The Plucky Squire review: "A fascinating interplay of 2D and 3D puzzles that makes no apology with its bodacious references to a bygone era"

The Plucky Squire comes careening into the action-adventure genre like an '80s raver who just doesn't know when to stop. With it, a bold, Neverending Story-style meta-narrative featuring a nostalgic voiceover reminiscent of Stephen Fry's Little Big Planet performance and oodles of minigames that offer up a range of gameplay styles from every era. This game really has a bit of everything, and it makes no apology with its bodacious references to a bygone era.

From its cornerstone as a top-down adventuring game, The Plucky Squire is infused with plenty of puzzles, hack-'n'-slash elements, rhythm-based minigames, and platforming segments. It even branches out into arcade style beat-'em-ups, twin-stick shooter levels, and some turn-based tomfoolery with diplomacy tactics woven in. All this is worked into a clever mashup of 2D and 3D levels that throw brain teaser after brain teaser at you, willing you to check every angle and get a new perspective in the name of creative inspiration and, of course, friendship.

O' muses, three

The Plucky Squire follows the noble adventures of Jot, a pen-nib-wielding writer tasked with saving the hyper-creative land of Mojo. Should the book he and his creative pals live in be ruined, it'll no longer go on to inspire the child who owns it, and that would be a creative tragedy.

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With the help of Violet, the painterly witch-in-training, and Thrash, the Rock Troll drummer, Jot must protect his homeland and thwart the plans of the evil Humgrump. Fed up with always losing the fight at the end of the story, Humgrump attempts to banish you from the land of Mojo. But in his hubris, he ends up granting you the ridiculous, fourth-wall-breaking powers necessary to take on the baddie… Oops.

Using your newfound metamagic, you're able to manipulate the book and its pages: tipping it to shift heavy objects; stamping things to stop them dead; and retrieving helpful items from the outside world to help on your adventure. 

Hopping in and out of the book through scattered portals you work your way through the story, tackling a series of word and logic puzzles in order to rewrite the narrative and advance on your enemy. You'll even have to skip back through the book to collect words that, when swapped around, have the power to change the narrative to your advantage.

As you travel through the dimensions you'll gather hidden concept art, collectible baby birds, and inspiration (in the form of lightbulbs dotted around) which is the game's main currency. Inspiration can be traded at shops for more concept art and new moves such as a ranged sword throw and a multi-hit spin attack. You'll even get to retrieve goodies from outside the book to help you on your journey, and play as different characters when faced with minigames that require a specific skill set.

Between brewing up mushroom bombs to be used against Humgrump's forces, the great Wizard Moonbeard will send out his little friend Minibeard (not the only Austin Powers reference) to expound helpful tips when you get stuck, and train you up when you bag a new move.

Get your Mojo back

As you might expect from a book-focused story, The Plucky Squire is split into several chapters. Each one is based around a different character and set in a new Mojo biome, with every area steeped in interesting NPCs and themed minigames. It takes a little while to get into the good stuff, but between the puzzling and brawling there's a fantastic build up of tension through an extremely well-paced narrative. 

There's always some deeply involved, head-scratching, 3D-upon-2D layered conundrum, or a heartstopping stealth segment before it all kicks off with a bout of fast-paced scrapping, bang-bang-shooty fun, or just bombarding enemy tanks with metamagic stamp bombs.

At first I was a bit unsure whether I'd connect with the characters since the story seemed geared more toward a younger audience. But as it progressed I found myself thoroughly invested in each of their personal narratives. Everyone in Mojo has their own passions and goals, and each one is endearing in their own way. The main crew in particular have a little Mojam dance they do when they get together and I can't get over how cute they are.

As for the finale, we're talking a super meta crawl through a drab, washed-out world, and into the vivid light of creative energy. With it, yet more new and exciting new mechanics for tackling puzzles come alongside a cool combo of previously mastered moves and minigames. It took me by surprise actually, with a couple of exciting and genuinely unexpected twists coming in before the end.

Despite the child-friendly narrative, the game assumes a certain level of intelligence when it comes to puzzles. Other than (a perhaps slight overuse of) cutscenes to show you where you're going next, the game refuses to hold your hand unless you specifically ask Minibeard for help on a puzzle. Sometimes, though, Minibeard is nowhere to be seen. And while that's not going to be an issue for puzzle game enthusiasts, anyone who'd been leaning on the character for help will end up getting stuck (not me, I never needed help…). 

That's not to say the game isn't fun. There are some minor frustrations – like the ability to block yourself all too easily if you leave a word in the wrong place, though you can skip back through your save history in case that happens. Despite the odd snag, The Plucky Squire makes for a fascinating interplay of 2D and 3D puzzles, battles, and diverse minigames that make it a paragon of the genre.

The devs have applied a masterful set of mechanics that all feel smooth and fun to switch through when flip-flopping between dimensions. From dashing, slashing and rolling, to tilting, stamping and even rocketing around with a jetpack. On top of that, the difficulty of the combat and minigames always feels appropriate to the level of tension, while the minigames and boss battles all offer super varied gameplay styles to break up the main loop. And the cherry on the cake is a well paced and entertaining narrative, one that I've had loads of fun reading out the unique and very silly voices for with my family.

The only real issue, aside from some of the jokes being a big swing-and-a-miss, is that The Plucky Squire feels a little inconsistent with its hinting system, leaving those who need the help hanging. Still, it's otherwise a super accessible game, with invincibility and one-hit-kill modes as well as an option that lets you skip minigames if you're finding them too difficult. 

It's the perfect game for Gen X parents (any parents, really) looking to introduce their younger kids to gaming, with heaps of '80s music and movie references to keep them amused while watching their kids play before they're inevitably called upon to tackle a puzzle or two when Minibeard's on break. Of course, it's also great for big kids who just want to bliss out for a while on some creatively validating childhood nostalgia, complete with glow sticks and an epic trance DJ wizard.