| The Plucky Squire | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gameplay & Story | Release Date | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
The Plucky Squire is a cartoonish puzzle-platforming adventure game where you play as the titular squire across two different worlds. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.
The Plucky Squire Review Overview
What is The Plucky Squire?
The Plucky Squire is a comedic adventure platformer where you step into the shoes of the titular storybook hero on yet another quest to defeat the evil sorcerer, Humgrum. But this time, the adventure isn't limited to the pages of a book—now it spills over onto the surface of a child's desk. Leap through vibrant stages, battle foes in both 2D and 3D, and seamlessly jump between the flat, illustrated world of the story and the real-life realm of craft supplies and scurrying beetles. Get ready for a whimsical journey full of charm and surprises in The Plucky Squire!
The Plucky Squire features:
⚫︎ Cartoonish 2D and 3D graphics
⚫︎ Interactive platforming across 2D and 3D worlds
⚫︎ Simple, top-down combat
⚫︎ Unique gameplay sections, including ones inspired by Punch Out!
⚫︎ Chapter-based story progression
⚫︎ Fully narrated and partially voice-acted chapters
| Digital Storefronts | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Steam |
 PlayStation |
 Xbox |
 Switch |
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| $29.99 | |||||||
The Plucky Squire Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Rewarding Exploration Mechanics Creatively Meta Story Great Accessibility Options |
Too Simple For My Taste |
The Plucky Squire Overall Score - 82/100
The Plucky Squire leans heavily on the charm of its narration and the novelty of its 2D-to-3D transitions, but these strengths don’t quite carry it all the way to the finish line. Beyond the clever dimension-switching mechanic, the game lacks any truly groundbreaking ideas and simplifies many of its other gameplay elements. That said, it still offers a high-quality experience. It’s certainly engaging and fun, but as for being a genre-defining title that will be remembered for years, it doesn’t quite reach that mark—though that may ultimately come down to personal taste. I can still see this game hitting it big with the adventure puzzle-platformer aficionados down the line.
The Plucky Squire Story - 8/10
The Plucky Squire offers a uniquely meta narrative, infused with the charm and wit typical of British storybook humor. While it may not be the pinnacle of storytelling, it doesn’t need to be. A well-crafted tale, complete with its own twists and surprises, makes for an engaging and enjoyable experience—proving there’s no substitute for a competently written adventure that keeps you wanting to turn the next page.
The Plucky Squire Gameplay - 8/10
The gameplay in The Plucky Squire shines with its imaginative blend of 2D sidescrolling adventures set within the storybook world and stealthy 3D platforming in the real-world layer. It’s a playful mix, further enriched by countless homages to classics like The Legend of Zelda and Punch-Out!. While these elements make for a fun and engaging adventure, the game unfortunately lacks the cohesive polish and world-spanning concepts found in other titles of its price range. Still, despite its shortcomings, it’s an enjoyable little game that’s worth playing.
The Plucky Squire Visuals - 9/10
The Plucky Squire masterfully balances the charm of its storybook visuals with the creative spontaneity of its 3D world, crafting an experience that captures the essence of a child’s imagination. The character designs are simple yet effective, and the game feels polished overall. However, while it delivers a delightful aesthetic, it doesn’t quite break new ground or offer thought-provoking designs in either of its two mediums. As a result, it falls just short of perfection in this aspect, though it nonetheless remains a visually engaging game.
The Plucky Squire Audio - 9/10
The standout feature of The Plucky Squire is, without a doubt, its exceptional narration, which elevates the game’s narrative and overall presentation. With narration reminiscent of The Stanley Parable, the velvety-smooth voice work adds a layer of polish that complements the game’s soundtrack and enhances the richness of its sound effects.
The Plucky Squire Value for Money - 7/10
While The Plucky Squire is undeniably a game of considerable quality, I feel that its $30 price tag is a tad overboard. It delivers a great story, enjoyable gameplay, and a uniquely meta premise that spans two worlds, but when you factor in its lack of innovation in certain gameplay formulas, the overall package feels more in line with a $20-25 game. It’s also much of the same game spread out over a fairly lengthy runtime, interspersed with the occasional mini-game to break the monotony. It’s likely a matter of taste, but I’d rather spend my $30 on something more my speed.
