After a long 9 years of development, the colorful platformer Ruffy and the Riverside has finally seen the light of day! I have been following the game's development for the past two years, and I was thrilled to receive an email that our portal was approved for a review code.
Immediately, I started downloading via the mobile app, and with joy, I turned on my PlayStation 5 console after receiving the notification that the game was installed. The first impression after the introductory menu was more than positive. It felt like I had traveled back 25 years to the era of the original PlayStation!
The world itself is large enough to allow exploration. The open world design without invisible walls is excellently done. The map is vast and full of surprises. Along with the standard collection of coins used to purchase upgrades (in the form of extra hearts and attribute enhancements), the young hero Ruffy, with the help of his friends like the purple dragon Špira, assists the local residents and uncovers numerous secrets on the map.
The beginning of an adventure
The game combines light platforming action, a charming story, and innovative mechanics in a visually playful environment, providing a relaxing yet imaginative experience for players of all ages. The hand-drawn graphics are visually impressive, and the effort put into them is noticeable. During mission progression, the greatest obstacles will be various beasts, along with puzzles. Fortunately for all the less skilled players, the main focus is on puzzles rather than combat. The influence of new games from The Legend of Zelda series is particularly evident during puzzle-solving.
Any resemblance to Super Mario Odyssey is purely coincidental
Compared to other platformers released in the past few years, Ruffy and the Riverside features a unique SWAP mechanism that allows players to copy and paste textures from the game world to solve puzzles and assist the friendly inhabitants of Riversidea. For example, it's possible to freeze the sea and the lake, turn stone blocks into wooden boxes, transform waterfalls into ivy, etc. Among other interesting aspects, it's worth noting that the game allows you to ride hay bales across the open world and use your creativity to discover hidden secrets and collect various collectibles!
Journey into the Unknown
During gameplay, I particularly enjoyed the difficulty level tailored for younger players, while the game itself is simple and engaging for seasoned veterans of this genre. As is standard in modern platform titles, game over is nonexistent, meaning there’s no frustration if things go awry. I was especially thrilled by the attack that resembles the attack animation from my favorite series for the original PlayStation. I also liked hovering with a friendly bee companion named Pip.
I’m hovering!
The biggest complaints I have are as follows: digital control buttons are not supported, and there is no L2 and R2 for rotating the camera, lack of a mini-map on the screen during gameplay, inability to easily reset puzzles, inability to swim, fewer destructible objects on the map than expected, and particularly disappointing - nonexistent support for the DualSense controller!
Collecting butterflies is one of several additional activities in the game
All in all, Ruffy and the Riverside is an excellent title for fans of platform games. Older players will reminisce about numerous adventures experienced on PlayStation / PlayStation 2 consoles, while younger players will enjoy the beautiful graphics, exploring a vast world, melodious tunes, interesting gameplay mechanics, and solving numerous quests and side quests.
The end of one adventure! Let's hope the development studio will immediately start working on a full-fledged sequel.
The game is available on all current platforms (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC) at an affordable price. Feel free to join Ruffy in the exciting adventure of a lifetime to stop the mischievous villain Groll from destroying the core of the world and plunging Riverside into chaos.
A copy of the game (PlayStation 5 version) for review purposes was provided by the development studio Phiphen Games LLC
