Ruffy and the Riverside: An In-Depth Review

Okay, so, picture this: I’m wandering through this game world that’s kinda like a Saturday morning cartoon lived out by a bear. Yep, Ruffy. I mean, the guy’s literally like an ewok from Star Wars—those little fuzzy space bears?—but he’s a solo hero with the whole world on his shoulders. Or paws. Whatever.

Now, this place—Riverside—has this creepy, mean cube of doom. It wants to flatten everything. Why? No clue! Anyway, it’s up to our hero Ruffy to collect letters that’ll somehow save the day. So like, think of it as Mario’s castle but with less cramped spaces and more sprawling wildland. But let me tell you, these ladders? A pain. You gotta climb them just right, or else—game over, man.

Oh, fun fact: Ruffy’s got this swap magic. He can switch colors or materials—real “I can’t believe it’s not magic” vibes. Some puzzles practically solve themselves, but for others? No such luck. You ever just poke at something repeatedly until it works? Yeah, that’s like 50% of the gameplay.

Controls? Imagine driving a really fast lawnmower with busted brakes. It’s that kind of speed without precision. You miss one jump—back to start! Ugh. But hey, collect enough coins, and you can buy some extra life or even cheat another puzzle away. I shamelessly did. Sue me.

And yeah, the puzzles! Waterfalls turning into leafy walls or rocks floating in the ocean because why not? It’s all basically the video game version of “Does this go here? No? Fine, next!” When puzzles repeat, it’s like doing algebra twice. Brain-numbing busywork, I swear.

Soundtrack? Imagine a clown—innocent, not creepy—walking around to circus music. It’s playful, just like Ruffy prancing around. Only thing? The tutorial rambles way too much. Like, really? Simplicity, please!

Ruffy and the Riverside is messy but in a “life’s imperfect, let’s enjoy it anyway” kinda way. It runs okay on Switch 2, where I spent hours getting lost and sort of loving it. Don’t get me wrong—the game’s clunkiness can be a real letdown, but that swap trick keeps it a bit fresh. Call it a messy masterpiece, if feels connect and keyboard slippage was an art form. Happy splashing around, folks.