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, lets dive into The Plucky Squire review as I attempt to put my joyful experience with the game into words.
Colorful Cast of Characters
The Plucy 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 adds a magical touch to the adventure. Along the journey, Jeff will party up with Voilet, 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 on Jot that his world is all part of a storybook who’s author is Sam, he’s pushed out out into the reality.
After the reality-breaking reveal, Jot’s motivations quickly 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 come across interesting characters that will give a task to our adventurers. Completing those tasks aren’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 little bit to figure out.
These puzzles keeps the game from turning into a slog and presents 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 said 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 fun. These boss fights introduce new fighting mechanics in the form of minigames. 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 absolutely favourite.
The game’s soundtrack pairs amazingly with the carefully crafted environments in each chapter which adds to the immersion significantly. My most favourite moment in the game comes in Chapter 6 in Thrash’s rock-themed homeland. The soundtrack flows so well with the what’s happening in the level that you can’t stop but bob your head as you play.
My Verdict for The Plucky Squire Review
After spending hours into 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 amazingly with the poping colors of the environmental designs. The puzzles are creative and brings immense satisfaction granting you that “Ah-Ha!” moment.
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 minigames, 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 and brining a lot of joy in the lives of gamers. I would strongly rate The Plucky Squire a 9/10 in this review and highly recommend it to other players as well.
If you’re starting the game, I recommend checking out Gamepur guides on solving the stacked books puzzle, and how to open the gate in Chapter 1 in The Plucky Squire.
Published: Sep 17, 2024 11:00 am