When I saw the trailer for Ruffy and the Riverside, I was instantly intrigued. I love Paper Mario graphics, and combine that with the style of a N64 collectathon? I was sold. With the new Death Stranding and a ton of summer sales going on, let’s see if this indie game that snuck under some radars is!
Ruffy and the Riverside Overview
Ruffy and the Riverside is a new indie platformer created by Zockrates Laboratories. The game has you controlling Ruffy, a hooded bear-like creature, taking a day off from his job as an art swapper and going on a quest to defeat an evil villain to save the day.
Image from Steam Store Page
You will have hours of entertainment exploring the lovely hand-drawn environments and solving tons of puzzles. There are tons of collectibles that are sure to keep you busy. Ruffy is also available on PS5, PC, Xbox, and Switch!
Ruffy and the Riverside on Steam
Gameplay
The star of the gameplay for Ruffy is his ability to swap. This means you can scan something in the environment and then swap it with something else. As an example, in the intro, you are falling down a cliff by a waterfall. To solve this dilemma, you scan the nearby wall of vines and swap the water of the waterfall with vines, allowing you to climb to safety.
At first, I figured with a newer game studio and an indie game that it would be rough. That is not the case at all! The mechanic works great and is a nice breath of fresh air to have something new in a game. I also love that you start with a double jump/guide at the beginning, courtesy of your companion, a bee who follows you around.
Image from Steam Store Page
The world is full of things to do and puzzles to uncover. You can also collect many different things on your journey, just like your old Banjo games. There is also a map, which, after playing a few games without one, is greatly appreciated.
The game does have some boss fights, but it is not heavy in combat at all. You will mostly be exploring and using the swap mechanic. You can always take a break to punch things, though, but it’s not heavy at all.
Controls
The controls to this game feel very tight and responsive. I never got frustrated because my character was too slippery or clunky. In a platformer, it’s exactly what you want, and I couldn’t blame the controls at all for any mistakes I made.
Performance
Image from Steam Store Page
Playing on the Switch 2, I was hoping for a higher performance, but at the time of writing, it is just the Switch version that is playable. The publishers seem to be hinting at a patch, though, for the Switch 2, so fingers crossed that is soon!
In cutscenes, it seems a very smooth 60fps, but actual gameplay is 30fps with some dips, especially when sprinting around. Seeing how well the cutscenes perform and knowing the Switch 2 can handle it, I am excited to see this game get updated!
Final Thoughts
Image from Steam Store Page
Ruffy and the Riverside oozes charm. The gameplay mechanic is so cool and unique. Swapping things in the environment is so satisfying and feels good. You can tell a ton of care went into the the creation of this game with the graphics, story, and creativity. To me, this game is an easy recommendation for fans of the collection games of the N64 era. This will be the perfect game to hold me over before the new Donkey Kong drops next month.
Ruffy and the Riverside on Steam
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