Ruffy and the Riverside

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.

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 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.

Ruffy and the Riverside is a solid entry into the 3D platformer genre. I felt so nostalgic while playing it, especially when I stumbled across a hidden room where “Banjo was here!” was written on the wall. I definitely suggest giving this game a try and certainly if you’re a 3D platformer sicko like me. I finished this game at around 16 hours by doing a good amount of side quests, but there’s still plenty of collectibles and achievements left!

Ruffy and the Riverside is an enjoyable experience and clearly draws inspiration from platformers from the early ’90s and beyond. With its unique SWAP mechanics and neat presentation, featuring hand-drawn visuals, this platformer caters to gamers of all ages and skill levels. The game is surprisingly deep with a lot of NPCs to engage with, plenty to collect and lots of puzzles that’ll see you clocking around 10 hours of gameplay. For the reasonable price of £16.99, it’s well worth the cost for the amount you’re getting in return.

Ruffy and the Riverside is one of the most creative games I’ve played all year. It’s a puzzle-platformer that puts puzzles first, throws platforming in for flavor, and somehow wraps it all in a technicolor cartoon aesthetic that shouldn’t work but totally does.

As an avid fan of the 3D platformer, the indie space is quickly growing into a thriving hot spot of the genre, with Ruffy & the Riverside joining the ranks of A Hat in Time and Poi. Utilizing a creative mechanic not seen in other 3D platformers, while having a strong identity and a striking art direction, Ruffy and Pip's adventure is a riverside worth visiting.

"Charming, inventive, but unbalanced" Ruffy and the Riverside is moving and full of ingenuity. Its distinctive Switch mechanics add a clever twist to classic platformers, and its vibrant world is a visual delight. However, the game often suffers from limited puzzle depth, a repetitive structure, and disappointing combat. Despite its clear ambition, its execution stumbles in key areas.

Ruffy and The Riverside delivers a distinctive platforming experience that blends 2D and 3D perspectives, built around the clever SWAP mechanic for changing environmental elements. This idea adds depth and flexibility to the challenges, keeping the gameplay fresh and engaging throughout.

Ruffy and the Riverside feels like a platformer straight from the past, in a good way. Clearly inspired by the greatest 3D platformers out there, it stands out as a varied, beautiful, and fun take on the genre, and has the potential to be remembered for years to come.