From 2D levels to 3D world and back again: Brave Squire brings surprises in terms of game mechanics.Image: zvg
review
The 2D/3D adventure game “The Plucky Squire” is a video game you'll want to play in one sitting, with complex puzzles that make you think outside the box. A colorful must-have game for the wet and cold fall months.
October 7, 2024 21:41October 8, 2024 12:43
Lovely Choate is the hero of his own fairy tale book, The Brave Squire, and is loved and celebrated by all. No matter how you twist the book, he's still the Chosen One, and along with his brave comrades, he continues to save the kingdom and defend it from the forces of darkness.
This doesn't sit well with the villain Groomwell, who keeps failing and being booed throughout the story. So he hatches a particularly evil plan to take control of the book. In a necessary final battle, he cut the hero out of the story entirely, and now he writes his own story in which he covers the entire country with darkness.
Choate was, and still is, the hero of his own story. But there is a plot twist.Image: zvg
world within world
Jot initially appears on a table in the children's room, where a small 3D world filled with toys awaits his exploration. However, the temporarily lonely bubbly hero is supported by magic and can now use portals to travel back and forth between the 2D and 3D worlds.
Our hero, Choate, is scrambling around the table after being kicked out of the kid's room.Image: zvg
So that he doesn't get too bored, he's accompanied by close friends and, on rare occasions, can even briefly control them in mini-games. So, our heroes wander the fairy tale land, visiting various areas, getting closer and closer to the dark fortress of their opponents in order to rewrite history.
The two-dimensional world always presents itself with a colorful appearance.Image: zvg
Jot will periodically leave the book and return to the previous page to find a certain object or a word, or teleport himself to a table in the 3D world to complete orders and obtain certain magical objects, thus starting a fairy tale journey that can continue.
The visual presentation is always beautifully done and creates a lot of atmosphere.Image: zvg
In our fight against evil, our eyes see beautiful and sincere graphics. Whether we're rushing through the classic 2D world or getting confused in the 3D world in imaginative tablescapes, there's always a smile on our faces.
Even in a 3D world, our heroes always appear in a 2D world.Image: zvg
page by page
Brave Squire often requires us to think outside the box in order to understand and solve puzzles. The All Possible Futures development studio did not throw a variety of skills and items at us from the beginning, but gave us step by step, or rather page by page, the time and opportunity to familiarize ourselves with the game's mechanics.
To solve puzzles, our heroes often have to leave the book and look for solutions from different angles.Image: zvg
The game remains linear throughout, with large mechanical experiments rarely appearing, but the world connections and interactions that occur are surprising and brain-pleasing.
Experimenting with game mechanics is always amazing.Image: ZVG
During our nearly ten-hour journey, we knocked down rows of bushes and barrels, battled adorable opponents, collected hearts, and searched for the essential keys to open doors in the best “Zelda” style.
The appearance is often based on the classic “Zelda” video game.Image: zvg
What we are looking for are not coins, but light bulbs that can be exchanged for new sword skills at the regular sales store. The power of our stabbing weapons can also be improved here.
In-game mini-games
While switching between worlds alone offers the best variety, the developers went a step further. Because we can always vent our emotions in mini-games, sometimes even taking on the role of one of our comrades.
The video game itself is already diverse, but it's constantly interrupted by mini-games.Image: zvg
Then we pick up our bows and use our firearms to fight our way through a group of opponents, or engage in a fist fight. These and many other mini-games have a completely different look and impress with their strong comic look and unique presentation.
In this mini-game, a cute boxing match awaits players.Image: zvg
Read between the lines
Even though Brave Squire is very kid-friendly, holding your hand and always giving you hints on how to solve the puzzles, the game also reads between the lines.
Funny characters and plenty of winks ensure a special gaming experience.Image: zvg
This adventure doesn't take itself seriously at all, breaks the fourth wall every now and then, allows for humor that only adults can understand, has a dose of social criticism in its pocket, and can come across as a little overly dramatic at times.
Areas and interiors are full of loving details and genre references.Image: zvg
If you don't just click through many, many passages of dialogue and read and play carefully, you'll get an extra level of narrative.
Praying for a sequel
in conclusion: Brave Squire has become a colorful, sweet and heartwarming game, perfect for the wet and cold autumn days.
It’s not too heavy, not too short, and has a very high cuteness and surprise factor. Filled with inspiring mechanical ideas, this game is always fascinating and really gets our brains going.
The picture book and desk atmosphere is always charming, the characters grow on you and your fingers are already crossing your fingers for a sequel that will release us from stress more and more intensively through the game mechanics we love so much.
Brave Squire is available for Nintendo Switch, Playstation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Approved for ages 7 and up.
Some games are deliberately designed to create a dangerous combination of joy and frustration, with many players feeling sick to their stomachs just thinking about the first boss. We’d like to introduce you to six of them.
type: run and gun
First published: September 29, 2017 (PC, Xbox One)
Also available for: macOS, Switch, PS4
