Review: Ruffy and the Riverside is whimsical retro 3D vibes

In the late 90s, multiple consoles had an ensemble of 3D platformers that often starred their own mascots. These had characters roaming around in 3D space and collecting items to progress a plot, which may or may not have been interesting. But what kept people coming back to them was the tone and the settings of these 3D platformers, which often involved whimsical worlds with magical traits to them. Some of the best ones that garnered the most attention in that era took characters like Mario and Donkey Kong to far-away lands that looked unlike anything players had seen before. This is the same type of approach and general vibe that one gets when playing Ruffy and the Riverside on PlayStation 5, a game that is cheeky with its humor and whimsical at heart.

Everything about this indie 3D platformer feels inspired by many of the classics in the genre, including a lot of direct influences from games like Banjo-Kazooie and Super Mario 64. But while those games heavily leaned on the reputations of their heroes, or the companies that made them, Ruffy and the Riverside is a completely original tale that feels similar in spirit. Developed by Zockrates Laboratories UG, the game has a lot of charm to it for anyone that grew up playing games within the era of 3D platformers. Between its colorful presentation and goofy characters with cheeky humor, there's a lot to love about it. And while it doesn't hit perfectly with every aspect of its adventure, there is definitely a lot of passion for the genre that exudes from its bale-rolling adventure.

Ruffy and the Riverside pricing and availability

Ruffy and the Riverside is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series consoles, and Nintendo Switch. The game will also be on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. There is only a standard version available on each platform where the game can be purchased. There is a demo for the game that can be downloaded on every platform, which is about 30 minutes in length.

The official price for the game is $19.99 across all platforms, though discounts in the future may vary on different storefronts.

Charming expressions and characters

They are lovable

One of the biggest things that all 3D platformers have is likable characters. Since players are going to spend so much time with one specific character or another, they're going to need to like them if everything about the game is going to work. Luckily, Ruffy and the Riverside is able to overcome that with ease, but not for the reason one may think. It's not some kind of witty dialogue or major event that will cause everyone to connect the hero Ruffy and his partner Pip the bee. It's the goofy look and expressions they have when looking at them from any angle. The wide-eyed and goofy looks that Ruffy and Pip have when they solve a puzzle is just something that makes you laugh. Even in the moments where you complete something, Ruffy and Pip cheer you on with that same wide-eyed look. They keep these expressions throughout the whole game, and strangely, it never gets tiring or annoying. It's not enough that Ruffy is a fuzzy bear, but one that constantly has a goofy look on his face, making everything feel so innocent and lovable.

This same thing can be said about every character that appears in Ruffy and the Riverside from start to finish. There's an overarching playful nature to the entire world, even in some of the darker or serious moments where the plot takes a turn. Every ally that Ruffy encounters has that same level of charm and goofiness to them. It's a trait that classic 3D platformers like Banjo-Kazooie had that made them stand out from other 3D games of the time. The game felt more welcoming and friendly to players, enticing them to spend more time within the world, exploring and interacting with all of its inhabitants. Even the enemies that Ruffy comes across in each new area still have a dull edge to them because of how they look. They might be hostile, but you can't help but see the coziness in them.

Swapping things for puzzles

The power of SWAP

While Ruffy and the Riverside will have going around Riverside to collect sacred letters and other types of important items, doing so will require getting around obstacles and solving puzzles. This is done with Ruffy's power called SWAP, which allows him to change the texture or appearance of various surfaces. This is key to progression because it forces players to think outside the box for solutions when things aren't too obvious. Need to burn away some wooden structure that's blocking a waterway? Finding a nearby volcano to swap out the water for lava can quickly get rid of it, even though you'll have to turn the lava back to water to cross it later. Swapping is very easy to do, and nearly every object in the world can have power drawn from it to swap out something. This includes metal, wood, rock, sand, water, and many other types of surfaces.

