The Plucky Squire: PS5 Review

Developed by All Possible Futures
Released by Devolver Digital
Platform: PS5

The Plucky Squire is a strong contender for Game of the Year, thanks to its simple story and wonderful execution that makes for easy play.

You play Jot, the Plucky Squire, a hero of his own storybooks and a hero in the land of Mojo where he lives. When the kingdom one day is pitched into darkness by Humgrump, the eternal loser of confrontations with Jot, it's upto Jot, his friend Thrash and Violet and mentor Moonbeard to try and save the day.

While there are plenty of elements of The Plucky Squire which feel like a LittleBigPlanet clone (cutesy storytelling, narrative voiceover, platforming basics), The Plucky Squire develops a style of its own as it lets you flip between 2D gaming and 3D environments.

With simple controls (swirling, throwing your sword), the gameplay is pretty easy to pick up and play. There are challenging moments that require a bit of intelligence, and while it's occasionally frustrating that you can't target when hurling your sword, the game's simplicity makes for easy wasting of time playing.

But if that sounds like it's dismissing The Plucky Squire, it's not. 

The story is charming, the execution sweet and adorable and the banter between characters in the world fun. As the story progresses through its own book, the pages are colourful, vibrant and a pleasure to spend time in.

Little minigames are peppered throughout, and while they're not exactly difficult, it does add a degree of difference to the gameplay as the sub-10 hour story continues. But it's the jumping between worlds that impresses most. From going into portals a 2D character and coming out the other as a chunky 3D cute character, the game switches effortlessly through the world around it.

It's a story that's best experienced as it happens, rather than through a spoiler-heavy review, and while there are some parallels between Jot's character and something in the real world, the connection feels human and tangible, rather than just being a person in a video game that we're forced to care about.

Perhaps most importantly, The Plucky Squire is about fun more than anything.

It makes you use wordplay to solve puzzles, looking at situations from different angles and allows brains not brawn to progress. It's a wonderful little indie title that's up there with the best of 2024.

The Convert: Blu Ray Review 

Cast: Guy Pearce, Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne, Antonio Te Maioha, Jacqueline Mckenzie, Lawrence Makoare 
Director: Lee Tamahori

Dark, moody and perhaps muted, Kiwi director Lee Tamahori's foray into New Zealand's past is solid movie that never quite hits its emotional footing.

Guy Pearce plays lay preacher Thomas Munro, caught between his own violent past and the violence of 1830s New Zealand. As Munro heads to the newly-established settlement of Epworth, his ship is forced to anchor for repairs. However, he finds himself in a battle between rival Māori tribes - and offered a choice between saving two rivals, he is tasked with looking after a grieving Rangimai (Ngatai-Melbourne).

But as he heads to Epworth with his new charge, Munro finds he must battle entrenched racism and shifting allegiances as war begins to threaten.

With sparse locations adding to a feel of pre-colonisation, Tamahori's take on the bloody conflicts between the settlers and the land's inhabitants are perfect for world-building. In among the slow burn of The Covert, the film is less interested in any particularly deep characterisation outside of broad strokes for everyone.

Opening with a shot of one bird swooping the land before taking another out, The Convert is essentially about survival, as well as heavy-handed allegories about who exactly is converting - is it the local populace whose will must bend to the settlers, or is it Munro whose violent past is bending to something more akin to a saviour? (Perhaps Tamahori's biggest issue here is the white saviour trope).

There is a pensive almost aloof approach gifted Munro and while his more inward conflicts don't really bubble up until the end, Tamahori's lens on the Māori feels like it is less nuanced. Reduced only to conflict figures or objects by the villagers of Epworth, it's understandable to see for the narrative.

A proliferation of Māori language though marks The Convert out as a film that feels like it is paying debt to its forefathers, rather than simply using it to carry a story. And while it erupts in violence toward the end, both bloodied and shocking, the slow burn build serves The Convert well, even if its message of the dangers of imperialism is somewhat subdued in a well-shot period piece.

The Garfield Movie: Blu Ray Review

Voice cast: Chris Pratt, Samuel L Jackson, Hannah Waddingham, Nicholas Hoult, Brett Goldstein, Harvey Guillen
Director: Mark Dindal

There have been plenty of attempts to bring Jim Davis' perennially popular lasagne-loving kitty Garfield to various media.

From the 1980s TV show voiced by Lorenzo Music to a blocky computer game with an irritating soundtrack, the appeal of the cynical cat and his fourth wall-breaking antics have always been obvious.

So Mark Dindal's 2024 animated version enters the fold, trying to create a film that pastiches everything you love about the cat with a heist-movie that blatantly riffs on Tom Cruise's antics in Mission: Impossible.

But it's a bit of an ask to do it all justice and while there are moments of madcap mayhem, the film's desire to please family audiences more than overcompensates and somewhat overwhelms the original intentions of the cat, who's delighted audiences for decades in various formats.

When Garfield and Odie are kidnapped, they find themselves thrust into a plot set in motion by Hannah Waddingham's maligned Jinx. Forced to reunite with his seemingly errant father Vic (Jackson in more chilled, relaxed mode), Garfield must find a way to break into milk manufacturer Lactose Farms and save the day.

There's much of the plot's premise here that feels ripped from Sony stablemate Peter Rabbit's second cinematic excursion at times - yet while the parallels stop early on and the film moves to mock Mission: Impossible - complete with Ving Rhames riffing on his MI role as Luther.

Unfortunately, Pratt is no dead ringer for the laconic tones of the cat, and most of the moments that would have soared with a more laidback, cynical, rich honey-toned delivery, just don't - his Garfield sadly doesn't feel like one for the ages.