The Plucky Squire Review: Quite The Page-Turner
Where to begin with The Plucky Squire? For one, it almost slipped past my radar. I first caught a glimpse of it during this year’s Devolver Direct and was intrigued, but it seemed to be just outside my usual preferences for challenging platformers or deep, min-max RPGs. The cutesy art style didn’t immediately grab me either. But, boy, am I glad I didn’t let this one go unnoticed because it’s absolutely worth the attention.
It’s not a flawless game—few are. It doesn’t hit the bullseye perfectly, but it’s far from a miss either. And let’s be honest, Devolver Digital rarely misses. The Plucky Squire is a few rings off the center, but it’s a delightful, engaging, and charming experience—a real page-turner of a game, if such a thing even exists. So, lace up your boots and tuck that quill behind your ear, as we’ve got a deep dive into the storybook world of The Plucky Squire to get into.
First, let’s dive into the game’s main premise. It can be a bit tricky to grasp at first, especially with the barrage of ten different gameplay sequences right from the start, but at its core, The Plucky Squire is an adventure puzzle-platformer. Exploration is the heart of its gameplay, with simple combat and several sequences that pay homage to iconic video games throughout history. The influence of The Legend of Zelda is unmistakable in the top-down, room-based dungeons of the first chapter, while the first boss fight nods directly to Punch-Out! with its clever take on classic boxing game mechanics.
As you progress through the levels, you can purchase minor upgrades—like a throwable sword—to help you tackle increasingly tough enemies. But just when you start to get comfortable, the game takes a dramatic turn during the second chapter. That’s right, The Plucky Squire doesn't reveal its true premise upfront. Instead, it eases you in with simpler mechanics before, quite literally, throwing you out of the book and into a 3D world, where you’re forced to adapt and fend for yourself in an entirely new environment.
Once you're thrown out of your storybook protagonist status, the 3D world introduces an entirely new suite of mechanics—3D platforming, stealth, and more complex puzzles. In this realm, dangers are far more serious, with threats that can instantly kill you instead of merely chipping away at your health bar. As the story progresses, you gradually master the transition between the 2D and 3D worlds, turning what first seemed like a setback into a powerful tool for saving the day. This twist adds a dynamic shift that gives the game a much-needed jolt after its slow, page-by-page storybook introduction. For those who didn’t catch the trailers, it’s an unexpected and refreshing pivot.
Expect more top-down, 2D RPG mechanics, plenty of 3D platforming and stealth elements, along with a generous sprinkling of unique gameplay sequences that pay homage to iconic game franchises. Altogether, this forms the core of The Plucky Squire’s gameplay package—a creative blend that keeps things fresh while still rooted in familiar territory for fans of both 2D and 3D adventures.
In terms of mechanics, the game is solid—great, even. It scores points for creativity, especially with its blending of perspectives and mediums, but falls a bit short in terms of innovation and depth. Beyond the POV shifts, the gameplay is fairly standard, particularly during the homage sequences, where it feels like a watered-down version of the titles it's referencing. In simpler terms, the game plays it too safe, offering little beyond what you’d expect from its premise. That said, it doesn’t fail by any means—it’s competently made and brimming with heart, just lacking the "je ne sais quoi" needed to elevate it from being above average to truly great.
That’s not to say The Plucky Squire is lackluster across the board—far from it. While the gameplay may feel a bit stale despite its inventive premise, the visual and audio presentations are both knockouts. The visual design is charming and consistent, evoking the timeless appeal of classic storybooks and comic strips like Peanuts, Tintin, and Calvin and Hobbes. The attention to detail in the storybook world is impressive, and the 3D assets during the POV shifts maintain that same level of care and creativity.
Where the game truly excels is in its audio. A captivating narrator and a stellar soundtrack elevate the entire experience. As the saying goes, a story is only as good as its storyteller, and The Plucky Squire nails this aspect. While both the visual and audio elements fall just short of perfection—because perfection is so elusive—they still give the game a significant edge over similar titles. These features serve as a testament to Devolver Digital's commitment to executing creative ideas with the care and polish they deserve.
And that’s all The Plucky Squire wrote. It’s a good game with a creative premise that could have used just a touch more flair in its execution, but otherwise stands as a stellar example of artistic vision and imaginative presentation. Most of my criticisms boil down to matters of taste—there’s likely a platforming fan out there who will appreciate the game’s simplicity and fully immerse themselves in its stunning visuals and captivating sound. If that sounds like you, then The Plucky Squire might just be the page-turner you’ve been looking for.
