noisypixel: However, all of these are very minor remarks. I will remember The Plucky Squire as a delightful and charming adventure filled with clever jokes, beautiful graphics, and a range of fun gameplay mechanics. It does not overstay its welcome and offers a polished experience from start to finish. Even though it sometimes holds the players’ hands a bit too much for my taste, I had a fantastic time and wish to play it for the first time again.
The Plucky Squire was truly a delightful and charming adventure, filled to the brim with clever jokes, beautiful graphics and a range of fun gameplay mechanics. It does not overstay its welcome, and instead offers a polished experience from start to finish. Even though it sometimes holds the players hands a bit too much for my taste, I had a fantastic time and wish I could play it for the first time again.
VGChartz's Evan Norris: "It's easier and often more profitable to focus on the negative in the video game industry, but there's enough gloominess in the world. Let's focus instead on all the happy surprises that 2024 gave us. First, there's Balatro, the little indie-that-could that made a bigger splash than most AAA games. Second, there's Bakeru, an unassuming action-platformer with style and creativity approximating the giants of the genre. Third, there's The Plucky Squire, an outside-the-box (and off-the-page) action-adventure that constantly breaks the rules. Fourth, there's Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, which against the odds delivers both an outstanding Metroidvania and a game worthy of the legendary franchise. Finally, there's Silent Hill 2, which, despite months of hand-wringing, turned out to be one of the best remakes of the year."
VGChartz's Chinh Tran: "Like a good book, a good videogame story will stay with you long after the credits roll and the controller is put down. As is true in most years, 2024's Best Narratives feature RPGs. However, joining them on the shortlist are a diverse set of games from different genres, proving that a good story in videogames isn't limited to one single genre. And despite these differences in game types, all the shortlisted titles do have something in common: a grand and memorable narrative.
Indiana Jones and the Circle of Fire put players in the shoes of the titular character in the franchise's best narrative in decades. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth allowed players to continue on a bold new path from the original in exciting ways. Metaphor: ReFantazio let players experience a mature and complex tale of discrimination and equality. Senua's Saga: Hellblade II once again wove a metaphoric tale of hate, tragedy, and resiliency. Finally, The Plucky Squire creatively showed us what happens when characters from a storybook discover a world beyond their own."
VGChartz's Lee Mehr: "It speaks well to The Plucky Squire overall that in spite of several rookie team mistakes the potency of its core conceit remains so engaging. There's something genuinely exciting about altering the state of one's world through words or a different perspective. Each new tweak on the reality-shifting formula builds up to a rather surprising and endearing final act. But upon reaching that point of greater player expression, it's hard not to question the flawed mentality to get there. Was the occasional diversion to a lackluster mini-game worth it? Could there have been greater flexibility in its earlier puzzle-solving or combat? Why not give combat more of a bite? While interrogating occasional missteps makes me see the unused potential of these systems, Jot's journey still remains a charming page-turner that's tough to put down."
Between this and Astro Bot it’s been a great month for my inner child. 😂