Ruffy and the Riverside has all the time appeared fairly placing with its 2D characters in a vibrant 3D world, and whereas its aesthetic is a energy, the sport itself does not actually match it.
That is an open-ended 3D platformer with a singular swap mechanic, which helps you to copy sure textures and apply them to different objects — turning water into lava, for instance. It is an awesome concept and really novel early on, however sadly feels underutilised within the grand scheme of issues.
It by no means actually evolves past fairly primary puzzle-solving, and feels oddly restricted. You possibly can solely copy particular textures, and so they can solely be pasted onto particular objects and surfaces, which means the variety of significant purposes is definitely fairly small.
It is an actual disgrace, as a result of the sport has lots to see and do. There are puzzles and characters in every single place, dotted round a enjoyable map to discover.
Sadly, it seems extra enjoyable than it’s; a mixture of slippy controls and underwhelming mechanics makes for a sport that simply feels undercooked.
That is to not say there is a lack of selection or imaginative concepts, but it surely’s lacking a cohesion and polish to convey all of it collectively.
On high of it is a story that is given way more prominence than it ought to. It is a quite simple story that units up Ruffy for his journey, however there are extra cutscenes and dialogue packing containers than you may count on, and the narrative simply does not have the substance for it.
There is a sure allure to the characters and the writing, but it surely all feels fairly skinny.
In the end, Ruffy and the Riverside is a sport we wished to love, however regardless of its engaging visible fashion and distinctive concepts, it by no means actually comes collectively in a satisfying means. Whereas there’s some enjoyable available operating round within the semi-open world, it by no means evolves past that.