However, SWAP isn't limited to just textures. Labels and symbols can also be swapped around when necessary, leading to some goofy shenanigans in the story. But their application makes certain puzzles very clever and challenging in later sections of the game. Sometimes a side quest may not be so obvious to complete until you realize how certain things can be affected by Ruffy's SWAP powers, making them significantly easier or making total sense. Unfortunately, the game isn't always clear on what you might need to do, or will have a solution deep in a character's dialogue that can be easily missed. In some scenarios, there's nothing around to help a player or give any sort of hint as to what to do, so experimenting with SWAP and taking a good look around becomes necessary. In these moments, the momentum might be brought to a halt, but can pick right back up upon solving whatever puzzle is blocking the way.

This becomes more of an issue in areas that aren't always clear about when SWAP is necessary. One section has Ruffy entering a bale trick contest, where he must do tricks off a half pipe to score points and win to progress. But simply doing the challenge isn't enough to get past it, since the other contestants will always score vastly more, regardless of how good you are. The solution involves going to the score board and changing the other contestant's scores to zero, while boosting your own score with the SWAP power. But unless you experimented in the area with SWAP or accidentally found a nearby character that hinted at this, the solution would never be clear. Other areas in the game that have a similar setup are just as confusing at first glance, so taking the time to explore and look for extra details is key to getting around challenges that may stump you.

Long walks and bugs

Minor nitpicks can add up

The world of Ruffy and the Riverside is colorful and filled with a lot of characters in it. It's great to look at and traverse while playing the game, but it does have a few hiccups that can become an issue. Occasionally, small bugs involving the sprites of Ruffy and Pip can pop up and look a little weird. At one moment, things may look totally fine, but then Ruffy will appear to be stuck in one animation from earlier, despite being able to move and interact like normal. He might look like he's holding Pip for a glide through the air, but he's actually walking around or punching something when you hit a button. This kind of bug doesn't happen all the time, but it can happen in the latter portions of the game as the effects within the world start to get more dense.

Often, you'll have to trek back to a given area to find out where to go next, and then run back through the terrain once again to get to where you need to go.

Other small bugs that arise within the game involve the SWAP powers when trying to gather a texture. You might be aiming at one structure to get a specific color or terrain, but you'll accidentally pull from the object or surface behind it randomly. This could be due to how sensitive the aiming with SWAP can be, with literally everything being an option to pull from, but it can happen even if you're precise with your aim. At other times, the game isn't always clear when you can or cannot use SWAP on an object, especially during side quests and smaller puzzles that contain extra coins or items. One moment, you can switch out an object's texture for one thing, but then cannot do so with another one nearby. It often feels like there's no reason behind it other than you just can't do that in that specific case, even if another scenario earlier or after is the complete opposite.

As a whole, the small bugs that one might encounter aren't a major issue with the overall experience of playing Ruffy and the Riverside. What is a problem, however, is the constant backtracking and re-traversal of areas to get to new ones. Ruffy and the Riverside doesn't utilize a fast-travel option to return to places you've visited, except for a few story points that involve returning somewhere. Often, you'll have to trek back to a given area to find out where to go next, and then run back through the terrain once again to get to where you need to go. It's an older approach to 3D platformers that lets players take in the visuals along the way, but becomes repetitive very quickly and a time waster. The moments in-between gathering sacred letters and completing quests is going to be Ruffy running through the same long areas that connect each new location. This wouldn't be that bad if the entire core section of the game wasn't that big, but Ruffy and the Riverside has a pretty large central area that takes time to get around. So any sort of quick travel option that could cut the duration of this down would've been smart to include, but instead players are made to sprint through one part of the world to the other often.

Ruffy rises to the occasion

As a whole, Ruffy and the Riverside is a charming game that is fun to play. Anyone that has nostalgia for late 90s 3D platformers will feel a sense of familiarity that hits all the right notes. It's an adventure that is clever with its approach to puzzle solving, while still managing to be lighthearted and not overly difficult. A few minor bugs can eventually be ironed out to make an already solid experience even better, despite some of the more challenging sections that will still stump a few people along the way. The art of making a good whimsical 3D adventure hasn't gone away with the changing tides of time, but rather, those who grew up with the genre have now become inspired to make ones of their own. Luckily, Ruffy and the Riverside happens to be one that is pretty good.