Ruffy and the Riverside has all the time seemed somewhat putting with its 2D characters in a vibrant 3D world, and whereas its aesthetic is a energy, the sport itself does not actually match it.
That is an open-ended 3D platformer with a singular swap mechanic, which helps you to copy sure textures and apply them to different objects — turning water into lava, for instance. It is an important concept and really novel early on, however sadly feels underutilised within the grand scheme of issues.
It by no means actually evolves past fairly fundamental puzzle-solving, and feels oddly restricted. You’ll be able to solely copy particular textures, they usually can solely be pasted onto particular objects and surfaces, which means the variety of significant purposes is definitely fairly small.
It is an actual disgrace, as a result of the sport has quite a bit to see and do. There are puzzles and characters in all places, dotted round a enjoyable map to discover.
Sadly, it appears to be like extra enjoyable than it’s; a mixture of slippy controls and underwhelming mechanics makes for a recreation that simply feels undercooked.
That is to not say there is a lack of selection or imaginative concepts, nevertheless it’s lacking a cohesion and polish to convey all of it collectively.
On prime of this can be a story that is given much more prominence than it ought to. It is a quite simple story that units up Ruffy for his journey, however there are extra cutscenes and dialogue containers than you would possibly anticipate, and the narrative simply does not have the substance for it.
There is a sure attraction to the characters and the writing, nevertheless it all feels fairly skinny.
Finally, Ruffy and the Riverside is a recreation we needed to love, however regardless of its enticing visible fashion and distinctive concepts, it by no means actually comes collectively in a satisfying approach. Whereas there’s some enjoyable available working round within the semi-open world, it by no means evolves past that.
