Is this a ruff platformer?
The Riverside Kingdom is home of Ruffy and his buddies. It’s a magic place of fantasy and peace – but things changed when a strange object appeared near the castle. By evil force the seven holy rivers were destroyed. No way Ruffy is going to accept that!!! So go and do something about it! Explore the world, enter dungeons, solve quests and riddles and build your team to strike back! Use your strength, use your imagination and above all: Use your awesome talent – The Swapping! Join Ruffy and his buddy Snokko in this open world action adventure and safe the Riverside Kingdom!
Ruffy and the Riverside reminds me of Paper Mario with its art style, but it’s more of an old-school platformer in its design. What sets it apart though is the swapping ability which lets you swap textures, so for example you can change a lava into ice or a waterfall into vines for Ruffy to climb. It’s an interesting concept and one that Ruffy pulls off well.
The game also has a superb sense of humour, which I think is always important with games like this. It doesn’t take itself seriously and everything is all very tongue-in-cheek. The platforming itself is fluid, and the controls are easy to get to grips with. The areas are well designed, and it makes me wish for more classic 3D platformers. I’m looking at you Banjo-Kazooie (in vain, I know…)
The visuals are charming with their design. It’s cute and well animated, while running at a solid framerate. The music is also impressive and catchy. I didn’t come across any glitches during my playthrough.
The Verdict
Ruffy and the Riverside is a great love letter to old-school platformers, while adding in its own twist with the swapping ability. Definitely one to not miss out on.