Analysis of “Ruffy and the Riverside Review”

Sure, let me dive in here. So, this whole thing with “Ruffy and the Riverside,” well, it’s kind of like tossing yourself into this 3D action world — sort of a wild mix of open-world craziness and puzzles that have you scratching your head, like, a lot more than you expect. Ever controlled a bear-like Ewok dude? No? Well, meet Ruffy. He can mess with his surroundings, which sounds cool, but sometimes — I swear — the charm gets a little lost in the chaos.

This world, Riverside, has this cube, all menacing and such, wanting to trash everything. Ruffy has to be the hero, collect these letters, and — I don’t know — save the day or something. Kind of gave me huge Super Mario 64 vibes with its hub-and-spoke world design. If you were born in the 90s, you’ll get it. Those ladders, though? Real pain. Climb them just right, or you’re tumbling back down. Joy.

Ruffy’s got this trick — absorbing stuff and swapping it around. Makes you think you’re clever, till you hit those puzzles that make no sense. Some are like, “Ah, easy-peasy,” others are like, “What am I even doing?” More than once, I found myself whacking everything in sight out of frustration. So yeah, if you vibe with puzzle games, good for you. Me? It was hit or miss.

Controls. Oh boy. Ruffy zips around, but stopping to smell the roses? Not quite. Platforming’s there to remind you — oops, missed that jump? Have fun doing it all over again. But hey, coins save the day! You can get heart containers or change his look. I usually blew them on hints, ’cause let’s be real, ain’t nobody got time for repeating the obvious.

And those puzzles — early ones had me swapping waterfalls with leaves, stone pillars with wood… typical “video game logic” stuff, you know? But the repeats got old fast. It’s like, “Oh great, another matching exercise. Just what I wanted… not.”

Now, the sounds and music — fun, light, almost feels like a playful nudge in the ribs. Ruffy dances around, you can almost see the bounce in his steps. It’s simple yet vibrant — bright colors, sharp lines, basic shapes. The writing’s quirky enough to get a chuckle, though the intro drags a bit. Couldn’t they just cut to the chase?

Ruffy and the Riverside is a cute little jaunt, if you can wade through the clunky bits. Played it on Switch 2 — solid performance, lots to find for those who dig that kind of thing. But yeah, those puzzles might test your patience. The whole swapping gimmick? Refreshing, but sometimes feels like it’s doing the heavy lifting. Despite all that, Riverside’s got its own thing going — a bit rough, sure, but I didn’t mind the splash.