[Console] The Plucky Squire Review

[Aronus]

As a lifelong Zelda fan, I’m always hesitant when other developers set out to make a game so clearly inspired by Nintendo’s acclaimed action-adventure series. I find that the puzzle design never quite reaches Zelda’s incredibly lofty bar, and I’m usually left wishing I was just playing Ocarina of Time or A Link Between Worlds instead. But The Plucky Squire breaks that trend, with a combination of clever brain teasers, simple but effective swordplay, and a courageous silent protagonist that would feel right at home in Hyrule. The adventure is held back by an overly wordy script and some serious pacing issues in its final act, but this debut game from developer All Possible Futures is still a journey worth taking.

The Plucky Squire’s elevator pitch is brilliant: You play as Jot, the hero of a children’s book who learns early on that he is, in fact, just the hero of a children’s book. This leads to a surprisingly meta story where Jot leaps between the 2D pages of his picture book and the 3D real world around it, which is represented by the childhood bedroom of a young Plucky Squire superfan named Sam who collects all of Jot’s stories and merchandise. That unique premise paves the way for The Plucky Squire’s inspired puzzle design.

 

 

The Plucky Squire Review - IGN