The Plucky Squire leapt out at us from the very first moment we saw its debut trailer, teasing the dimension-hopping capabilities of its central storybook hero. We’re pleased to say the full game delivers on this core premise handsomely; Jot’s journey across the pages of his book and beyond is full of unique moments and fun ideas. If you’re after a family-friendly adventure, this debut title from All Possible Futures does the job with real style.
The majority of the game takes place within the pages of The Plucky Squire, a children’s storybook starring main character Jot and his colourful friends. The narrative is a fairly simple one, though it doesn’t take long for it to get very meta; the conniving wizard Humgrump learns that his reality is confined to a book on a child’s bedroom desk, and develops a special magic that can rid him of Jot at last. After all, if the titular plucky squire is no longer part of the story, he can’t thwart Humgrump’s evil plans.
Of course, things aren’t that simple, and with help from his allies, Jot is able to hop between the pages of his book and the 3D realm beyond them. Though you can only move between dimensions at given spots, it’s impressively seamless. Jot’s movement and combat feel very similar despite the change in perspective, meaning it never feels jarring to go from one to the other.
The catch is that your basic moves are very simple. Combat comprises simple sword swings, and while you will unlock some fancier attacks like a sword throw and charged spin, they rarely feel necessary. You can get by quite comfortably with your basic combo and some dodge rolls. We weren’t expecting Devil May Cry, of course, but the combat isn’t particularly engaging to say it plays a fairly large part in the game.
When you’re not smacking baddies, though, the game is never short of ideas. One recurring puzzle has you swapping specific words around to change the environment around you, transforming a forest into a ruin, for example. Though never particularly challenging, it’s a really smart puzzle that fits the game’s literary setting. While this comes back in various ways, it’s the many other mechanics that come and go which afford The Plucky Squire a sense of real imagination.
We don’t want to spoil these too much, as a big part of the game’s appeal lies in its element of surprise. However, the earliest example sees one sequence play like a round of Punch-Out!!, and that’s just the start of it. Another favourite is a combination of rhythm and stealth that could honestly be its own game. There are lots of moments like this, punctuating the main story with short, novel concepts that form some of the highlights of the experience.
Jot himself gains various new abilities throughout the adventure, too, although these feel a little underutilised. Early on, you’ll learn how to turn the pages of the book while in the 3D world, allowing you to turn back to previous locations and solve puzzles. It’s a really neat concept that makes the most of how the game operates, but it doesn’t come up an awful lot. The same can be said of the ability to tilt the book, moving certain objects within its pages; again, another really clever mechanic, but one we’d have liked to see more often. Given these are permanent abilities Jot unlocks, we feel they could’ve perhaps come into play more than they do.
Still, the near-constant introduction of new ideas is compelling, and it happens inside and outside the book. At certain points you’ll need to go on excursions across the desk, picking up some temporary power-ups, such as a rocket to boost your jump. These short but sweet jaunts fold in 2D segments as you jump into drawings plastered across blocks and toys in the environment. Even better are moments where you find yourself on the side of a mug, or within other 3D objects; it’s these sections, combining The Plucky Squire’s two dimensions, that work best, including the aforementioned page-flipping and book-tilting. It all feels effortless.
On top of that, the presentation is consistently charming. The storybook’s art style fits its setting perfectly, with thick outlines, blocky colours, and jolly characters. While this art is less present in the 3D realm, the desk environment is modelled out nicely, and scaling various toys and objects as the diminutive Jot has its own sense of whimsy that’s hard to deny.
It all adds up to a short but very sweet action adventure. It has a great core concept and it’s been executed very well; the lovely art, fun characters, and parade of playful ideas all befitting the kid’s storybook setup.
Conclusion
The Plucky Squire is a delightful adventure that surprises with fun ideas in every chapter. The world within the book offers unique puzzles and challenges, which is compounded by Jot’s ability to leap from its pages into the third dimension. Though the combat’s kinda flat, and some elements deserve to be used more often than they are, there’s an undeniable joy to the game’s constant imaginative ideas. It’s a short but sweet game that’ll win over players of all ages.