Pros of The Plucky Squire
| Things The Plucky Squire Got Right |
|---|
|
Rewarding Exploration Mechanics Creatively Meta Story Great Accessibility Options |
Rewarding Exploration Mechanics
The Plucky Squire does a fantastic job of rewarding your curiosity, both in its 2D and 3D worlds. As you explore, you'll find yourself well-stocked with the game's lightbulb-shaped currency—reminiscent of Animal Crossing’s Bells—and unlock additional art content, as long as you're willing to take down every bush, tree, and barrel you encounter.
The best part is that, as you progress to the later stages, it’s rarely as simple as just looking around. You’ll need to solve some truly clever puzzles to uncover these rewards. But hey, there’s nothing quite like a bag of money waiting for you after all that hard work!
Creatively Meta Story
I didn’t quite expect it, but The Plucky Squire’s story cleverly breaks the fourth wall, quickly moving beyond its storybook premise to one that quite literally transcends dimensions right after the first chapter. It’s a refreshing twist on an otherwise simple setup, and I really appreciate how well-executed it is.
I also appreciate how the shift from a standard adventure to one involving dimensional travel and fourth wall breaks doesn’t disrupt the game’s charming, whimsical tone. The story embraces these changes and thrives, despite their potentially disruptive nature. While the characterization remains weak and somewhat stereotypical, it doesn’t really need to compensate when the overall narrative is this solid.
Great Accessibility Options
The Plucky Squire goes to great lengths to ensure that players from all walks of life can enjoy its offerings. In addition to its two game modes—Adventure and Story—which cater to different difficulty preferences, it provides a robust suite of accessibility options. These range from making Jot’s jumps higher and his hits stronger to even preventing him from taking damage altogether.
This flexibility allows players who may not be as comfortable with platforming, or those with different abilities, to tailor the experience to their liking—a feature that I think is an absolute plus.
Cons of The Plucky Squire
| Things That The Plucky Squire Can Improve |
|---|
|
Too Simple For My Taste |
Too Simple For My Taste
This is undoubtedly a matter of taste, but The Plucky Squire doesn’t offer much in terms of content. Presentation-wise, the game is fantastic—it truly excels in that department—but its overall content density feels a bit thin. For the most part, it leans on the same top-down RPG, platforming, puzzle, and dimension-shifting mechanics, occasionally broken up by a few unique gameplay segments.
The RPG element feels a bit dry to me, and the story’s generic villain with equally generic goals doesn’t help. The game lacks that special flavor
that could elevate it from good to great. Thankfully, its quality in other areas shines through, because without that polish, it wouldn’t feel quite worth the price it asks for.
Is The Plucky Squire Worth It?
Could Be Worth the Adventure
At $30, The Plucky Squire costs just a tad higher than I am personally comfortable with, even with its high-quality visuals and audio. The low-stakes gameplay and family-friendly content just isn't doing it for me and the slow pacing doesn’t do it any favors. If you’re really into puzzle platformers and find yourself captivated by the game’s whimsical setting and inventive premise, you might be able to make a good case for it. Even if you’re not a hardcore fan, you could argue it’s worth it based on the overall quality and the pedigree of its publisher—but be prepared for some to disagree and call this a $20-25 game at best.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam |
PlayStation |
Xbox |
Switch |
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| Price | $29.99 | ||||||
The Plucky Squire FAQ
How Do I Get Upgrades in The Plucky Squire?
Upgrades in The Plucky Squire can be purchased through a store that’s available every few chapters. You can purchase upgrades using the game’s lightbulb-shaped currency, which can be found by destroying bushes, hitting trees, or breaking barrels found around the map.
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The Plucky Squire Product Information
 | |
| Title | THE PLUCKY SQUIRE |
|---|---|
| Release Date | September 17, 2024 |
| Developer | All Possible Futures |
| Publisher | Devolver Digital |
| Supported Platforms | PC(Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch |
| Genre | Action, Adventure, Platformer |
| Number of Players | Single-Player(1) |
| Rating | ESRB E 10+ |
| Official Website | Official Website |
