News broke Thursday morning thatPokemon Swordand Shieldart director James Turner had left Game Freak to open a new studio, All Possible Futures, withThe Swords of Dittodirector Bidds. The news came as a shock to many who associated Turner with the design of newPokemongoing back through several pastPokemongenerations. A bigger surprise was to follow, however, as Turner and All Possible Futures' first game,The Plucky Squire,was since announced during the Devolver Direct 2022 presentation.

At first glance,The Plucky Squirelooks to have taken a significant amount of inspiration fromThe Swords of Ditto. TheDevolver Directannouncement trailer opens with a 2D sequence where players journey through a storybook as its pages turn.The Plucky Squirequickly rewires expectations, however, as protagonist Jot the squire ends the book and leaps off the page. It seems thatThe Plucky Squirewill mix both 2D adventuring with 3D.

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DescribingThe Plucky Squire’s gameplay as simple adventuring does it a disservice, however. It’s clear that the team at All Possible Futures plans to fillThe Plucky Squirewith a wildly diverse range of gameplay experiences. In 2D alone, Jot is shown performing both isometric and side-scrolling combat, completing adventuring puzzles with collected items, fighting a bear with mechanics fromPunch-Out!!, shooting bugs with SHMUP action on the side of a mug, and more.

The 3D gameplay ofThe Plucky Squireisn’t given the same amount of time to showcase the diverse range of ideas that the 2D side of the game does, but they’re there. There’s somePikmin-style ally gathering, melee combat, and unique traversal elements. The bedroom where the game is set seems like an overworld of sorts, which Jot will explore with different tools they “pluck” from various 2D spaces. Yet the full scope ofThe Plucky Squireis certainly yet to be fully unveiled.

It’s clear that gamers have gotten merely a glimpse at what All Possible Futures is planning to deliver withThe Plucky Spire. What the project’s trailer has promised is ambitious, to say the least. Turner, Bidds, and the team at All Possible Futures look like they’re going to fillThe Plucky Spirewith their love of video games, whether they’re 2D or 3D.

Early Thursday James Turner was believed to still be atGame Freakhard at work on the art direction for thePokemonfranchise. Similarly,The Swords of Dittoseemed ripe for a sequel from One Bit Beyond. Instead, there’s a new studio in All Possible Futures, and its first project,The Plucky Squire, looks unique and exciting. Expect to see more ofThe Plucky Squirein the months to come.

The Plucky Squirereleases in 2023 on PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox One.