The Plucky Squire Review: A Must-Play Indie Game

A sunglass-wearing wizard creates a concoction in a mythical realm to aid Jot, fearless hero, in navigating a prickly plant. Wizard turns to you, the player and thanks you for guiding Jot after using potion. Subsequently, Jot—also referred to as The Plucky Squire—leaps from his storybook, turns the page, seizes the potion and returns. This fun moment shows what makes The Plucky Squire unique—its humor, creativity and changing art style.

What makes this game special is how it turns classic game mechanics into something new and exciting. As you help Jot on his journey, you’ll be surprised by clever puzzles and unique gameplay that blend different styles & keep things fresh. While some parts, like fetch quests, can feel a bit repetitive, most of the game is a joyful mix of art and fun.

The game’s vibe is a big part of its charm. The beautiful illustrations, created by Pokémon artist James Turner, give the game a unique look. The music is amazing, and the witty dialogue adds even more personality to the world. The Plucky Squire pulls you into its fantasy world right away.

The story starts off as a typical heroic quest, with Jot setting off to save the world with his sword. But things get interesting when the evil wizard, Humgrump, takes control of the storybook Jot lives in. Humgrump wants to change the ending so he can finally win after losing to Jot in every adventure. That’s when the game really comes to life.

Humgrump’s plan could affect more than just Jot’s world. If he succeeds, the child who owns the book, Sam, will be so upset that he’ll stop reading the story. The bookworm in the story explains that if this happens, Sam won’t grow up to write his own stories, which would prevent him from inspiring other kids. Jot takes on this big responsibility and continues his quest to save both his world and Sam’s future.

In The Plucky Squire, you’re not just playing a game—you’re part of a living story. It’s a celebration of creativity, bravery, and storytelling, making it a game full of heart and fun. Even when some parts feel familiar, the game’s charm and creativity keep it enjoyable.

In The Plucky Squire, you play as Jot, a hero in a storybook who discovers he can jump out of the pages and explore the real world. This mix of 2D & 3D gameplay makes the game exciting and fresh. Jot’s friend Violet, like Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story, realizes she’s just a character in a book, not a real person which makes her freak out.

In the game, Jot moves between his 2D storybook world and the 3D real world which keeps the gameplay fun and surprising. In 2D, you solve puzzles and use items to help Jot move forward. When Jot enters the 3D world, the gameplay changes to platforming and light combat. Best part is that items you collect in one world can be used in the other, leading to some creative challenges.

One of the coolest features is the word puzzles in the 2D world. You’ll find sentences written on the ground and by changing the words, you can change the world around you. For example, you can turn small frogs into big frogs or swap glowing mushrooms for cheese mushrooms. Some word combinations don’t work, but trying them out is fun, and you can even get achievements by messing up on purpose!

The game shines when these word puzzles mix with 3D gameplay. One clever example is when you change a tall pillar into a crumbling one, then leave the book, tilt the page, and let the pillar fall onto an enemy. These moments are unique and make you smile because they’re so creative.

However, not everything in the game is exciting. Some tasks, like rounding up pigs, can feel boring. The combat is also very simple—I found myself mostly throwing Jot’s sword instead of using other attacks. Nothing in the game is very hard, whether it’s the puzzles or the fights. But that’s not the point. The Plucky Squire is more about being clever and fun than difficult. Even boss fights are different—they might turn into shooting levels or rhythm games, which keeps things fresh, even if they’re easy.

The Plucky Squire is a creative and fun game, but it does have some technical problems that can take away from the experience. One of the main issues is the frame rate. When you’re fighting several enemies at once, the game’s performance drops, and things start to slow down noticeably. This can make combat less smooth and more frustrating. Additionally, the game sometimes freezes for no reason, which can disrupt the flow and force you to restart a level.

Another downside is that some levels don’t work properly on the Steam Deck. Even though The Plucky Squire isn’t officially Steam Deck Verified, it’s the kind of game that would be perfect for playing on a portable device like Valve’s handheld console. Unfortunately the developers weren’t able to make the game fully compatible with the Steam Deck in time for its release which is disappointing for players who hoped to enjoy it on the go.

Despite these technical problems, The Plucky Squire shines in its creativity. While it could be more challenging and some quests feel a bit repetitive, the moments when the game mixes 2D and 3D gameplay, and twists familiar genre conventions, are really special. Each level seems unique from the others and the puzzles are challenging yet rewarding to accomplish. It’s nice to play a game that challenges you frequently and adds new experiences as you go.

Beautiful art style is another highlight. From the very start, game’s illustrations and character designs are what drew many players in and that visual charm is present throughout the entire game. The combination of imaginative gameplay and stunning art makes The Plucky Squire stand out, even though it has its fair share of technical hiccups.

In the end, The Plucky Squire is a game full of potential, with creative puzzles and a unique blend of 2D and 3D gameplay. It nevertheless manages to give an enjoyable and visually pleasing experience, even though it may be improved by resolving technical issues & adding additional challenge. This funny, exquisitely made journey offers a great deal of enjoyment, provided you can get past the odd freeze or frame rate decrease.

The Plucky Squire Pros and Cons

Pros 🟢	Cons 🔴
Easy-to-follow story 📖	Some quests feel repetitive 🔄
Beautiful 2D and 3D art 🎨	Performance issues (lag, freezes) 🐌
Fun and creative gameplay mechanics 🎮	🔴

Conclusion

The Plucky Squire offers a clever and charming adventure but performance issues on the Switch hold it back. While you can play it on Nintendo Switch, we don’t recommend it if you have other options. The trailers looked great but the absence of advance review copies for the Switch suggests that this version needed more time to improve before its release.