Review of “Ruffy and the Riverside”

A Fun Adventure with a Few Ruff Patches

So, picture this: Ruffy and the Riverside, right? It’s this whole 3D action-adventure thing. Open world, puzzles, and a bear named Ruffy who could easily be an Ewok’s cousin. Yeah, those Ewoks from Star Wars. I swear, the resemblance is uncanny. Ruffy goes around and messes with the environment—changing stuff up like it’s no big deal. It’s all fun and games until the charm hits a roadblock. Y’know, that jank type of thing.

Ruffy’s little world, Riverside, it’s under attack. There’s this ominous cube—don’t ask why a cube—just wants to wreck the place. So, Ruffy’s gotta hero up, chasing after some mystical letters to power up the world core and save, well, everything. It reminded me of Super Mario 64, with the hub and different areas. And those ladders… Man, climbing them dead center or else faceplanting every time. Good luck!

What’s wild is how Ruffy can absorb stuff. He’ll take in a bit of whatever—materials, colors—and then swap ’em. Some puzzles are a breeze, but oh boy, some are mind-numbing. You know that head-scratching, "Why-is-this-happening-to-me" kind of moment? Solving a puzzle after ages feels great, but sometimes it’s just banging your head against a wall, hoping something clicks. Maybe you vibe with it, maybe not. Your call.

And the controls? Let’s just say Ruffy’s got speed but not finesse. Jumping, dodging, you know, basic platforming stuff, sometimes feels like trying to run through a pool of molasses. And if you mess up, checkpoints have you redoing the same bit over. Over. Again. At least you’ve got coins, though, to splurge on hearts or even a quick puzzle pass. Less grind, more groove.

Early on you’re like swapping water for leaves on a wall so you can climb, or turning stone pillars into wood so they float. Simple, right? Until you’re doing the same gig more than once. Symbol matching should have a limit. Tedious much?

The sound and music fit right into the quirky bag. Ruffy’s design brings the laughs—seriously, there’s dancing—and the world looks like a cartoon sketchbook gone wild. Bright colors, sharp design, but too wordy when they hold your hand in the tutorial. Just let us play already!

Wrapping it up, Ruffy and the Riverside is like this rollercoaster—it’s bumpy and sometimes missing a screw but charming enough that you enjoy the ride. Played it on Switch 2, and had a blast. Yeah, some puzzles made me question life, but that whole swapping thing was neat. A bit rough, dare I say ruffy, around the edges. But I’d dive back into that Riverside any day.