September 18th 2024.
The Plucky Squire is an exciting new game from Devolver Digital, showcasing stunning graphics and a unique storyline that pays homage to classic games like The Legend of Zelda. It's a common dilemma in the gaming world - a game with breathtaking visuals that fall short in terms of gameplay. This is often the case with photorealistic games, but it can also apply to more whimsical art styles. Unfortunately, this is the case with The Plucky Squire, as its beauty is not matched by its gameplay.
It's frustrating to see such potential wasted in a game that clearly had ambition and creativity behind it. The Plucky Squire offers clever and unexpected gameplay elements, some of which are inspired by other games while others are completely original. However, these elements do not translate into a fun gaming experience.
The game follows the story of the Plucky Squire who begins his journey in a 2D world, much like the original The Legend of Zelda. The world is depicted as pages in a storybook, with the edges of the pages visible on a desk. As the story progresses, the evil wizard banishes the Plucky Squire to the real world, transforming him into a 3D character. The visuals throughout the game are stunning, with a mix of realistic and fantastical elements that keep the player engaged and surprised.
One of the most intriguing aspects of The Plucky Squire is its ever-changing presentation. From an artist town filled with famous figures to mini-games that pay homage to iconic titles, the game continuously reinvents itself. The first few hours of gameplay are enjoyable, and it's impossible to not appreciate the creativity and imagination behind the game.
However, as you delve deeper into the game, its flaws become apparent. The combat, which is reminiscent of 2D Zelda games, is simplistic and unexciting. The story also falls short, with an attempt at family-friendly storytelling that never quite reaches its full potential. The script is decent, with a few humorous moments, but overall it fails to captivate the player.
The Plucky Squire is divided into 2D and 3D sections, with the former making up the majority of the game. The gameplay follows a pattern of traveling to a new area, solving puzzles in the 2D world, and then being transported to the 3D world to retrieve a necessary item. The puzzles rely on the player's ability to manipulate the storybook, such as turning pages or moving objects between pages. While the puzzles are clever in theory, they become tedious and overly complicated in practice. This is especially true for puzzles that require the player to rearrange words in sentences, a mechanic inspired by the game Baba is You. The process of moving words around manually is time-consuming and takes away from the overall enjoyment of the game.
The Plucky Squire also features some platforming elements, but the controls in the 2D world are abysmal. The Plucky Squire is incredibly slippery and can jump to unrealistic heights, making it difficult to navigate through the game. Thankfully, the controls are more manageable in the 3D sections.
There are also moments of stealth in the game, but they lack depth and are ultimately uninteresting. Overall, the gameplay becomes monotonous and fails to live up to its potential.
In terms of presentation, The Plucky Squire is nearly flawless. The graphics are stunning, with attention to detail in every aspect of the game. However, the game is plagued with serious bugs, including crashes and disappearing objects that hinder the player's progress. The save system is also inflexible, making it difficult to backtrack and fix mistakes.
Despite its stunning visuals and interesting concepts, The Plucky Squire falls short in terms of gameplay and execution. It's a beautiful game, but it lacks substance and fails to engage the player. Like a storybook, it may be appealing to look at, but it falls short in terms of captivating the reader.
In summary, The Plucky Squire is a visually stunning game with shallow gameplay. Its presentation is top-notch, but it's let down by its simplistic combat, tedious puzzles, and various bugs. While it may initially draw players in with its gorgeous graphics and clever ideas, it fails to deliver a truly engaging gaming experience.
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