Ruffy and the Riverside Reviews
A modern love letter to 90s nostalgia.
Ruffy and the Riverside is a whimsical platformer that blends clever puzzle mechanics with charming storytelling. While its unique element-swapping feature brings refreshing gameplay twists, occasional pacing issues and vague objectives slightly hinder the experience. A visually delightful and inventive indie gem.
Ruffy and the Riverside doesn’t reinvent the 3D platformer, but it certainly carves out its own special space in the genre with its creative swapping mechanic and gorgeous presentation. The swap system is clever and adds meaningful depth, the world is charming, and there’s enough content to keep players engaged for hours. And sure, it has some rough edges such as the floaty controls, camera quirks, and occasional puzzle that doesn’t hit the mark, but the overall experience remains fun and imaginative throughout.
Ruffy and the Riverside is a celebration of what makes platformers great. It invites you into its whimsical world, hands you a unique tool, and says, “Go have fun.” And that's exactly what you'll do. The swap mechanic, despite its rough edges, is one of the coolest puzzle-platforming ideas in recent memory. The worlds are vibrant and full of wonder. And the joy of collecting, discovering, and experimenting never really stops.
While its SWAP mechanic can feel limited at times, it is nonetheless a charming example of a passion project come to life. The world, its characters, and the general gameplay are wildly entertaining. There is strong potential for a sequel, one that could allow more freedom in how the SWAP mechanic is used. Regardless, Ruffy and Riverside is a fantastic time, and a game that can easily satisfy those wanting a trip down the Nintendo 64 lane, or young kids who want a fun alternative to Mario.
Ruffy and the Riverside is a very creative and fun game. The visuals are very good, the controls are great, the NPCs are charismatic and funny and overall it doesn't leave anything to be desired in any aspect... except for the optimization on the Nintendo Switch.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Ruffy and the Riverside is a joyful little game with a really inventive gameplay loop. It mixes elements from open world adventures, logic-based puzzles, and the level structure of classic 3D collectathons to create something that is truly unique, whilst still being accessible, and not at all condescending. It also helps that its visuals are great, and its sense of humor is completely on point.
Ruffy’s adventure has enough spins on the formula to stand out, especially the creative swap mechanic and some ideas beyond the opening levels, but I feel like there’s a lot of unforced errors in this title, which made me not enjoy myself as much as I hoped I would.
Ruffy and the Riverside is an incredible culmination of inspiration and innovation, offering hours of fun in a wacky world with a wonderful new duo. Zockrates Labs have gone beyond my expectations with their first game, and I hope we get to have more adventures with Ruffy and Pip in the future.
Ruffy and the Riverside deliver a refreshing, creative experience that embraces joy and imagination. While it’s occasionally held back by mechanical rough edges and spotty guidance, its inventive mechanics, expressive art style, and sheer sense of fun make it a journey worth taking, especially for those who love to experiment and explore. With a bit of patience, this colourful world will reward players with moments of magic and delight.
Ruffy and the Riverside is full of whimsical exploration and joyful personality. You don't have to look any further to experience a bright, colourful, and animated world this summer!
Ruffy and the Riverside delivers a platform game that pays homage to the classics while also being its own original entry. The core mechanics are innovative and the visuals are utterly charming, and despite the unconventional pace of the plot and the rather flat progression, the game is guaranteed to be fun for fans of 3D platformers.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
"Ruffy and the Riverside" is a decent 3D platformer snack. However, it seems as if the developers have oriented themselves too much towards Nintendo. As a result, the game ultimately lacks the heart and uniqueness that its charming design deserves.
Review in German | Read full review
Ruffy and the Riverside can pull you in with its colorful characters and neat swap mechanic, but it doesn’t have enough creative ideas to sustain itself for the long haul. The weird, out-of-nowhere religious writing and ham-fisted dialogue also add a lot of laughably bad conversations in the ending hours. At the end of the day, though, moving around this world, collecting shiny things, and doing swap puzzles is a good enough time that you can get enjoyment out of it, but it’s not something that will stay with you when you put it down.
When you have collected the first letter and your first mission actually seems to be over, you have already left many hours behind you. The world of Ruffy is not so big, but in the environments where you can walk, you have a lot to do; from racing to placing magnets to open a door and from solving a wall puzzle to finding collectibles. Everything in this game has its appeal, which makes you quickly lose yourself in the world of the game. Sometimes it takes a while to find the confusing world map, but eventually you will discover enough fun during the search with all kinds of small side-quests and other activities. Of course, nothing is perfect in the game, from the graphics to the gameplay and the mechanics, but in general this game was able to entertain me very well, and especially entertain me for a very long time !
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Ruffy and the Riverside is a 3D platformer with a unique spirit and untapped potential. Its standout feature is the innovative SWAP mechanic, which brings clever puzzles and a refreshing twist to the genre. While its vibrant visual style adds to the charm, the overly long dialogues, limited puzzle flexibility, and repetitive audio hold it back. Despite these flaws, the game shines with originality and is worth experiencing—just be ready to make a few compromises.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Ruffy and the Riverside is pretty far from perfect, but it does feature some incredibly clever ideas, loads of puzzles and gorgeous visuals.
Ruffy and the Riverside is everything I hoped it would be. It’s a nostalgic 3D platformer filled with charm, whacky characters, and a great balance of puzzle-solving and platforming. The SWAP mechanic is a real highlight, offering a fresh and clever way to progress through the world. Controls are tight, the camera behaves, and the whole experience feels smooth and satisfying.
I really enjoyed my time with Ruffy and the Riverside. I don't think I quit smiling from the time I booted the game up until I finished it. Between the adorable characters, the intriguing story, the incredibly delightful world to explore, and the inventive and fun game mechanics, I think Ruffy is a very special game that absolutely deserves your time and money. I don't think you'll play anything like this again for some time, maybe until Zockrates Labs develops a sequel, which they definitely should. I believe they've maybe created the next indie gaming icon here. I think they should look into doing sequels and spin-offs, getting into RPGs, kart racers (or hay bale racers), maybe even a full-blown skateboarding game: Ruffy Hawk's Pro Hay Bale Riding. In all seriousness, I genuinely hope to see Ruffy become a full-fledged franchise. The game was a wonderful experience and I highly recommend it.
Ruffy and the Riverside is a well-intentioned debut 3D platformer whose charm and inventive ideas shine on the surface, but a lackluster narrative, uneven visuals, underused mechanics, and technical roughness reveal it’s still very much a work in progress.
Review in Dutch | Read full review