page. Primarily limited to adjectives, some of the best puzzle design and goofiness comes from this particular mechanic.

At various points, the game switches things up by throwing various minigames a the player. These range from Punch-Out style boxing, a sidescrolling shoot 'em up, or even a very forgiving rhythm game. While these sections are fun and sometimes give other characters a chance to shine, the game does allow the player to completely skip them, yet another way the game caters to a younger audience. Even for older gamers, the ability to skip these sections can be a blessing as it helps minimize frustration and keeps the game moving forward. The best part is how it's optional, letting the player decide when they're ready to move on.

The Plucky Squire is a game that oozes style, creativity, and charm. While lacking in any true challenge, as the game is incredibly forgiving, it's still fun to play and explore the world, with numerous fun references and some genuinely good humor. Though certainly not for everyone, I had a great time with the game and can imagine children or younger siblings having a blast as older gamers watch, ready to offer assistance or advice. It's a little odd that the game doesn't feature multiplayer in any capacity, but as is it serves as an excellent set of training wheels for those new to the medium.