- Publisher: Zockrates Laboratories , Phiphen Games
- Release Date: Jun 26, 2025
- Also On: PC, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
- Critic score
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Jul 22, 2025Ruffy and the Riverside is a thoughtful homage to 3D platformers. The bright visuals and chirpy soundtrack give the game plenty of life. The swap mechanic is interesting but it doesn't quite fulfil its potential. There are moments where it's used to great effect but the puzzles are predominantly simple. That does lead to a campaign that's breezy and takes you through some varied locales. I enjoyed it but it definitely seems to be aimed at youngsters.
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Jul 2, 2025Ruffy and the Riverside is a charming little tribute to the classic 3D puzzle platformers of the 1990s, and it has a nice ace up its sleeve in the form of the swap feature. However, it is also a bit limiting, and I think the visuals may be a bit of a hit or miss for many.
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Jun 25, 2025Ruffy And The Riverside has a lot of cool and new ideas, but doesn't always execute on the necessary basics. The hand-drawn levels and characters are awesome, the semi-open world is fun to traverse and works well as a collect-a-thon, and several gameplay switch-ups and surprises along the way feel refreshing. 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.
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Jun 25, 2025Without spoiling anything, I can say that the plot of Ruffy and the Riverside ends with massive sequel bait. I sincerely hope developer Zockrates Laboratories gets the chance to actually make that sequel. I'm not saying that because Ruffy and the Riverside is such a great game – quite the opposite. The game does control smoothly, has a cool art style, and a fantastic soundtrack. More than anything, though, the ‘swap system’ deserves a place in a better title than this one. Now that the characters, world, art style, and game systems have been established, the studio just needs to tie them together in a better way in a follow-up. There’s clearly a lot more potential in the world of Ruffy than this game manages to deliver.
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Jun 25, 2025Luffy and the Riverside feels like stepping into a children's book and letting your imagination run wild. Turning trees into water? Sure, no problem. Turning the pond with the annoying shark into lava to fry it? Of course. The flip is a wonderful game mechanic that breathes fresh air into the platformer genre.
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Jun 25, 2025Ultimately, 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.