Sport 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 critiques

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 challenge come to life. The world, its characters, and the final gameplay are wildly entertaining. There’s sturdy potential for a sequel, one that might enable extra freedom in how the SWAP mechanic is used. Regardless, Ruffy and Riverside is a unbelievable time, and a sport that may simply fulfill these wanting a visit down the Nintendo 64 lane, or younger children who desire a enjoyable different to Mario.

CGMagazine – Jordan Biordi – 8 / 10

Ruffy and the Riverside is an extremely charming sport with some of the distinctive gameplay mechanics I've seen shortly.

Checkpoint Gaming – David McNamara – 9 / 10

A gorgeously introduced trendy twist on the traditional 3D platformer, Ruffy and the Riverside is positively glowing with appeal. That includes a cavalcade of enjoyable environmental puzzles that make the most of 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 pretty journey with tonnes of coronary heart.

Console Creatures – David Pietrangelo – 9 / 10

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

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

Ruffy and the Riverside is a 3D platformer with a singular spirit and untapped potential. Its standout function is the revolutionary SWAP mechanic, which brings intelligent puzzles and a refreshing twist to the style. Whereas its vibrant visible fashion provides to the appeal, the overly lengthy dialogues, restricted puzzle flexibility, and repetitive audio maintain it again. Regardless of these flaws, the sport shines with originality and is value experiencing—simply be able to make just a few 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! sport on account of its playful visible fashion that goes in opposition to the grain. Not all the things works as supposed, and it may use an additional move of polish, however pound for pound, this is among the extra ingenious 3D platformers on the market. If the builders can iron out among the irregularities, Ruffy and the Riverside might be all it may be.

Digitec Journal – Cassie Mammone – German – 3 / 5

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

DualShockers – Ethan Krieger – 7 / 10

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

Duuro Journal – Krist Duro – Really useful

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

Evilgamerz – Jeroen Janssen – Dutch – 8 / 10

When you’ve collected the primary letter and your first mission really appears to be over, you’ve already left many hours behind you. The world of Ruffy shouldn’t be so massive, however within the environments the place you may stroll, you’ve 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 sport has its attraction, which makes you rapidly lose your self on the planet of the sport. Generally it takes some time to seek out the complicated world map, however finally you’ll uncover sufficient enjoyable throughout the search with every kind of small side-quests and different actions. After all, nothing is ideal within the sport, from the graphics to the gameplay and the mechanics, however usually this sport was in a position to entertain me very properly, and particularly entertain me for a really very long time !

Explosion Community – Jacob Hegarty – 10 / 10

The visible nostalgia, mixed with the participating gameplay and mechanics, makes this sport actually shine. It’s uncommon to seek out hand-drawn journey platformers that supply a variety of puzzles and an important story; nonetheless, this sport ticks all these bins.

Remaining 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 properly, although, and affords not solely a sport that matches on the shelf with its inspirations however one which is ready to stand out as properly. A brief however enjoyable time that may be a must-play for any fan of the style, or anybody that grew up with it.

Sport Sandwich – John Hansen – 5 / 10

Ruffy and the Riverside can pull you in with its colourful characters and neat swap mechanic, however it doesn’t have sufficient artistic concepts to maintain itself for the lengthy haul. The bizarre, out-of-nowhere non secular 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 effective sufficient time that you would be able to get enjoyment out of it, however it’s not one thing that can stick with you while you put it down.

GameBlast – Victor Vitório – Portuguese – 8 / 10

Ruffy and the Riverside is an effective 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 procure the handfuls of collectibles out there. These two features are the sport's excessive factors and, though its potential for experimentation shouldn’t be absolutely realized, they make for a singular, pleasant and enjoyable expertise.

Gameffine – Farzeen Ok 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 value exploring.

Gameliner – Bram Noteboom – Dutch – 2.5 / 5

Ruffy and the Riverside is a well-intentioned debut 3D platformer whose appeal and ingenious 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 unimaginable fruits 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 sport, 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 often held again by mechanical tough edges and spotty steering, its ingenious mechanics, expressive artwork fashion, and sheer sense of enjoyable make it a journey value taking, particularly for many who like to experiment and discover. With a little bit of persistence, this vibrant world will reward gamers with moments of magic and delight.

