The Plucky Squire: Already One of the Most Charming Indies of the Year

Charm and ingenuity can do something on their own, and it would be decidedly unfair not to give them the energy and attention these aspects of a given gaming experience deserve. No, they are not a substitute for satisfying gameplay, but with enough heart, it's easier to overlook something that is a little simple or lacks the expected depth.

Take The Plucky Squire as an example. Yes, the switching between perspectives is both technically impressive and charming, but beyond these formulaic breaks, it's not like the combat, puzzles or exploration offer anything you haven't seen before.

But what developer All Possible Futures lacks on the sober, cynical mechanical front is excused with so much charm, so much heart and so much personality that it remains one of the strongest indie experiences of the year so far, and this is a year where we've already got Hades 2, The Rogue Prince of Persia, Arco and many others.

In The Plucky Squire, you play as Jot, an adventurer who realises that instead of being... well, his own person, he's the hero of a series of children's book stories. But a malevolent wizard has also realised this crucial fact and is using that knowledge to quite literally break the fourth wall and wreak havoc. It's up to you to not only thwart his plans within the confines of the storybook, but also to exit your world and find solutions on the small table where both Jot and his entire universe have been invented.

In practice, this means that you see your world from above, in a slightly isometric style with classic Zelda-like gameplay - but with some transitions to side-scrolling in a few inventive sections - and at times even jumping out of the book and to move freely around a 3D world. For those in need of a more unified frame of reference, Super Mario Odyssey did this at times, mixing nostalgic side-scrolling sequences with more open, modern platforming in a seamless and elegant way, and it's not hard to imagine that these were a key source of inspiration.

Mechanically, the game deviates significantly from the very concrete, basic expectations you have for each of these distinct perspective settings. You smash simple enemies with your sword, pick up a single currency that can be used to buy new abilities that can also be upgraded, and there's even some rudimentary stealth here and there. All Possible Futures innovates within the two genre frameworks, primarily using the jump from one to the other as a breath of fresh air, or for versatility.

I'm making this combination sound basic, and while this is partially true for The Plucky Squire, it shouldn't take anything away from the game's unique charm. First of all, the developer uses a slightly ironic, almost sarcastic narrative profile that considers what it's like for fictional characters to realise that they are... well, fictional, but this is seamlessly mixed with plenty of jokes and a general self-awareness that really suits the form. It oozes charm, all the time, and it oozes creativity too, perhaps because the game is in a way about creating, imagining and translating your imagination into something more tangible.

It feels good to play even in all its mechanical simplicity. The word puzzles look like there's more Scribblenauts-like freedom than there really is, and the controls could have used a bit of tweaking to ensure a slightly lighter profile, but other than that, The Plucky Squire is as lovely to play as it is to look at. It's too early to pass judgement on the overall gaming experience, but so far I'm pretty sure it will win over many, both on PC and consoles. Unfortunately, it's being released during a busy period to say the least, but you should make time to play The Plucky Squire. I'm completely on board and have rarely experienced a game that keeps a smile on my face for so long at a time.