There are entire subgenres of video games that use arts and crafts as the basis for aesthetics, scenery, and storytelling. LittleBigPlanet, Chicory, the Paper Mario series, Yoshi’s Woolly World, and Kirby’s Epic yarns are just a few. Plucky Squire takes things a step further and things get very meta.
Approximately two-thirds of the game takes place in a gorgeous children’s picture book with a hand-drawn feel, and players take on the role of the titular Squire and his two friends, an apprentice witch who is good at drawing and Rock’n on the mountainside). Roll Troll with a Knack for Rhythm – Fight the chaos that rains down on you from an evil hum lamp. But despite this beginning, it quickly becomes postmodern. The remaining third of the gameplay takes place around a book on a child’s desk. The squire has the power to jump out of the 2D world of the story and into reality. Here he can help by turning the pages, tilting the book itself, and sneaking objects from the chaotic and untidy desk into the story.
It’s hard to tell if this is a game for kids or for adults who are kids at heart. The game progresses a bit slowly at first, with a sweet and simple tone as you slowly progress through the idyllic early pages of the picture book. And once you are able to jump out of the book, the difficulty level increases quickly. There’s a particularly tricky stealth section featuring terrifying beetles that feels at odds with the bright, silly interior of the book’s world. This may be an intentional juxtaposition of tone, but I’m not really sure if it works. Challenges remain inconsistent and difficult to assess as the game progresses. Younger players can take advantage of Conflict Light’s story mode to enjoy a gentler journey.
The person who turns the pages…a brave servant. Photo: Devolver Digital
Each boss fight works like a mini-game. There are Punch-Out-style showdowns, shooting range-style combat sets, and rhythm games, all with varying degrees of difficulty. The puzzles, on the other hand, are executed in a really thought-provoking and fun way. Games often allow you to change and rearrange pages using storybook descriptions written in and around the scenery. The squire uses his sword to take words out of the text and then moves the words around to swap their meanings. For example, replacing “block” with “stairs” in the text literally turns the block into a staircase. I’ve only seen this kind of semantic puzzle once before, in Baba Is You, a great postmodern puzzle game from 2019. Here it is used more lightly and to great effect.
The Plucky Squire is a conceptual moonshot, and over time it becomes clear that it’s trying to say something really interesting about the importance of storytelling and the power of narrative. Experienced players are advised to be patient during the first few hours, as it takes quite a while to get up to speed. As the game evolves, it becomes very rewarding, even if the controls are a bit difficult. Plucky Squire is reassuring, funny, and moving. It’s not perfect, but it’s still a valuable title.
“The Plucky Squire” is currently in theaters. £24.99
