Ruffy and the Riverside Reviews
It performs well on Switch 2, which is where I reviewed the game, and has a lot of content for completionists to sink their teeth into. Some of the puzzles can be frustrating or obtuse, but the unique swapping mechanic makes for a fun departure compared to other 3D action-adventure experiences. It may be a bit Ruffy around the edges, but this Riverside is one that I was happy to dip my toes into.
With its energetically vibrant world that'll keep you smiling and clever puzzle-filled platforming, Ruffy And The Riverside has everything you'd need for an excellent 3D funfest. đ»
Ruffy and the Riverside doesnât just ask you to beat the level. It asks you to imagine a better one. While a few mechanical hiccups hold it back from being perfect, the game more than makes up for it with innovation, heart, and sheer creative freedom.
Ruffy and the Riverside combines classic platforming nostalgia with a fresh world-swapping mechanic, vibrant visuals, and heartwarming charm. Despite minor frustrations, it's a creatively rewarding adventure that stands out in the 3D platformer genre.
Ruffy and the Riverside is a title that shines for its imagination. Instead of focusing on scale or spectacle, it chooses to focus on a simple but powerful idea: letting the player use their imagination.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Ruffy and the Riverside is a love letter to platforming games that have come before, and I feel like we donât get these types of creative and charming platformers as much these days. I am hoping that Zockrates Laboratories, the developers of Ruffy and Riverside, as well as other indie developers, keep the platforming genre alive for years to come.
In summary, Ruffy and the Riverside is a collect-a-thon that impresses with its creativity and unique visual style. Despite some technical and design flaws, and a few unfortunate choices, its potential is evident. A fun and creative gaming experience that, with greater attention to detail, would have had the potential to become an instant classic, a goal that, as it stands, eludes it. Although the 3D side may show recycled elements and certainly does not stand out for its detail, it blends beautifully with the grace and animation of the 2D sprites of the characters, which are fully successful and consistent with the humor and atmosphere of the work. This is a noteworthy and intrinsically original debut, positioning itself as a promising launch pad for future projects which, with greater attention to detail and refinement, will be able to scale even higher peaks of quality.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Getting to explore Ruffyâs entire world through so many wacky and yet charming eyes was honestly an amazing treat. Getting to explore different methods or finding out what works with swapping one another is both fun and aggravating. There are times I wish that my swap ability either lasted longer or we had a bit more freedom on swapping anything into anything. Although I feel the developers had that first thought and realize that itâs not a great idea to do. If youâre a big collectathon/platformer enjoyer or want to play another game that Banjo-Kazooie/Paper Mario inspired, then play Ruffy. Just know that the fights arenât the grizzly and your biggest enemy is just yourself⊠but only âbearâly . I give Ruffy and the Riverside the Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
Unlike other titles that seek to capitalise on the nostalgia surrounding 3D platformers, Ruffy and the Riverside adds something pleasantly compelling to the formula with its SWAP mechanic, which encourages variety and ingenuity. However, it is not entirely flawless: there are various shortcomings scattered here and there, the result of somewhat excessive naivety, perhaps due to the team's inexperience.
Review in Italian | Read full review
While Ruffy and the Riverside has a very fun mechanic at its core, the overall experience is a little underbaked due to poor combat, boss battles, and some technical flaws.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Ruffy and the Riverside is a throwback to platforming greats of the â90s that is brimming with the charm, level design, and colourful characters that made you fall in love with video games to begin with. While the game isnât the ultimate platforming experience, Ruffy and the Riverside is sure to bring joy to those who play.
When it comes to Ruffy and the Riverside, Zockrates Laboratories has successfully developed something truly remarkable. There is no need for it to be flawless, but it is not perfect. Something that it provides is joy, joy that is unrestrained and infectious, and in a genre that tends to play it safe, it is something that should be celebrated. A texture-swapping adventure that rewrites the 3D platformer rulebook.
Ready for a kooky one? Ruffy and the Riverside is one of the quirkiest games Iâve played in quite a while, and though it took me a bit to warm up to it, once I started to get comfortable in the world, I found myself really appreciating the vision the developers set out to bring to life.
Ruffy and the Riverside radiates positivity. Itâs a feel-good, welcoming adventure that encourages curiosity, rewards creativity, and never loses its sense of fun. Whether youâre playing solo on a quiet day or sharing the adventure with loved ones, itâs a heartwarming experience thatâs easy to recommend. This isnât just another platformer. Ruffy and the Riverside is a love letter to imaginative play, with a gentle heart and joyful spirit. It reminds us that games arenât just about challenges, theyâre also about comfort, wonder, and feeling good.
The visual nostalgia, combined with the engaging gameplay and mechanics, makes this game truly shine. It is rare to find hand-drawn adventure platformers that offer a range of puzzles and a great story; however, this game ticks all those boxes.
Ruffy and the Riverside could have easily been a forgettable nostalgia trip: cute visuals, light puzzles, and a harmless story. Instead, it surprises. It respects the playerâs intelligence, introduces a mechanic that hasnât been done to death, and builds a world that feels like itâs actually worth exploring.
Ruffy and the Riverside is an enjoyable, nostalgic, and collectible-filled trip down a memory lane littered with 3D platformers, while still managing to feel entirely new thanks to interesting new mechanics.
The more I think about Ruffy, the more I see lost potential. Ruffy and the Riverside is a solid puzzle platformer that needed more substance. The collectable elements always reward the same thing, gold, which is largely worthless, the platforming is much too light given the arsenal of moves Ruffy has access to, and the swap ability, while inventive, needed more interesting application.
You could do worse than with a game [like Ruffy and the Riverside] that actually tries hard to capture that bygone early 2000s era of cerebral-challenging platforming, even if all it has going for is its deft use of 2D artwork onto 3D landscapes. At the very least, this game deserves a sequel that will hopefully iron out its flaws and repetitive moments.
Ruffy and the Riverside is an original adventure that stands out for its texture copying mechanics, but it fails to shine due to several details that weigh down the experience. Although its approach is varied and creative, the excessive presence of puzzles compared to platforming, a very poor Spanish translation, and an unattractive interface detract from the overall experience.
Review in Spanish | Read full review