Alright, so I dove headfirst into this game, “Ruffy and the Riverside.” Picture this: a 3D action-adventure where you get to roam around a world and solve puzzles. Sounds cool, right? There’s like a bunch of stuff to grab, and it’s all super playful. You’re running the show with Ruffy, this bear that, honestly, kind of looks like an Ewok. No clue why that popped into my head first, but there it is. Anyway, Ruffy’s got this wild ability to mess with the environment, and… it works. Mostly. But sometimes, things get frustrating and kind of glitchy, which is a bummer.
Ruffy’s world, Riverside, is under attack by some creepy cube. Yeah, a cube. It’s trying to wipe everything out, turning Ruffy into the reluctant hero who collects letters (because why not?) to save the day. Imagine it as kind of a hub world with smaller areas inside it. Like, sort of like Mario’s castle with those painting worlds. But here, ladders, man. They’ve got this weird thing where you have to climb dead-center, or you’re going nowhere. Seems like someone was having a laugh when they designed those. Or maybe I’m just ladder-challenged.
You spend a lot of time swapping one thing for another. Sometimes it’s obvious what to do, which is great, but other times, you’re just guessing. Honestly, it’s awesome when it clicks, but there were times I was just hitting stuff hoping it would work. Maybe that’s just how I roll with puzzles. Or, you know, not.
The controls? Bit of a learning curve. Ruffy’s quick but not the most precise mover—sort of like trying to steer a shopping cart with a funky wheel. And the checkpoints, ugh. They can be annoying, making you redo the same puzzles until you get it right. Coins are around to nab heart containers or funky outfits for Ruffy. I mean, who doesn’t love a costume change? But I kind of preferred using them to skip a puzzle now and then. Efficiency, right?
Oh, real quick, about the puzzles. Some early ones were like, swap waterfall water for leaves or turn stone to wood. Clever stuff, mostly. But doing the same puzzle a bunch of times? Kinda like, “Come on, mix it up a little!” Busywork isn’t my jam.
The sound and music? Light and cheeky, matching Ruffy’s goofy dance moves. The visuals are this neat mix of plain but bright hand-drawn stuff—definitely fun to look at. The game tries to be funny, and it mostly lands, but the tutorial could chill a bit. Less is more, sometimes.
So, there it is—Ruffy and the Riverside. It’s got charm to spare and enough content to keep you busy, bumps and all. It works nicely on the Switch 2, which is where I played. Those puzzles can grate on you a bit, but that whole swapping mechanic? Total win. It’s a little rough around the edges—pun totally intended—but overall, I’m glad I dipped my toes in.
