The Plucky Squire Reviews
The Plucky Squire is a clear appeal to adults who wistfully recall their days of crayons and cardboard, before the world seemed to get so dark and complicated.References to childhood classics sit alongside cheeky nods to the capitalist mechanisms underpinning children's media, finding joy in the same way Jot's friends continue to despite knowing the true nature of their world.
While it may not be perfect, The Plucky Squire still offers a delightful experience filled with creativity, lovable characters, and a world that begs to be explored. For an 8-10 hour experience, you’ll more than get your money’s worth.
The Plucky Squire is among the most enjoyable and creative titles of recent years. Although the lack of challenges and limited combat may be a bit of a hindrance, the excellent setting and the way the story is able to captivate different audiences make it a great game for the whole family. The caveat is in the technical part: although it doesn't get to the point of ruining the experience, whether running in portable mode on the Switch or in the dock, the game behaves unstable in some situations and presents questionable visuals when in 3D. After finishing the campaign, the impression I had is that the portable mode behaved better in both aspects.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The Plucky Squire is a game clearly made with a serious amount of love for the wonderful medium of glorious interactivity that is video games. And for it being the first title from development team All Possible Futures, it’s a staggering achievement in art, design and ideas. It’s just a shame the gameplay didn’t get as much attention as the nostalgia it so skilfully indulges.
Developer All Possible Futures has done enough to prove they can really create something visually stunning while also weaving together a whimsical fairy tale story. On the other hand, it also feels like they had something to prove, with too many ideas, and instead of honing in on any one or two, decided to shove them all in at once. Even with all my complaints, it never took away from the fun that’s inherent within the simplistic gameplay and story. With all the mini games and mechanics being so slight, any grievances were short lived as I progressed further into the games 8 hour run time. The game really moves at a pretty brisk pace, with a slight drag at the finish line. Outside of that, I would definitely recommend The Plucky Squire, if anything for that visual 2D hand drawn art transition to 3D. It’s a neat trick and one I’ll remember for some time to come. This is a case for games as an artform, even if it’s technically shallow.
The Plucky Squire's misused potential and diminished challenge keep it from scoring a Newberry Medal, but it still remains a charming children's page-turner that's tough to put down.
While both Astro Bot and The Plucky Squire are about creativity and joy, the latter manages to get in its own way in comparison. The result is jarring.
Whether you’re a lifelong gamer or just starting your adventure, The Plucky Squire inspires us all to be more than we are. It’s a beautiful, nostalgic, and innovative journey that captures the spirit of gaming’s past while paving the way for the future.
The Plucky Squire are what will keep the indie game scene alive for years to come.
The Plucky Squire’s pages are filled with moments of delight...The sketched world of crayon colors is gorgeously charming.
...its unique puzzle design, gorgeous art style, and thematic depth make it a standout platforming experience.
The Plucky Squire is more than just the sum of its parts, with characters, a world, and gameplay experiences dripping with charm.
Review in Unknown | Read full review
The Plucky Squire captivates with its visual style, unique gameplay, engaging narrative, and charming characters. It's nearly impossible to resist the game's charm, offering about ten hours of fun and some head-scratching moments as puzzles become more complex but never too difficult. The only downside is the 3D phases, where the game doesn't particularly excel. However, the mix of styles and gameplay entertains and amazes, resulting in a magically narrated story that you'll be eager to see through to the end.
Review in Italian | Read full review
There’s a lot to enjoy about The Plucky Squire. It really is a gorgeous game, the art design is stellar, the voiceover work for the narrator is well done, and again it just nails the storybook presentation so well. While the puzzles aren’t particularly hard, they are inventive, making use of the 2D to 3D space extremely well. There’s certainly room for improvement in The Plucky Squire, but at the same time I think it’s a game worth checking out when you get the chance.
The Plucky Squire is an interesting title, with a striking aesthetic, and imaginative developers who try to mix many styles and ideas that mostly work, but that with their excess of clues make adventure never a challenge.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The Plucky Squire might just be the cutest game of the year. Maybe a little too cute, because everything is done to be as accessible as possible. The puzzles never get too difficult and battles remain simple in execution. You can even skip the mini-games completely if they are too difficult for you. Oddly enough, that doesn't make The Plucky Squire any less. It's not brilliant, but above all just very fun and just long enough to end on a high note.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
The Plucky Squire is, ultimately, an indie game that hearkens a lot of nostalgic feelings from previous generations. The blend of The Legend of Zelda's classic gameplay with the Paper Mario style of storytelling and characters is a pitch-perfect combo. Then, to pay homage to more modern 3D platforming, Jot going outside the book to traverse the desk makes for a great set piece. It's a testament to this game's fun and ingenuity that a few minor bumps along the way barely affect its overall quality and lasting impact. If any gamer is still on the fence about The Plucky Squire, ditch the hesitation and play this game right now.
Overall, The Plucky Squire is a great game because of its bright and colorful animation, relaxing music, and clever gameplay. Even though the game is aimed at children, some teens and young adults looking for a comfort game will enjoy it as well.
A well-thought-out mixture of 2D/3D gameplay with some creative puzzle platforming. Although the difficulty is a walk in the park, everything else in the game makes The Plucky Squire stand out