I’ve always loved platformers. Whether they are 2D or 3D, difficult or laid-back, linear or open, I will always give a platformer a shot. I grew up in an era where I wasn’t starved for choice, and I fell in love with many mascot platformers. If it had a marketable character and came out in the 90s or early 2000s, I played it. I’m not the only one who did, and many people with the same love I had have gone on to make their own games. One of which is Ruffy and the Riverside, a 3D platformer that wears its inspiration on its sleeves, and it wears it well.
Ruffy and the Riverside is a 3D platformer from Zockrates Lab. Retro platformers inspire it, and it feels right at home with those games. In it, you play as Ruffy, a young boy with a unique ability. You are thrown into a grand adventure, and the fate of your world falls on you. A straightforward premise, but it still shines in its sheer passion and charm. While the inspiration for it is clear, how does it compare to platformers of the past? Ruffy and the Riverside is not only able to stand by them, but also stand out as a platformer that any fan of the genre will enjoy.
In the Riverside
In Ruffy and the Riverside, you play as Ruffy, a young boy thrust into adventure. One day, during your regular job, a mole called Sir Eddler shows up, saying he needs your help. He has found mysterious objects that could benefit or destroy the world. There’s a prophecy that says a chosen one will save the world when needed, and he believes it’s you. Not long after, the ancient evil known as Groll appears and threatens to destroy your home of Riverside. Now it’s up to you and your best friend Pip the bee to stop him and save your home.
This is a straightforward premise, much like the games that inspire it. But also like its inspiration, it shines in the charm of the world and its characters. I fell in love with the Riverside and wanted to explore every aspect of it. The world itself is small, but the design is excellent, and each area feels distinct. Each part of the map offers different ways to traverse it, and I had a great time finding the most efficient way to navigate the entire map. I even had the whole map memorized and was able to walk around it as if I were in my neighborhood.
The charm doesn’t end there, though. All the characters I encountered had fun designs and were bursting with likability. Ruffy is an adorable bear filled with comedic lines and an attitude you’d expect from a young character. Pip is full of spunk and always has something to say, no matter the situation. Sir Eddler is a fun older character, and I just wanted to help him no matter what. As of writing this, I have almost 100% the game. I am just short of a few collectibles, and part of the reason is that I wanted to keep interacting with these characters. I fell in love with the world here, and I know others will too.
SWAP and Go
Ruffy and the Riverside not only lives up to the games that inspire it, but it also stands out for one main reason. The core gameplay has a unique mechanic called SWAP. SWAP allows you to hold a material for a short period and then transfer it to another material. Think of it like copy and paste. You can look at a tree, copy the wood, and paste it onto a stone, and turn it into wood. Now you can’t copy and paste everything, but the game shows you what is possible to SWAP when you are playing it. The change can be permanent or temporary, but even when it is temporary, it usually lasts long enough to affect any puzzle.
The SWAP mechanic is fantastic and opens up so many possibilities in the base gameplay. There is no single way to solve a puzzle, and the only limit is your imagination. There are countless puzzles I solved through the creative use of the mechanic, only to find out later that a more straightforward way to solve them existed, simply by progressing the story. The SWAP mechanic also encourages creativity, and I look forward to seeing how others react to it. I hope Zockrates Lab can continue to make games, as they have something great with this mechanic, and I hope they can build on it.
Outside of the core SWAP gameplay, I also enjoyed the other elements here. Much like the games that inspire it, this is a collectathon and fun one at that. I love collectathons, but sometimes they can have too much to find. Ruffy has a good amount, but none of them feel overbearing or take too long to complete. I almost have everything too, I’m short a few collectables, and I guarantee I’ll be back on the search for them when I finish writing this review.
The Ups and Downs of Riverside
Ruffy and the Riverside looks great. The world is 3D, but the models are all 2D papercraft. Earlier, when I praised the design of the characters, half of that is due to the papercraft look. The two look and blend very well, which makes all the characters stand out and feel more expressive. They even threw in a couple of 2D sections that work well in the world, and I only wanted more of it. This carries over to the music as well, and while not all of it hit, I enjoyed most of the soundtrack. I’m still singing the main theme now, even if it doesn’t use actual words.
While the identity is strong, I had a few issues with the game. I encountered a bug that negatively impacted my experience for a while. One of the collectables quest lines would crash when I tried to turn it in. I was upset because I loved doing it, but the game wasn’t letting me turn it in. The problem eventually stopped after I gave up trying to turn it in and didn’t attempt it again until I was nearly at the end of the game. You also have a stamina wheel, and the only way to upgrade it is through a slot machine. While it isn’t hard to earn money, this is also a tedious way to upgrade. None of these stopped my enjoyment, but it did hinder it for a while.
Ruffy and the Riverside is a great game that any platformer fan will enjoy. Inspired by games from the late 90s and early 2000s, it not only lives up to its inspiration but also stands out. The game encourages creativity with the SWAP mechanic, and is a delight from start to finish. While there are some issues, I never put the game down, and the charm on display helped alleviate those issues. Ruffy and the Riverside is a must-play for any fan of the genre. A short but fun time that’s sure to put a smile on your face.
Disclaimer: Phiphen Games provided a PC (Steam) copy of Ruffy and the Riverside for review purposes.
