The mastermind behind the art of Pokémon Sword & Shield has moved on from series to create The Plucky Squire, game recently announced at Summer Game Fest 2022. After working with Game Freak for over 10 years to design Pokémon featured in Black & White, X & Y, Sun & Moon, and Sword & Shield, James Turner co-founded All Possible Futures in 2019 with onebitbeyond, the developer behind Swords of Ditto and Stealth Inc. Turner revealed his involvement with the studio on June 9, just hours before their first-ever game was revealed during Devolver Digital’s showcase.
The Plucky Squire appears to be the fruit of two years of work by the small team at All Possible Futures, whose existence was kept under tight wraps up until the project was formally announced. Turner and onebitbeyond both expressed their excitement at finally getting to show off their hard effort via Twitter, much to the excitement of fans. Some pointed out that Turner’s unmistakable art style was immediately recognizable even before they knew who developed the game, as The Plucky Squire bears striking resemblance to Turner’s 2012 eShop title Harmoknight.
The game itself appears to be an action-adventure title that can shift seamlessly from 2D to 3D environments. Players will take on the role of Jot, a little blue-haired children’s storybook hero who discovers the ability to leave the book and explore the three-dimensional room of his owner. During his quest, Jot will partake in a wide range of heroics, from fighting honey badgers and helping townsfolk to flying around in a jetpack and shooting down evil robots.
The Plucky Squire is currently available to wishlist on Steam and will be out on all major platforms in 2023.