The recent PlayStation Showcase boasted some massive moments like the reveal of theMetal Gear Solid 3remake and the gameplay trailer forSpider-Man 2alongside delightful indie game trailers like the latest look atThe Plucky Squire. Originally announced in Summer 2022,The Plucky Squireis the debut title for indie studio All Possible Futures founded by former Art Director for thePokemonseries at Game Freak James Turner and is being published by indie powerhouseDevolver Digital. While the game looks charming in its own right, it seems to be in a great position to capture the charm of the popularPaper Marioseries.
The story ofThe Plucky Squirefollows Joton a fourth wall-breaking, multidimensional adventure as he and his companions discover the world outside of their storybook and battle against the villainous Humgrump. The core mechanic of this game is the ability to jump between 2D and 3D levels akin to games likeThe Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worldsor evenSonic Generations. However, the 2D storybook art style is begging for a comparison toPaper Mario, andThe Plucky Squireseems to draw heavy inspiration from the series while also innovating upon it in the best ways.
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The Plucky Squire Could Be What Paper Mario Fans Have Been Waiting For
For being such a beloved series,Paper Mariois one of Nintendo’s most controversialwith many of the recent entries failing to live up to the standards set by fans of the earlier titles. While traditionally a turn-based RPG series,Paper Mariogames have experimented with other genres in entries like the action-platformerSuper Paper Marioand the puzzle-based combat ofPaper Mario: The Origami King.The Plucky Squireseems to be taking inspiration from multiple titles, building upon their best elements while maintaining the charming aesthetic that made thePaper Marioseries so popular.
The Plucky Squireshares a lot in common withSuper Paper Marioin particular as both games feature the ability to change between dimensional planes and break the traditional notion of a 2D game. WhileSuper Paper Mariolimits the player to swapping to a 3D view of the same 2D level,The Plucky Squireseems to take this mechanic to the next level by allowing players to explore a fully 3D world outside its 2D levels, complete with a separate 3D model for Jot.ThePlucky Squirealso goes above and beyond the fourth wall-breaking fromPaper Marioand takes the concept to its logical conclusion with its 3D sections.
After the success of theearlyPaper Mariotitles, many fans thought that a “Paper Zelda” game would be the logical next step for Nintendo. While that idea never came to fruition, it seems likeThe Plucky Squiremight fill the space left by its potential as much of the gameplay shown features top-down dungeon crawling reminiscent of classicZeldatitles. The 3D sections of the game also look quite similar to the Switch remake ofThe Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakeningin its art style and combat.
It’s clear the team at All Possible Futures is pulling from a handful of sources for inspiration, including popular Nintendo series likePaper MarioandThe Legend of Zelda. However,The Plucky Squiregoes above and beyond its inspirations by seamlessly blending multiple concepts and genres within its design. The result not only looks to be a charming adventure, but one that could capture the magic of thePaper Marioseries while presenting it in a way that gives the game its own unique identity by taking elements of the Nintendo series to places it has never gone before.
The Plucky Squireis set to be released in 2023 on Nintendo Switch, PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S.
