Ruffy and the Riverside Review: An Analysis

So, here’s the thing about “Ruffy and the Riverside”—it’s like, weirdly fun, messy, and just kinda… Ruffy, you know? Picture this: a bear who looks like he borrowed some wardrobe from an Ewok, running around this big open world. Yep, that’s Ruffy. The game’s packed with all sorts of goodies to find and puzzles to crack. Pretty neat, right? But, uh, it can get a bit hairy. Some days it’s smooth sailing, other days it’s like, “What the heck just happened here?”

Okay, so Riverside. There’s this freaky cube threatening to, like, destroy everything. Dramatic much? Ruffy’s gotta be the hero, find these weird letters, activate some world core, and boom—save the day. The place kinda reminds me of that Mario castle hub thing, with smaller spots you can explore. And let me tell you, those ladders? They drive me nuts. You gotta climb dead center, otherwise, good luck. Also, there are all these quirky folks and wild challenges. It’s a ride.

Ruffy can, like, absorb stuff—colors, materials, you name it—and swap them around. Cool concept. Some puzzles are like, “Oh, I get it,” while others leave you scratching your head until, whoops, the answer pops out after you’ve poked around forever. If you’re into puzzle games, you’ll probably vibe with it. Me? Sometimes yes, sometimes nah.

Now, controls—speedy but not exactly graceful, if you catch my drift. It’s platform city, and when you miss, you’re stuck redoing stuff thanks to a not-so-great checkpoint system. Grr. Coins collected? You can splurge on heart containers or snazzy Ruffy costumes, but I enjoyed using them to skip some puzzles. Can’t lie.

Just to paint a picture, some puzzles have you swapping waterfalls with, like, climbable leaves or turning ocean stone pillars to wood for floating platforms. Tracking those Riverside letters takes you through mini spaces, and honestly, repeating puzzles can start to feel like a chore. One symbol match? Sure. Three? Alright, I’m over it.

Soundtrack and effects? Light, goofy—matches Ruffy’s silly little dance moves. The hand-drawn look is charming, colorful but simple. The humor’s on point, but man, the intro is wordy. It rambles like I’m doing now.

All in all, this game’s got its charm. It’s on Switch 2, held up well. Tons to do if completing everything is your jam. Some tricky puzzles turn heads, but that swap mechanic is a cool twist. Sure, it’s Ruffy and rough around the edges, but diving into Riverside was a splash I didn’t mind making.