Kakuchopurei – Jonathan Toyad – 60 / 100

You may do worse than with a sport [like Ruffy and the Riverside] that really tries onerous to seize that bygone early 2000s period of cerebral-challenging platforming, even when all it has going for is its deft use of 2D art work onto 3D landscapes. On the very least, this sport deserves a sequel that can 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 straightforward to suggest.

Loot Stage Chill – Lyle Pendle – 7.5 / 10

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

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

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

Netto’s Sport Room – Jeremy Schepper – Important

I actually loved my time with Ruffy and the Riverside. I don't assume I stop 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 ingenious and enjoyable sport mechanics, I believe Ruffy is a really particular sport 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 positively ought to. I consider they've possibly created the subsequent indie gaming icon right here. I believe they need to look into doing sequels and spin-offs, stepping into RPGs, kart racers (or hay bale racers), possibly even a full-blown skateboarding sport: Ruffy Hawk's Professional Hay Bale Driving. In all seriousness, I genuinely hope to see Ruffy turn into a full-fledged franchise. The sport was a beautiful expertise and I extremely suggest it.

Area of interest Gamer – Brandon Lyttle – 10 / 10

In the end, Ruffy and the Riverside is a superb 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 pleasant return to the colorful 3D platforming romps of the late Nineteen Nineties, and it's one which brings its personal intelligent concept to the desk, fairly 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 among the higher odes to this kind of caper that I've performed and, efficiency points apart, a really spectacular debut besides.

NintendoBoy – Diego Gomes – Portuguese – 7 / 10

Ruffy and the Riverside is a really artistic and enjoyable sport. 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 properly 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 number of the puzzles may be irritating or obtuse, however the distinctive swapping mechanic makes for a enjoyable departure in comparison with different 3D action-adventure experiences. It could be a bit Ruffy across the edges, however this Riverside is one which I used to be glad 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 function brings refreshing gameplay twists, occasional pacing points and obscure goals barely hinder the expertise. A visually pleasant and ingenious indie gem.

Output Lag – Paula Vaynshteyn – 8 / 10

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

PCMGAMES – José Miguel Rodríguez Ros – Spanish – Unscored

Ruffy and the Riverside is an authentic journey that stands out for its texture copying mechanics, however it fails to shine on account of a number of particulars that overwhelm the expertise. Though its method is diverse and inventive, 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 because of the SWAP mechanic. A sport that attracts lots of consideration for its lovely 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 other, Ruffy is a sport stuffed with soul that rescues the essence of excellent outdated platform titles.

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

It's onerous to not suggest Ruffy and the Riverside to 3D platformer followers. With an reasonably priced 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 nervousness, and is a superb alternative for enjoyable.

PlayStation Universe – John-Paul Jones – 9 / 10

In contrast to different seemingly related efforts that need 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 concept and repackages it, however as a substitute provides one thing refreshingly compelling to the components. Although some minor flaws and polish points do abound, they aren't sufficient to take the shine away from some of the charming and considerate 3D platformers in ages.

Push Sq. – Stephen Tailby – 5 / 10

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

Quest Every day – Daniel Anderson – 9 / 10

Ruffy and the Riverside is all the things I hoped it could be. It’s a nostalgic 3D platformer stuffed with appeal, whacky characters, and an important 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 digicam behaves, and the entire expertise feels easy and satisfying.

Smash Bounce – 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 skill, whereas ingenious, wanted extra fascinating utility.

So Many Video games – Jason Baigent – 4.5 / 5

With likeable, charming characters, a ton of aspect quests to maintain you distracted, and fascinating stage 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 could 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 had been a new-fangled invention. There's the identical vibrancy and creativity right here as classics like Banjo-Kazooie and Mario 64, cribbing just a few of their methods alongside the way in which 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, however it definitely 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 sport with a extremely ingenious gameplay loop. It mixes parts from open world adventures, logic-based puzzles, and the extent construction of traditional 3D collectathons to create one thing that’s actually distinctive, while nonetheless being accessible, and in no way 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 components 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.