The Plucky Squire Review: Adventure Across The Storybook

The excitement and hype from the trailers pays off as The Plucky Squire delivers in a Big Way!

Published: Sep 17, 2024 12:00 PM EDT

The Plucky Squire has been on my radar for a while now due to its eye-catching 2D/3D art style and minimalistic gameplay. While the tail-end of the year 2024 is packed with big AAA-games, this one helps cleanse the palate a bit with its refreshing story. So, let's dive into The Plucky Squire review as I attempt to put my joyful experience with the game into words.

Colorful Cast of Characters

The Plucky Squire’s story kicks off by introducing us to Jot, a celebrity adventurer. The tales of his adventure are popular among different townsfolk. The interesting support characters like Moonbeard, Pip and Mini-beard add a magical touch to the adventure. Along the journey, Jeff will party up with Violet, a trainee witch and Thrash, a heavy-metal drummer.

After squadding up with the gang, we begin our adventure to take down the evil wizard “Humpgrump.” What starts off as a simple adventure quickly turns into a fourth-wall breaking reality bending adventure. The moment it’s revealed to Jot that his world is all part of a storybook whose author is Sam, he’s pushed out into reality.

After the reality-breaking reveal, Jot’s motivation changes. Stopping Humpgrump from ruining the storybook becomes all the more important, especially when Sam’s drive to become an artist is at stake. Thus begins our adventure through the 2D drawn world of the storybook and the 3D world outside it.

Clever Puzzles Are a Highlight of the Game

There are various types of creative puzzles that will require you to bend the story by changing up words in sentences. Jot and the gang will encounter interesting characters that will give tasks to our adventurers. Completing those tasks isn’t a side-objective as you’ll need to complete them to progress further.

The puzzles will take Jot across the 2D world of storybook and 3D real life to complete. You’ll need to make clever use of the portals to travel in and out of the two realms. Although most puzzles are quite simple, some require you to brainstorm a bit to figure out, keeping the game from turning into a slog and presenting a welcome challenge to players of all ages. You’ll also find hidden treasures like Art Pieces and Lost Glitchbirds throughout the chapters, making exploration rewarding.

Combat Is Simple & Effective

The combat in The Plucky Squire is simple enough. Swing your sword at the enemies to take them down. However, you can unlock new moves and then upgrade those moves to their powerful versions.

In addition to simple strikes, Jot can throw his sword and call it back into his hands like the GOW’s Leviathan Axe. Jot can also jump up and deliver a crushing ground strike with his sword, dealing AOE damage to enemies nearby. Players are free to mix different combat moves throughout their adventure and make combat fun.

In addition to simple combat against regular enemies, there are boss fights in certain chapters that are equally enjoyable. These boss fights introduce new fighting mechanics in the form of mini-games. Each boss fight has a unique mini-game that you must play to defeat them.

Although these mini-games are an exciting addition to the game, you have the option to skip these entirely.

A Perfect Harmony of Art Style & Sound Design

Saying that The Plucky Squire’s art style is eye-catching is quite an understatement. From start to finish, the game’s character design to environments pop with color. The enemy designs are also quite unique, with boss designs being my absolute favorite.

The game’s soundtrack pairs amazingly with the carefully crafted environments in each chapter, which adds to the immersion significantly. One of my favorite moments in the game comes in Chapter 6 in Thrash’s rock-themed homeland. The soundtrack flows so well with what’s happening in the level that you can’t help but bob your head as you play.

My Verdict for The Plucky Squire Review

After spending hours playing The Plucky Squire, collecting all its secret treasures and putting an end to Humpgrump’s schemes, I’ve found the game to be phenomenal. The amazing soundtrack pairs perfectly with the vibrant colors of the environmental designs. The puzzles are creative, providing immense satisfaction and those “Ah-Ha!” moments.

The combat is also an area where The Plucky Squire shines, with each boss fight mini-game being distinctive and fun to play. The ability to skip mini-games, alongside other accessibility options, makes The Plucky Squire a joyride for all ages.

Games like Astro Bot and The Plucky Squire are the need of the hour, bringing a lot of joy to gamers. I would strongly rate The Plucky Squire a 9/10 in this review and highly recommend it to other players as well.