Ruffy and the Riverside
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Ruffy and the Riverside Media
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Critic Reviews for Ruffy and the Riverside
Ruffy and the Riverside is an enjoyable return to the colourful 3D platforming romps of the late 1990s, and it's one that brings its own clever idea to the table, rather than just simply copy/pasting everyone else's homework. With nods to Mario, Zelda, Crash Bandicoot and more, levels jam-packed full of fun puzzles and the easy, breezy nature of Ruffy's copy-pasting abilities at the heart of it all, this is one of the better odes to this sort of caper that I've played and, performance issues aside, a very impressive debut to boot.
Unfortunately, the few bosses and enemies present here are quite bland, and though the environmental puzzle-solving is initially unique and rewarding, it eventually stalls out in creativity and challenge. Overall, Ruffy ends up feeling a bit inconsistent, but it's still a cute, enjoyable indie that has me looking forward to future efforts from Zockrates Laboratories.
Ruffy and the Riverside takes us back to a time where the 3D platformer was king, controllers had three prongs, and analogue sticks were a new-fangled invention. There's the same vibrancy and creativity here as classics like Banjo-Kazooie and Mario 64, cribbing a few of their tricks along the way while making something that still manages to feel fresh and unique.
Ruffy and the Riverside is an enjoyable experience that, despite featuring fascinating copy-paste mechanics and puzzles that gets your brain going, has a forgettable storyline. Nonetheless, it's a great choice if you're looking for a quick and cute adventure that feels like a blast to the past.
An adventure-platformer that seems to come straight out of the 64bit golden-age.The original "swap system" succeeds in raising the gameplay above average and in bringing to life some truly unique and entertaining puzzle elements. The overflowing "richness" of some levels makes orientation more difficult than it should be and some performance issues would require a technical update from the development team.
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Unlike other seemingly similar efforts that want to tempt players down 3D platformer memory lane for a concentrated hit of nostalgia and leave it at that, Ruffy and the Riverside doesn't just take that well-worn idea and repackages it, but instead adds something refreshingly compelling to the formula. Though some minor flaws and polish issues do abound, they aren't enough to take the shine away from one of the most charming and thoughtful 3D platformers in ages.
Ultimately, Ruffy and the Riverside is a game we wanted to like, but despite its attractive visual style and unique ideas, it never really comes together in a satisfying way. While there's some fun to be had running around in the semi-open world, it never evolves beyond that.
Ruffy and the Riverside is both an homage to classic platform games and an entirely new take on the genre. Its fantastic texture swapping mechanic lends itself to a stunning variety of environmental puzzles, many of which offer a high level of head-scratching satisfaction. Ruffy and the Riverside has sleeper hit written all over it.
