The Plucky Squire is a game that blends 2D and 3D art in a clever and eye-catching way.
You step into the shoes of Jot, the “Plucky Squire” from a series of beloved children’s books. These picture books have gathered a large fan base and even inspired merchandise because they are so fun and welcoming. Jot doesn’t talk, but the other characters around him are lively and often hilarious. The world they live in, called Mojo, is vibrant and full of imagination.
As you play, the game becomes more intricate. It starts like a regular adventure game viewed from above, with page turns marking transitions. Soon, the villain Humgrump throws Jot out of the book into the real world, revealing a new layer of the game. Jot then learns to jump in and out of the book using special portals, wandering around the desk of a boy named Sam who loves the Plucky Squire stories.
We can all relate to the feeling of discovering something magical for the first time.
Switching between the book and the real world feels smooth and magical. Inside the book, everything looks like it belongs in a real picture book with beautiful animations. Outside, Jot becomes a 3D model, and the view changes to give you a closer look. You can bring items from the real world into the book, and they change to fit the 2D style.
The plot is about Jot being kicked out of his book and fighting to return, but it’s more than that. Jot is Sam’s hero and inspires him to create his own drawings and stories. If Humgrump wins, it’s not just Jot’s world that’s in danger, but also Sam’s dreams of becoming an artist and writer.
The game mixes elements from 2D and 2.5D Zelda games with puzzles that require you to jump in and out of the book. Your actions are narrated, and sometimes you have to move words on the page to solve puzzles.
One minute you might be changing words to open a gate, and the next you’re outside the book looking for an item to help inside the story. Sometimes you need to flip back pages to find a missing word, and occasionally the book turns on its side to show a different view.
Puzzles get more complex as you go. You can tilt the book to move objects, freeze parts of the environment, or close the book to transfer items between pages. The puzzles are challenging but not frustrating, and if you get stuck, there’s always a hint totem nearby to guide you.
The hint system is a tiny version of your wizard mentor, Moonbeard, called Minibeard. In the real world, he’s a talking doll. Other main characters include Violet, a young witch in training, and Thrash, a rock-and-roll mountain troll. Mojo is a whimsical place with lots of fun details, like a city made of art supplies and trolls who love heavy metal. Every time you think you’ve seen it all, the game surprises you with something new.
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The Plucky Squire uses its unique premise to keep things fresh and exciting. For example, early on, you need to find a bow from an elven huntress, which turns out to be in a card game. You jump into the card and play a turn-based RPG to get the bow. This happens only once, and then you move on to a new task. At another point, you enter a spaceship mug, and the game becomes a side-scrolling shooter. There are also boss fights that mimic Punch-Out, a color-matching puzzle game, and a rhythm game. Each mini-game is well-made and provides a nice break from the main adventure.
The game combines classic Zelda-like gameplay with a ton of new ideas and creative touches that make it feel alive and special. Even the final boss fight introduces a new type of gameplay that fits perfectly. Sometimes games that try new things at the end feel out of place, but The Plucky Squire handles it smoothly, making it feel like a fitting end to an epic story.
The Plucky Squire is a wonderful tale about creativity and inspiration, filled with its own creative and inspiring moments. In the game, The Plucky Squire is a famous character with many stories. In real life, he deserves to become just as popular, and this could be the beginning of his big adventure.
