The Plucky Squire is a puzzle-adventure game for the Nintendo Switch. It features a twist on the classic storybook narrative, taking characters in and out of the real world as they work to save their own land. It’s a fresh approach that works well, delivering a quirky, fast-paced story full of charm.
It all begins with a book. The character of the Plucky Squire is named Jot, a young sword-wielding champion (not unlike Link) who always saves the day. Unfortunately, for every hero there’s a villain, and in this case it’s the evil mage known as Humgrump. When Humgrump discovers a way to expel Jot from the storybook, it seems like a new ending is in store. Naturally, our intrepid adventurer steps up to save the day once again.
This opens up two distinct gameplay modes. Things begin within the book itself using an isometric top-down perspective—again, akin to Link’s own outings. The story literally unfolds page by page, with a voiceover narration for each new scene. As Jot, you can waltz through the pages, fighting foes and collecting light bulbs (this game’s form of currency).
Once Jot is ejected from the book, he learns a way to traverse between each world via a special portal. Both worlds are exquisitely designed with lovely yet unique visuals. The real world is presented in a glossy 3D aesthetic that complements the flatter cartoony visuals of the book version.
The story unfolds via chapters. Along the way, Jot meets many interesting characters, from a hip old wizard (not unlike Dumbledore) to a young mage-in-training. Trolls, fish, snails, and more interact in the fast-paced narrative, providing an entertaining romp as you work your way toward stopping the villain from winning the day.
The audio is another standout. The tunes vary between settings, whether you’re in the swamps or in the mountains. There’s a strong connection between the visuals and the soundtrack. For example, the trolls prefer rock music, and the background amps up accordingly when you’re in that area. It adds to the overall ambience to help keep you engaged.
Combat is on the simple side, which is fine. You wield an upgradable sword and unlock other weapons, too. This isn’t a difficult game, and it’s not meant to be. It’s not childish, but there’s a fairly linear path laid out before you and clear hints when you run into trouble. More advanced players may find things too easy. On the other hand, this accessibility allows players of any age to enjoy the game. It also allows you to focus on the story without getting frustrated, enjoying the narrative and puzzles. It creates a game that feels like you’re part of an interactive children’s book.
It’s not a short game, though. There are ten chapters to play through, each taking up to an hour. This provides plenty to do, with the addition of collectibles to keep you busy. These come in the form of concept art, viewable by a neat art gallery at any time. They’re well-hidden, adding at least a slight challenge for those looking for more to do.
There are puzzles aplenty in The Plucky Squire. These usually involve swapping specific words on the page to create a new sentence, and therefore a new scene. For example, swapping “night” and “day” allows certain objects to move, granting you access to another area. Doors might need to be opened or closed, water might or might not be present. You get the idea. It’s a “novel” way to approach puzzles, and breaks up the combat nicely.
The Plucky Squire is not without issues. The game froze a few times while loading a new page, forcing me to reset the entire Switch. It saves automatically, but not in every page, meaning I had to repeat the last few sections. I only lost five minutes, but after three separate incidents, I was starting to twitch as every new page loaded in case it froze. I also noticed significant slowdown during some of the 3D sections, although it wasn’t often, and restarting the Switch seemed to fix that, too.
Overall, The Plucky Squire is a breath of fresh air. It takes a storybook setting and tips everything on its head, with lush environments, fun puzzles, and humorous dialogue. Apart from a few technical glitches, this is a game that captures the imagination and is worth checking out.
