What instantly pulls you into a large bear hug is Ruffy and the Riverside’s visible model. Character fashions closely resemble the Paper Mario collection, their flatness and white outlines making them appear like they’re animated stickers operating world wide. In distinction, the atmosphere has a chunky 3D model that harkens again to stuff like Banjo Kazooie and Crash Bandicoot. Which is sensible as a result of that is additionally a easy platformer with a cutesy lead character. However Ruffy has a cool little twist that makes it extra than simply copy-bear.
Obtainable On: PS4, PS5, Xbox Collection S/X, Xbox One, PC, Swap, Swap 2
Reviewed On: PS5
Developed By: Zockrates Laboratories UG
Revealed By: Phiphen Video gamesOverview code offered by the writer
Ruffy is your bog-standard type younger bear: he wears a cape, works a job for his surrogate father determine the place he plies his distinctive ability, hangs out with a speaking bee and solely talks in speech bubbles as a result of his excitable noises are incomprehensible to the human ear. You already know, the standard mascot platformer sort of issues.
Sooner or later, although, issues go a bit loopy and Ruffy finds out that he’s The Chosen One, as a result of solely his distinctive present (we’ll get to that, don’t fear) may help defend in opposition to the return of Gnoll, a large floating historic evil dice factor that’s going to vacuum up historic marbles and use them to take over the world. Or one thing like that.
Just like the basic platformers Ruffy and The Riverside emulates, the story is wacky nonsense for probably the most half, though this one delivers an fascinating twist towards the top that may annoy or enjoyment of equal measure. There are some hiccups within the writing and the humour is fairly hit and miss, which could be as a result of Zockrates Laboratories (that is their debut sport) is predicated in Germany, so some issues might have been misplaced in translation.
Ruffy has a celebration trick up his sleeves, and it isn’t simply his God-given proper to bear arms: he can swap textures utilizing magical mumbo-jumbo. For instance, a pond stuffed with water will be changed into lava, whereas a tree will be turned into stone. There are some limitations – not each texture will be swapped round, so you’ll be able to’t go turning one other bear’s face into wooden, for instance, though that does sound like a wonderful premise for a spin-off known as Ruffy And The Mass Murdering Psychopath. Hmm, non secular sequel to Naughty Bear, anybody?
Ruffy’s unexplained means to swap textures round – as if he had entry to the sport’s growth instruments – is the idea for a lot of the puzzles. Don’t fret, although, this isn’t a sport designed to problem the ‘ol gray matter. No, the puzzles are usually easy, pleasing issues that mix texture swapping and fundamental platforming. For instance, a waterfall turns into a ladder should you texture swap the water with some close by vines, or some concrete bricks in your method will be smashed should you swap them to wooden. Possibly you’re in a event and have to do some…artistic alterations of the scoreboard to make sure victory? Though the sport struggles towards the top with discovering new methods to make use of the swap means, for probably the most half, the puzzles and platforming combination is enjoyable and well-balanced.
Ruffy additionally has the completely distinctive energy of punching issues within the face, however fight in Ruffy and the Riverside is about as essential because the side-salad choice at a McDonalds. He can carry out a butt-slam too, a transfer so extremely helpful that I used it roughly 3 times all through the sport, and even briefly forgot about it completely whereas attempting to unravel an elective puzzle the place buttock smashing was the reply.
It wouldn’t be an old-school impressed platformer with out a metric butt-load of stuff to gather, and sure, that it an actual unit of measurement – it’s precisely one half of a bear butt lower than a metric ass-load. To not be confused with an imperial ass-load, which is a unit of measurement solely present in Star Wars.
The purpose is, exterior of battling Gnoll and saving the world, there’s the way more essential job of doing every little thing else, resulting in a fairly enjoyable Platinum trophy, in my case. There a couple of dozen tiny cute critters to be discovered hiding inside timber, in barrels and each different place they shouldn’t be. There are the particular stone monument the place it’s important to uncover a sample within the atmosphere after which replicate it on the monument. There are butterflies hidden in every single place to seek out. Hell, there are even a few Mario-esque sections the place you bounce right into a wall portray and the sport briefly turns right into a 2D platformer.
Whilst you’re doing all of this, you’re additionally listening to an absurdly bouncy soundtrack. One monitor particularly is caught in my head, bouncing round and refusing to go away. I do have a small nitpick: the sport doesn’t at all times easily transition from track to track. In any other case, although, it is a killer soundtrack that sounds each fashionable, and old-school.
One side of the sport’s presentation did go away me not sure whether or not it was a deliberate homage to the classics, or an precise growth situation. You see, Ruffy and the Riverside isn’t a very open world. It has a few areas, and the best way it divides these areas is…fascinating. For instance, there’s a bit that hyperlinks the principle city to the primary main hub, and it’s very clearly a transitional zone, just like what you would possibly discover within the previous video games, designed to permit the sport to load every little thing in. Different occasions, you’ll merely stroll into a giant black void earlier than the following chunk of map pops into existence. And in a single space, there’s an enormous, flat picture of the following part of the map that you just stroll into to set off the loading. A part of me wonders if that is all a nod to how the previous platformers dealt with loading screens, however one other a part of me thinks that is an precise technical limitation.
In Conclusion…
Ruffy and the Riverside cleverly ape basic platformers whereas delivering a gimmick that makes it really feel recent and fashionable. In reality, its whimsical nature, constructed round an intriguing gameplay mechanic, offers it classical Nintendo vibes. The story units up for future adventures, and contemplating that is the developer’s debut title, they’re future adventures I’d like to see made.
