Summary
September seems like a month for creativity in the fall gaming release schedule.Astro Botbrought forth a lot of imagination in its levels and power-ups, and now,The Plucky Squireis seemingly changing how games can be made byincorporating a heavy meta-textual narrativeand gameplay gimmick.
The Plucky Squiremay look like aZeldagamecombined with aPaper Mariogame, but it is so much more than that. It’s a relatively short adventure, but it’s certain to be one indie game fans won’t soon forget. After players are done, they may be hankering for their next jolly adventure. Luckily, there are manygames likeThe Plucky Squirefor them to check out.
Eastwardis more of a recommendation for starvingEarthBoundfans waiting for Nintendo to releaseMother 3in the West officially. Since that has yet to happen, indie developers have beenmaking fan-like tributes toEarthBoundfor years now.Eastwardwill fit into the needs of fans ofThe Plucky Squirealso, as it is a top-down action RPG.
It follows a quiet man who finds a girl while exploring some ruins one day, and a malevolent force is trying to get her back. The game is filled with quirky characters, inventive puzzles, brilliant visuals, and a decent combat system. The graphic style alone should appease fans ofThe Plucky Squire, but it is so much more than a simple visual treat for the eyes.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worldsis the bestZeldagame to recommend to fans ofThe Plucky Squire. It re-invented the series on a small scale beforeThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildre-invented things on a bigger one. It’s also the sequel to one ofthe best games on the SNES,The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
EveryZeldagame has a gimmick, and this one happens to have two. First, instead of earning equipment through dungeons, players can choose to rent items, which makes the game less-linear than normal. The bigger gimmick is that Link can turn into paintings on walls and walk around in a new dimension. It’s not quite as fourth-wall-breaking asThe Plucky Squire, but it certainly comes close.
Nobody Saves the Worldis a bizarre indie game about a white husk of a human with no name. They somehow wind up with the magical ability totransform into different beings and animals, and now they must save the kingdom in place of the true hero. The setup is bizarre, but the weird characters help sell the world.
Also, the transformation gameplay loop ofNobody Saves the Worldshould have players hooked from minute one, whether they areinhabiting the body of a giant knight or becoming a tiny mouse. Each form can get past certain barriers, and there is a branching skill tree that dictates what players can turn into next. It’s a meaty game, offering gamers tons of reasons to stick around and come back to it for a second go. The game even features co-op.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Dooris the second game in the series, but it’s the newest game players can get on the Switch. It was originally released on the GameCube beforePaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Doorgot remastered in 2024and is often heralded as the best entry in the series. Upon coming to a new town, Mario discovers Princess Peach has been kidnapped.
Gaining new allies, Mario embarks on an epic quest across this new land to find her. Battles are turn-based but also active, as players can power up their attacks or boost their defenses with well-timed button prompts. Mario and all other characters are made of paper, while the rest of the world is made from other materials, including more paper, cardboard, bricks, and so on. The game has a DIY feel to it, which would fit in perfectly withThe Plucky Squireworld.
2Retro Game Challenge
Reliving Your Childhood Through Fake Games
Retro Game Challengewas a unique DS game that was like a celebration of gamers who grew up in the 80s and 90s. Players assume the role of a young kid who keeps getting new games for their new NES-like console. There are platformers, shooters, an RPG, and more available to check out.
If players get stuck, they can look at magazines in their room. Also, there’sa fourth-wall-breaking polygonal headthat is challenging this kid to games. There was a sequel as well for the DS, followed by a final 3DS game and a Switch remaster of the first two titles. Sadly, none of these sequels ever left Japan, and it may be hard to track downRetro Game Challenge, too, but it’s well worth the hunt.
RPG TIME: The Legend of Wrightis the number one game thatThe Plucky Squirefans should jump into first. It’s not that it’s better than the other examples as much as it is a 1:1 example of whatThe Plucky Squireis doing. The framing device is that a little kid wrote his own RPG in a notebook, resulting in everything having a rough pencil quality.
Each area is minimal, giving players a task to accomplish, like trying to move a boulder in a cave. This can lead to different gameplay styles, from a side-scroller action level to a top-down tank mission to a game of whack-a-mole. The changes to the gameplay help keep everything fresh, and the visual style, which utilizes things from the desk, too, is just too good.RPG TIME: The Legend of Wrightis, without a doubt, a companion piece toThe Plucky Squire, and it would be cool to see the two indie studios collaborate on something from DLC to a brand-new experience.
