Change The World (Literally) in The Ruffy And The Riverside Demo
Players can harness the magical power of SWAP to change one game texture to another in 3D platformer Ruffy and the Riverside, the debut game from German indie studio Zockrates Laboratories and US publisher Phiphen Games. The demo’s out now on PC, with a full game release coming to all major platforms later in 2025.
The dastardly villain Groll is on a mission to destroy the World Core and throw Riverside into chaos. As Ruffy, players have to stop this mischievous menace with help from quirky characters like Sir Eddler the adventurous mole, Silja the wise turtle and Pip the sassy bee. Each has their own story and quest to uncover, along with unexpected surprises.
As the company notes in the press release, “Gamers who’ve been around long enough to live through the Nintendo 64 days will surely appreciate the wink to the good old days found in the demo’s level structure.”
Change the World And Ride Haybales?
At the heart of Ruffy’s gameplay is the SWAP mechanic. In Ruffy and the Riverside, players can copy and paste textures in the game world to clear new paths and uncover hidden areas. Need to cross a river? Turn a stone into a boat. