Recreation Title: Ruffy and the Riverside

Platforms:

Xbox Collection X/S (Jun 26, 2025) PlayStation 5 (Jun 26, 2025) Nintendo Change 2 (Jun 26, 2025) Nintendo Change (Jun 26, 2025) PlayStation 4 (Jun 26, 2025) PC (Jun 26, 2025) Xbox One (Jun 26, 2025)

Trailer:

Ruffy and the Riverside – Announcement Trailer PC and Consoles

Developer: Zockrates Laboratories

Writer: Phiphen Video games

Evaluation Aggregator:

OpenCritic – 79 common – 72% really useful – 43 opinions

Critic Critiques

Analog Stick Gaming – Jeff M Younger – 8 / 10

Whereas its SWAP mechanic can really feel restricted at occasions, it’s nonetheless a captivating instance of a ardour undertaking come to life. The world, its characters, and the final gameplay are wildly entertaining. There may be sturdy potential for a sequel, one that would permit extra freedom in how the SWAP mechanic is used. Regardless, Ruffy and Riverside is a improbable time, and a recreation that may simply fulfill these wanting a visit down the Nintendo 64 lane, or younger youngsters who need a enjoyable various to Mario.

CGMagazine – Jordan Biordi – 8 / 10

Ruffy and the Riverside is an extremely charming recreation with one of the crucial distinctive gameplay mechanics I've seen shortly.

Checkpoint Gaming – David McNamara – 9 / 10

A gorgeously introduced fashionable twist on the basic 3D platformer, Ruffy and the Riverside is positively glowing with attraction. That includes a cavalcade of enjoyable environmental puzzles that benefit from its distinctive copy-and-paste "SWAP" mechanic, a pleasant mix of hand-drawn spritework and rendered environments, and cheeky writing that makes you fall in love with its foolish little characters, this can be a completely beautiful journey with tonnes of coronary heart.

Console Creatures – David Pietrangelo – 9 / 10

Ruffy and the Riverside is filled with whimsical exploration and joyful character. You don't need to look any additional to expertise a vibrant, vibrant, and animated world this summer season!

Console-Tribe – Simone Cantini – Italian – 70 / 100

Ruffy and the Riverside is a 3D platformer with a novel spirit and untapped potential. Its standout characteristic is the revolutionary SWAP mechanic, which brings intelligent puzzles and a refreshing twist to the style. Whereas its vibrant visible model provides to the attraction, the overly lengthy dialogues, restricted puzzle flexibility, and repetitive audio maintain it again. Regardless of these flaws, the sport shines with originality and is price experiencing—simply be able to make a couple of compromises.

Cubed3 – Coller Entragian – 7 / 10

Ruffy and the Riverside is an unbelievably enjoyable and imaginative 3D adventure-puzzler. In some methods, it feels prefer it may have been a 3rd Tomba! recreation because of its playful visible model that goes in opposition to the grain. Not every little thing works as supposed, and it may use an additional move of polish, however pound for pound, this is likely one of the extra ingenious 3D platformers on the market. If the builders can iron out a number of the irregularities, Ruffy and the Riverside may very well be all it may be.

Digitec Journal – Cassie Mammone – German – 3 / 5

"Ruffy and the Riverside" is a good 3D platformer snack. Nevertheless, it appears as if the builders have oriented themselves an excessive amount of in the direction of Nintendo. In consequence, the sport finally lacks the guts and uniqueness that its charming design deserves.

DualShockers – Ethan Krieger – 7 / 10

Sadly, the few bosses and enemies current listed below are fairly bland, and although the environmental puzzle-solving is initially distinctive and rewarding, it will definitely stalls out in creativity and problem. General, Ruffy finally ends up feeling a bit inconsistent, but it surely's nonetheless a cute, satisfying indie that has me trying ahead to future efforts from Zockrates Laboratories.

Duuro Journal – Krist Duro – Really helpful

Ruffy and the Riverside is a celebration of what makes platformers nice. It invitations you into its whimsical world, fingers you a novel software, and says, “Go have enjoyable.” And that's precisely what you'll do. The swap mechanic, regardless of its tough edges, is likely one of the coolest puzzle-platforming concepts in current reminiscence. The worlds are vibrant and stuffed with marvel. And the enjoyment of accumulating, discovering, and experimenting by no means actually stops.

Evilgamerz – Jeroen Janssen – Dutch – 8 / 10

When you’ve got collected the primary letter and your first mission really appears to be over, you’ve got already left many hours behind you. The world of Ruffy is just not so huge, however within the environments the place you’ll be able to stroll, you’ve got quite a bit to do; from racing to inserting magnets to open a door and from fixing a wall puzzle to discovering collectibles. Every little thing on this recreation has its attraction, which makes you shortly lose your self on this planet of the sport. Generally it takes some time to seek out the complicated world map, however ultimately you’ll uncover sufficient enjoyable through the search with all types of small side-quests and different actions. In fact, nothing is ideal within the recreation, from the graphics to the gameplay and the mechanics, however on the whole this recreation was in a position to entertain me very effectively, and particularly entertain me for a really very long time !

Explosion Community – Jacob Hegarty – 10 / 10

The visible nostalgia, mixed with the partaking gameplay and mechanics, makes this recreation actually shine. It’s uncommon to seek out hand-drawn journey platformers that supply a spread of puzzles and an awesome story; nonetheless, this recreation ticks all these containers.

Closing Weapon – Chris Sanchez – 4 / 5

Ruffy and the Riverside is a 3D platformer from Zockrates Lab. It’s impressed by platformers of the late 90s and early 2000s and wears that inspiration on its sleeve. It wears that inspiration effectively, although, and affords not solely a recreation that matches on the shelf with its inspirations however one which is ready to stand out as effectively. A brief however enjoyable time that may be a must-play for any fan of the style, or anybody that grew up with it.

Recreation Sandwich – John Hansen – 5 / 10

Ruffy and the Riverside can pull you in with its colourful characters and neat swap mechanic, but it surely doesn’t have sufficient artistic concepts to maintain itself for the lengthy haul. The bizarre, out-of-nowhere spiritual writing and ham-fisted dialogue additionally add lots of laughably dangerous conversations within the ending hours. On the finish of the day, although, transferring round this world, accumulating shiny issues, and doing swap puzzles is an efficient sufficient time you could get enjoyment out of it, but it surely’s not one thing that may stick with you whenever you put it down.

GameBlast – Victor Vitório – Portuguese – 8 / 10

Ruffy and the Riverside is an efficient foray into the 3D platform style, standing out for its well-done aesthetic combine and a helpful central mechanic of swapping textures to change the world, resolve puzzles, progress by the marketing campaign and acquire the handfuls of collectibles accessible. These two points are the sport's excessive factors and, though its potential for experimentation is just not absolutely realized, they make for a novel, satisfying and enjoyable expertise.

Gameffine – Farzeen Okay H – 80 / 100

Ruffy and the Riverside may have simply been a forgettable nostalgia journey: cute visuals, mild puzzles, and a innocent story. As a substitute, it surprises. It respects the participant’s intelligence, introduces a mechanic that hasn’t been finished to loss of life, and builds a world that feels prefer it’s really price exploring.

Gameliner – Bram Noteboom – Dutch – 2.5 / 5

Ruffy and the Riverside is a well-intentioned debut 3D platformer whose attraction and creative concepts shine on the floor, however a lackluster narrative, uneven visuals, underused mechanics, and technical roughness reveal it’s nonetheless very a lot a piece in progress.

Gamer Social Membership – Harry Glynn Jones – 9 / 10

Ruffy and the Riverside is an unbelievable end result of inspiration and innovation, providing hours of enjoyable in a wacky world with a beautiful new duo. Zockrates Labs have gone past my expectations with their first recreation, and I hope we get to have extra adventures with Ruffy and Pip sooner or later.

Gaming Boulevard – 9.5 / 10

A contemporary love letter to 90s nostalgia.

Gert Lush Gaming – Jim Smale – 7.4 / 10

Ruffy and the Riverside ship a refreshing, artistic expertise that embraces pleasure and creativeness. Whereas it’s sometimes held again by mechanical tough edges and spotty steerage, its creative mechanics, expressive artwork model, and sheer sense of enjoyable make it a journey price taking, particularly for many who like to experiment and discover. With a little bit of endurance, this vibrant world will reward gamers with moments of magic and delight.

Kakuchopurei – Jonathan Toyad – 60 / 100

You possibly can do worse than with a recreation [like Ruffy and the Riverside] that really tries arduous to seize that bygone early 2000s period of cerebral-challenging platforming, even when all it has going for is its deft use of 2D paintings onto 3D landscapes. On the very least, this recreation deserves a sequel that may hopefully iron out its flaws and repetitive moments.

