‘The Plucky Squire’ Finally Adds a Feature Players Have Been Pining For: Less Handholding

The Plucky Squire may be one of the most visually captivating games of 2024. But its incessant need to continuously hold the player’s hand made it less of a joy than it should have been. For a game that looks to be a spiritual successor to A Link Between Worlds, a game all about exploration and finding things out for yourself? This was an unexpected wrench in the tire of the proverbial bicycle. But, it seems the developers have heard our complaints.

One of the Best Indies of 2024 Gets a Brand New Mode, and I love It

According to a recent press release from Devolver Digital, they’ve heard us. They know The Plucky Squire will be even more captivating without as much handholding. And they’re doing something about it.

“But for some of you more experienced adventurers, Jot’s dimension-hopping quest through the Land of Mojo was a little too eager to hold your hand. Which is why we’re delighted to present a brand new version of The Plucky Squire aimed at those brave warriors unafraid to venture forth without any help.

You can still play the game as it was before. But a new abridged Streamlined Mode has been added for anyone who’d prefer a less hand-holdy experience. This trims less necessary dialogue, removes or reduces camera hints, cuts out some tutorial content. And control of the game is taken away from you less often.

It’s the same grand Plucky Squire adventure, just tweaked to remove some of the friction for seasoned gamers. This free update also adds classy new dialogue portraits for the major characters, as well as some general bug fixes and other small improvements.”

If you’re eager to get your hands on the new Streamlined Mode, it’s available right now on PC. It will be coming to consoles shortly, as well. This gives everybody a chance to experience a hidden gem. But this option still gives younger and newer gamers a wonderful experience.

Jot Deserves This Second Look, and I’m Ready to Dive Back Into ‘the plucky squire’

The Plucky Squire was one of those games that completely took me by surprise. While I’ve been keeping up with the development of it for what feels like forever, finally having it in my hands was a completely different story. It’s a beautiful adventure, filled with witty dialogue and wonderful characters. But the extreme amount of handholding did make it a little more of a chore than I would have liked.

The new Streamlined Mode in The Plucky Squire is perfect for someone like me. Whereas the original version would be more suited for my wife. It’s a great game, and easy enough to pick up and play for anyone to enjoy. Plus, it’s visually stunning. The 3D sections, in particular, explode off of the screen. And the unique ways players can manipulate the environment for puzzle-solving purposes are sublime. Now, there’s no excuse not to play it, especially with it being available directly on Xbox Game Pass.