Ruffy and the Riverside Review: A Platformer That Fits Into Your Childhood

Mikey Yaden

July 10, 2025

Every once in a while, a game comes along that feels like it’s straight from your childhood. Ruffy and the Riverside is exactly that: a vibrant, albeit slightly janky love letter to the golden age of 3D platformers. It’s near impossible NOT to smile as you bound across the beautiful world, sling paint blobs at enemies, butt-slam enemies, and swap object textures with Photoshop-like mechanics.

All that glitters isn’t gold, though Ruffy is more like silver. The game is so loaded with charm that, at times, it feels like devs prioritized whimsy over sanding some edges.

Some intermittent jank, weak boss fights, and boring puzzles keep Ruffy from perfection, but like I said before, that doesn’t mean it’s bad. Actually, this is the most fun I’ve had with a platformer since Super Mario Odyssey. But with some refinement, the sequel could be a strong 10/10 contender.

Nostalgia and Novelty

Ruffy and the Riverside — Image Credit: Phiphen Games.

Ruffy’s main hook is the Swap mechanic. With a button press, you can copy the look and properties of most things in the environment. Turn waterfalls into climbable vines, turn sturdy blockades into breakable materials, or turn stone into metal for magnet-pull capabilities.

This brilliant mechanic works well once it fully clicks, almost feeling like you’re recreating the environment on-the-fly. The early parts of the game are full of rewarding little puzzles that make you feel like a genius when you discover the solutions.

After a while, you start to realize that a lot of the best puzzles are behind you, and it starts to become repetitive. It’s still fun, but it stops evolving and challenging you. The excitement gives way to routine.

A Sketchbook Come to Life

You’ll grin as soon as you see Ruffy and the Riverside’s storybook-like presentation. It looks like a pop-up brought to life with a child’s art supplies. Characters look like marker-colored cutouts, and other elements appear assembled from paper to make new 3D objects.

The collectibles and chunky-colored dreamscape levels tell me this game was definitely made by people who grew up playing and loving those 3D mascot-heavy platformers. The animations are so cheerful, and Ruffy himself is so joyful and charismatic. A lot of care was put into the look of Ruffy and the Riverside; the game easily has some of the year’s best art direction.

Don’t sleep on this soundtrack, either. Like most old-school 3D platformers, Ruffy‘s soundtrack comes packed with bangers that’ll have you humming along. Want a taste? Look up “Happy Canyon” from the OST and tell me it’s not amazing. The platformer’s fun tunes give it a PaRappa the Rapper feel that, other than Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, might make it one of the year’s best soundtracks.

Exploration is the focus, not the narrative

The story is pretty basic, but the characters’ repeated retelling of the overarching story gets annoying fast. The “big bad” steals magic from the world, and you have to stop him. The story lines up with what you’d expect from what feels like a classic platformer. Vibes and exploration are all you need when the story is forgettable. The story isn’t terrible by any means, it just isn’t compelling.

The sandbox problem-solving approach gives Ruffy a distinct flavor, rewarding players who tinker and toy with its rules rather than just following the path. At its best, exploration here feels like you’re reprogramming the world with crayons and duct tape. And while some levels lean a little too hard on the swap mechanic, to the point it doesn’t feel fun or engaging. Overall, it is satisfying to traverse the world and levels.

With tons of secrets and unlockables, you are always running around the world.

Ruffy isn’t an all-time great, but that’s OK

Ruffy and the Riverside won’t overtake your favorites, but most will enjoy it, and that’s all that matters.

It’s a little clunky and too repetitive, but it’s overflowing with the charm and love of its creators. If you grew up with 3D platformer heroes like Banjo, Mario, Crash, or Spyro, this should be on your to-play list.

While the game is a little too long, its $20 price tag makes it easy to jump in with no regrets. Ruffy is exactly what players should want in an indie game: ambitious, beautiful, rough around the edges, but unafraid to be joyful amid a gaming landscape full of dark and mature titles. Ruffy and the Riverside knows what it wants to be, and that’s enough.