The Plucky Squire Review (PS5) | Push Square

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The Plucky Squire leapt out at us from the very first moment we saw its debut trailer, teasing the dimension-hopping capabilities of its central storybook hero. We're pleased to say the full game delivers on this core premise handsomely; Jot's journey across the pages of his book and beyond is full of unique moments and fun ideas. If you're after a family-friendly adventure, this debut title from All Possible Futures does the job with real style.

The majority of the game takes place within the pages of The Plucky Squire, a children's storybook starring main character Jot and his colourful friends. The narrative is a fairly simple one, though it doesn't take long for it to get very meta; the conniving wizard Humgrump learns that his reality is confined to a book on a child's bedroom desk, and develops a special magic that can rid him of Jot at last. After all, if the titular plucky squire is no longer part of the story, he can't thwart Humgrump's evil plans.

Of course, things aren't that simple, and with help from his allies, Jot is able to hop between the pages of his book and the 3D realm beyond them. Though you can only move between dimensions at given spots, it's impressively seamless. Jot's movement and combat feel very similar despite the change in perspective, meaning it never feels jarring to go from one to the other.

The catch is that your basic moves are very simple. Combat comprises simple sword swings, and while you will unlock some fancier attacks like a sword throw and charged spin, they rarely feel necessary. You can get by quite comfortably with your basic combo and some dodge rolls. We weren't expecting Devil May Cry, of course, but the combat isn't particularly engaging to say it plays a fairly large part in the game.

When you're not smacking baddies, though, the game is never short of ideas. One recurring puzzle has you swapping specific words around to change the environment around you, transforming a forest into a ruin, for example. Though never