But while the film is weak in some parts, its action-filled relatively generic heist elements at the end come together nicely, leaving family audiences with something that will keep young ones amused, but will fill older fans of Garfield and his antics with a slight feeling of disappointment.

The Wild Robot: Movie Review

Vocal cast: Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal, Catherine O'Hara, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Matt Berry, Ving Rhames, Mark Hamill
Director: Chris Sanders

Large swathes of the animated movie The Wild Robot will land differently with different sections of the audience.

While kids will love the antics of the animals in the forest and their interactions, parents will find themselves subtly wiping away tears as messages over parenting and protection are subtly espoused throughout.

Based on the book by Peter Brown, it's the story of lost robot Rozzum unit 7134 who washes up on an island inhabited only by animals. Built to serve and searching for a task to carry out, Roz inadvertently crushes and kills a family of birds, leaving only one egg left to survive.

Coerced into raising the bird by a lonely outcast fox named Fink (The Mandalorian's Pedro Pascal), Roz bonds - and raises - the baby gosling, naming it Brightbill. But winter is coming, and their very survival hinges on what happens next.

At its heart, The Wild Robot packs messages of parenting, non-traditional parenting and looking for a purpose into a big poignant package that's beautifully presented in a painterly animated style. 

Dreamworks Animation have created another vivid character to add to their pantheon of favourites, and while Roz initially presents a front akin to an aggressive Wall-E, when the language barriers drop, the film comes alive in a survival-cum-coming-of-age tale the impact of which is hard to deny.

Nyong'o adds compassion to her robot, and a great deal of longing and loss when the task she has of raising Brightbill nears its conclusion. Equally, Pascal provides heartbreak for the moments in which Fink bemoans never knowing love; and Berry provides comedy as a beaver mocked for his endeavours.

Add into the mix a painterly style that leaves the animals slightly undefined, and lush verdant backgrounds that soar - the world building is simply done, yet masterfully executed. 

However, it's not entirely flawless.

Brightbill's rejection of his adopted mother's love comes from out of nowhere and the film's conclusion feels messy and rushed, a hint of nothing more than a potential sequel grab that feels deflating rather than triumphant. Equally, the animated style at the end goes by the wayside and poignancies over death and loss as well as environmental destruction, are jettisoned for a noisy, bluster-filled denouement that betrays much of what plays out earlier because of its rote nature.

Yet, these are minor flaws. Most of The Wild Robot is close to animated perfection, a reminder in a wayward droid once again of what makes us human - and what basic ties bind us together when all sense of purpose seems lost.

The Penguin: Review

Colin Farrell's Oswald Cobb comes to the small screen in this spinoff series from the 2022 Matt Reeves movie The Batman.

Picking up directly after the end of the movie after Paul Dano's Riddler had unleashed a series of bombs which destroyed the seawalls and flooded Gotham, the eight-part run sees Oz try to scrabble to the top of the criminal underworld during a power vacuum.

But standing in his way is the Falcone family, who've been running the drugs operation in Gotham for years without contender. However, a new challenger to the throne arrives in the form of Cristin Milioti's Sofia, who's fresh out of Arkham hospital and on the push for revenge.

It's very easy to categorize The Penguin as a Sopranos-wannabe. (Even down to the opening titles graphics card of the show name).

From Cobblepot's Tony Soprano-esque gait through to his browbeaten relationship with his own mother, who's grappling dementia, there are plenty of parallels to the David Chase James Gandolfini-led show.

It's not a bad comparison to rub up against in many ways, and those expecting a more superhero-led show full of the quirks of the Burton Batman world may deservedly be disappointed. But what it does mean for The Penguin is solid drama or not, it never really ascends the similarities to any other mob drama you've seen and emerge as something solidly different.

Which is a shame, because it's watchable enough fare.

Farrell is all New York-swagger and threatening vibes, with flashes of insecurity bubbling over into violence. It makes for an intriguing protagonist, because even with the machinations and political manoeuvrings that Cobblepot's dabbling in, you're never quite sure what's going through his mind.

Thankfully, his relationship with young stammering street kid Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz) is stunning to watch. Whether it's mentoring him or remonstrating his failures, the frisson of uncertainty and would-be father vibes makes for solid viewing.

Equally impressive is Milioti's Sofia Falcone. Clearly traumatised by her time in Arkham and resentful at being held at arm's length by her own family, Milioti channels a kind of dead-eyed stare that is borderline psychotic and cold when the menace is needed.

Ultimately, The Penguin is a mix of politics and violence. Its more dialogue-led episodes very occasionally feel lumpen and leaden, but as a portrait of a character often ridiculed for his gait and props, thanks to Farrell's depth of work, this Penguin emerges as more of a duality character than a one-dimensional freak to Gotham.

The Penguin plays every Friday from 4pm on Neon

Logi Play 2024 details unveiled

Logitech G, leading innovator of gaming technologies and gear, will kick off Logi PLAY 2024, on September 18, 2024. 

The main event will feature new product reveals, partnership announcements, and exciting community activations. With a planned live stream, Logitech G’s community and fans are invited to watch the event simply by providing their email address on the Logi PLAY webpage.

The event underscores Logitech G's commitment to pushing the boundaries of gaming technology and fostering a community that thrives on creativity and innovation. Logi PLAY 2024 promises something for everyone, from esports athletes to casual gamers, highlighting the brand's dedication to enhancing the gaming experience.

The event kicks off on September 18, 2024 at 06:00 AM NZT

WHERE: Join the live stream from wherever you are, on Logitech G’s official streaming channels, including Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook. To ensure you receive all the important notifications, including when the event is live, you can register through the Logitech site.

There will be exclusive announcements of new products and technology so the event promises to be something to look forward to.