The Plucky Squire

[h1]Sights & Sounds[/h1] [h3]This is what interested you in the first place[/h3] [list] [*] There are a lot of things you could criticize about [i]The Plucky Squire[/i], but you won't find that criticism in this section of the review. It's an inarguably beautiful game [*] The combo of realistic 3D environments paired with the cartoonish storybook artstyle was such a great choice that I'm a little mad that it took so long pull off this mixed media look so effectively. It's not a totally new idea, but I can't recall it ever looking this good [*] What's even better is that the blend of "real world" and storybook visuals is well-explored. It would have been sort of lame if the game featured primarily 2D gameplay with a few dalliances into third dimension, but instead you get segments where you bounce between the two at key points. For example, RPG-battling a boss on an MTG card or playing a side-scrolling shooter on a coffee mug [*] The audio presentation is also on point. While the OST is pretty varied, the instrumentation centers around jangly acoustic guitar, lively percussion (lots of chimes, xylophones, and tambourine), and woodwinds in peaceful settings but shifts to faster tempo…

I really wanted to like this game, and I absolutely enjoyed the art style! However, the mechanics lack a surprising amount of polish, and the health-item distribution feels quite punishing for this early in the game. The 2D jumping has a weird sense of momentum (slow acceleration, a very floaty ascent, and an incredibly fast descent), which punishes you quite harshly. Also, that honey badger fight... I had way more trouble with it than with a regular Souls boss due to the strange delays after pressing the dodge button. It's a shame because I rarely decide to quit games so quickly. I'm used to much harder games, and I got the sense that The Plucky Squire's mechanics just need a bit more polish.

A beautiful and very cute little game about a hero in a storybook. Quick and easy if you're not going for 100%. I beat it in 9 hours. Battle is fairly easy, and there are quite a few fun mini-games. Props to the art design team! The style made me smile throughout.

A great game for anyone with kids who wants to give them a game with a bit of substance (but not too much complexity). The tone is charming, the 2D/3D transitions are fun, and the story is fleshed out enough without being lore-heavy. Like I said, a great game for kids (ideal age is probably 6-12). A bit of fun for adults, too, but probably doesn't have the complexity/depth to keep me engaged independently of playing with my son. I get some of the criticisms about lack of difficulty and too much dialogue, but the devs seem to have implemented pretty effective fixes for both those issues (iron squire/challenge mode and a 'streamlined' dialogue setting, respectively). Would definitely recommend.

it's a puzzle-jumpnrun-shooter-brawler-bubblebobble-rhythm-adventure-game. It's great.

liked the concept felt a little disappointed with story/gameplay probably because of how the ideas are so good but they didn't go deep enough with them