LadiesGamers.com – James Luff – Thoughts-blown

Ruffy and the Riverside radiates positivity. It’s a feel-good, welcoming journey that encourages curiosity, rewards creativity, and by no means loses its sense of enjoyable. Whether or not you’re enjoying solo on a quiet day or sharing the journey with family members, it’s a heartwarming expertise that’s simple to advocate.

Loot Stage Chill – Lyle Pendle – 7.5 / 10

Ruffy and the Riverside is fairly removed from excellent, but it surely does characteristic some extremely intelligent concepts, a great deal of puzzles and beautiful visuals.

Handbook dos Video games – Roberto Paggi – Portuguese – 8 / 10

Ruffy and the Riverside delivers a platform recreation that pays homage to the classics whereas additionally being its personal unique entry. The core mechanics are revolutionary and the visuals are totally charming, and regardless of the unconventional tempo of the plot and the reasonably flat development, the sport is assured to be enjoyable for followers of 3D platformers.

Netto’s Recreation Room – Jeremy Schepper – Important

I actually loved my time with Ruffy and the Riverside. I don't assume I give up smiling from the time I booted the sport up till I completed it. Between the lovely characters, the intriguing story, the extremely pleasant world to discover, and the creative and enjoyable recreation mechanics, I believe Ruffy is a really particular recreation that completely deserves your money and time. I don't assume you'll play something like this once more for a while, possibly till Zockrates Labs develops a sequel, which they undoubtedly ought to. I imagine they've possibly created the following indie gaming icon right here. I believe they need to look into doing sequels and spin-offs, entering into RPGs, kart racers (or hay bale racers), possibly even a full-blown skateboarding recreation: Ruffy Hawk's Professional Hay Bale Using. In all seriousness, I genuinely hope to see Ruffy turn out to be a full-fledged franchise. The sport was a beautiful expertise and I extremely advocate it.

Area of interest Gamer – Brandon Lyttle – 10 / 10

In the end, Ruffy and the Riverside is a wonderful homage and probably probably the most enjoyable I’ve had with an indie platformer since A Hat in Time or Nikoderiko. Ruffy and the Riverside was clearly made by a crew that is aware of and loves the style.

Nintendo Life – PJ O'Reilly – 8 / 10

Ruffy and the Riverside is an satisfying return to the colorful 3D platforming romps of the late Nineties, and it's one which brings its personal intelligent thought to the desk, reasonably than simply merely copy/pasting everybody else's homework. With nods to Mario, Zelda, Crash Bandicoot and extra, ranges jam-packed stuffed with enjoyable puzzles and the straightforward, breezy nature of Ruffy's copy-pasting skills on the coronary heart of all of it, this is likely one of the higher odes to this type of caper that I've performed and, efficiency points apart, a really spectacular debut as well.

NintendoBoy – Diego Gomes – Portuguese – 7 / 10

Ruffy and the Riverside is a really artistic and enjoyable recreation. The visuals are superb, the controls are nice, the NPCs are charismatic and humorous and total it doesn't depart something to be desired in any side… apart from the optimization on the Nintendo Change.

NintendoWorldReport – Jordan Rudek – 7.5 / 10

It performs effectively on Change 2, which is the place I reviewed the sport, and has lots of content material for completionists to sink their enamel into. A few of the puzzles might be irritating or obtuse, however the distinctive swapping mechanic makes for a enjoyable departure in comparison with different 3D action-adventure experiences. It might be a bit Ruffy across the edges, however this Riverside is one which I used to be completely happy to dip my toes into.

Noisy Pixel – Kyle Clark – 8 / 10

Ruffy and the Riverside is a whimsical platformer that blends intelligent puzzle mechanics with charming storytelling. Whereas its distinctive element-swapping characteristic brings refreshing gameplay twists, occasional pacing points and imprecise aims barely hinder the expertise. A visually pleasant and creative indie gem.

Output Lag – Paula Vaynshteyn – 8 / 10

Ruffy and the Riverside is an satisfying, nostalgic, and collectible-filled journey down a reminiscence lane suffering from 3D platformers, whereas nonetheless managing to really feel fully new due to fascinating new mechanics.

PCMGAMES – José Miguel Rodríguez Ros – Spanish – Unscored

Ruffy and the Riverside is an unique journey that stands out for its texture copying mechanics, but it surely fails to shine because of a number of particulars that overwhelm the expertise. Though its strategy is various and artistic, the extreme presence of puzzles in comparison with platforming, a really poor Spanish translation, and an unattractive interface detract from the general expertise.

PSX Brasil – Isabella Alves – Portuguese – 85 / 100

Ruffy and the Riverside is a type of nice surprises that charms with its simplicity and enjoyable due to the SWAP mechanic. A recreation that attracts lots of consideration for its stunning artwork path and that, regardless of drawing from the sources of Paper Mario, Banjo-Kazooie and different nice names within the style, doesn't reside of their shadow. Fairly the alternative, Ruffy is a recreation stuffed with soul that rescues the essence of excellent previous platform titles.

Pizza Fria – Carlos Humberto Maestre Dutra – Portuguese – 7 / 10

It's arduous to not advocate Ruffy and the Riverside to 3D platformer followers. With an inexpensive value, a enjoyable journey filled with actions, and impeccable localization for Brazilian Portuguese, the sport transports you to less complicated occasions, satisfies your accumulating with out anxiousness, and is a superb selection for enjoyable.

PlayStation Universe – John-Paul Jones – 9 / 10

In contrast to different seemingly comparable efforts that wish to tempt gamers down 3D platformer reminiscence lane for a concentrated hit of nostalgia and depart it at that, Ruffy and the Riverside doesn't simply take that well-worn thought and repackages it, however as an alternative provides one thing refreshingly compelling to the formulation. Although some minor flaws and polish points do abound, they aren't sufficient to take the shine away from one of the crucial charming and considerate 3D platformers in ages.

Push Sq. – Stephen Tailby – 5 / 10

In the end, Ruffy and the Riverside is a recreation we needed to love, however regardless of its engaging visible model and distinctive concepts, it by no means actually comes collectively in a satisfying means. Whereas there's some enjoyable available working round within the semi-open world, it by no means evolves past that.

Quest Each day – Daniel Anderson – 9 / 10

Ruffy and the Riverside is every little thing I hoped it might be. It’s a nostalgic 3D platformer stuffed with attraction, whacky characters, and an awesome stability of puzzle-solving and platforming. The SWAP mechanic is an actual spotlight, providing a recent and intelligent method to progress by the world. Controls are tight, the digital camera behaves, and the entire expertise feels easy and satisfying.

Smash Soar – Ashton Lovell – 6 / 10

The extra I take into consideration Ruffy, the extra I see misplaced potential. Ruffy and the Riverside is a strong puzzle platformer that wanted extra substance. The collectable parts at all times reward the identical factor, gold, which is basically nugatory, the platforming is far too mild given the arsenal of strikes Ruffy has entry to, and the swap potential, whereas creative, wanted extra fascinating utility.

So Many Video games – Jason Baigent – 4.5 / 5

With likeable, charming characters, a ton of facet quests to maintain you distracted, and fascinating degree design, Ruffy and the Riverside is a pleasant expertise which has simply copy-and-pasted itself onto my favorite video games of the yr listing.

TechRaptor – Joseph Allen – 7 / 10

Ruffy and the Riverside's swapping mechanic is nice enjoyable, however I want it might shut up and provides me extra natural alternatives to make use of that mechanic.

TheSixthAxis – Dominic Leighton – 7 / 10

Ruffy and the Riverside takes us again to a time the place the 3D platformer was king, controllers had three prongs, and analogue sticks have been a new-fangled invention. There's the identical vibrancy and creativity right here as classics like Banjo-Kazooie and Mario 64, cribbing a couple of of their methods alongside the best way whereas making one thing that also manages to really feel recent and distinctive.

Use a Potion – 7.5 / 10

Ruffy and the Riverside doesn’t reinvent the 3D platformer, but it surely actually carves out its personal particular area within the style with its artistic swapping mechanic and beautiful presentation.

WayTooManyGames – Leonardo Faria – 8.5 / 10

Ruffy and the Riverside is a joyful little recreation with a very creative gameplay loop. It mixes parts from open world adventures, logic-based puzzles, and the extent construction of basic 3D collectathons to create one thing that’s actually distinctive, while nonetheless being accessible, and under no circumstances condescending. It additionally helps that its visuals are nice, and its humorousness is totally on level.

XboxEra – Győző Baki – 7.4 / 10

Ruffy’s journey has sufficient spins on the formulation to face out, particularly the artistic swap mechanic and a few concepts past the opening ranges, however I really feel like there’s lots of unforced errors on this title, which made me not get pleasure from myself as a lot as I hoped I’d.