{"id":1062573,"date":"2026-01-20T15:00:51","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T15:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/?p=494528"},"modified":"2026-01-20T15:00:51","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T15:00:51","slug":"the-plucky-squire-may-have-just-fixed-its-hand-holding-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/the-plucky-squire-may-have-just-fixed-its-hand-holding-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"The Plucky Squire may have just fixed its hand-holding problem"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Storybook-style adventure game The Plucky Squire<\/em> received an update on Dec. 11 that adds a new \u201cstreamlined mode\u201d for cutting down on its excessive, gameplay-stopping tutorialization.<\/p>\n

\u201cStreamlined mode is intended for more experienced players who want less guidance and more action,\u201d The Plucky Squire<\/em> developer All Possible Futures wrote in a post explaining the update<\/a>. \u201cFor example! A door unlocks \u2014 do you really need the game to stop and the camera to pan over and look at it opening? Maybe not! In Streamlined Mode, it doesn\u2019t! We\u2019ve cut some fat from the dialogue in Streamlined Mode \u2014 a line here, a line there\u2026 It\u2019s not like we\u2019ve hacked away entire scenes, just trimmed bits for a more\u2026 streamlined\u2026 experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

As noted by senior Polygon editor Oli Welsh in his review<\/a>, The Plucky Squire<\/em> \u2014 in its default mode \u2014 is full of great ideas hampered by overbearing guardrails. I gave up on <\/em>the game just a few hours in when it became clear I was never going to be allowed to play without frequent interruptions by unnecessarily lengthy cutscenes and characters pointing out obviously important objectives. Let\u2019s hope this update allows The Plucky Squire<\/em> to establish something better than the stop-and-go rhythm that hurt it at launch.<\/p>\n

Here are the full patch notes:<\/p>\n