I immediately liked The Plucky Squire. Not just because it’s utterly charming, beautifully presented, and exactly what you’d hope for from an indie game, but because within the first few moments, it also used my favourite non-expletive exclamation “Cracking!” It sets the tone for an adventure that’s perfectly written, unequivocally British and genuinely funny. And what a cracking game it is too.
Sam’s room is a normal child’s bedroom, stuffed with slightly too many things, and probably the wrong side of clutter. On the desk sits The Plucky Squire, a children’s book packed with bright colours and fun-filled characters. The key difference though, is that you can take control of The Plucky Squire, taking him on a Zelda-esque journey through the pages of the book. The edge of each page isn’t where this adventure stops though, and you can move from the 2D surface of the book out into the 3D ‘real’ world beyond, and then onto other 2D surfaces.
Jot is the titular Plucky Squire. He lives in the land of Mojo, a land of creativity, and one which looks and feels very much like the 2D Hyrule of Link’s smaller-scale adventures – and more specifically, the Zelda-inspired Swords of Ditto. As you move from 2D screen to 2D screen, the pages of the book turn, lending a sense of place and solidity to this literature-led fictional world.
The Zelda comparisons are never truer than during The Plucky Squire’s combat. Jot swings his sword with Link-like alacrity, battling Goblins, Slimes and charging bulls within minutes of setting out on his quest. He’s just as keen to chop down nearby tufts of grass, too, with the lightbulbs discovered within the currency you’ll use to upgrade your abilities, unlock new skills or add concept art to the in-game gallery. It’s definitely quicker to dispense these than Nintendo have ever been, as long as you’re keen on manicuring every lawn.
There’d be very little reason for the game to be set in a book unless All Possible Futures made the most of it, and they absolutely do, with words crucial to advancing through Jot’s adventure. At first, some pages feature text that further the narrative, but soon enough you’re presented with words that just aren’t right. They’re not right because they’re missing, and you have to search for the replacement words to fill in the gaps, solving this very first word puzzle in order to open a gate that’s blocking your path.
While it starts out straightforward, you’re soon using words to puzzle your way further, swapping them around for different results, or choosing from multiple options. In a nice touch, some of the wrong choices have deeply funny or unexpected results, so it’s worth deliberately getting things wrong, just to see what lies in store for you. After all, who doesn’t want to turn a tiny frog into a huge one?
In all the most positive ways possible, The Plucky Squire feels like a first-party Nintendo game. Shifting between the 2D pages of the book and the 3D world outside it is fundamentally a trick we’ve seen Mario perform, but it’s done wonderfully well. Sam’s a creative child, and there are sketches stuck around the real world that Jot can also hop in and out of, and every time you do it just feels smart and ever so playful. If ever a game felt intelligently designed, it’s this one.
As with many puzzlers, there are occasional moments of backtracking, and hopping in and out of the book is sometimes more of a chore than a magical experience, but overall, the team have done a good job of making the mechanic feel integral and imaginative, and it doesn’t outstay it’s welcome through the game’s 7-8 hours of runtime.
The Plucky Squire is built on the collaboration between intelligence and charm. It looks utterly gorgeous too, from the art of the picture book, through to the lovingly crafted world of Sam’s room. There’s a vein of classic British children’s properties running through it all, and books/shows like Funnybones and The Trap Door have the same sort of knowing humour that will appeal to adults and children alike. I’ve loved playing through it with my eight-year-old son, particularly as he’s an avid reader, and we’ve shared the same enjoyment of Jot’s ability to swap out words and see the effect.
In fact, if we’re looking for one of the few downsides, it would be that some words don’t have any effect at all when put into certain sentences. While there’s definitely some great moments, it would have been fun to see some further odd results. Other than that, there is a sense of familiarity here, and for all of the astounding vibrancy and playfulness on display, you may have seen some of it before. That Nintendo-feel amalgamates some of their greatest hits, combining elements of Mario and Zelda, but then, if you’re going to crib from someone, why not crib from the best?
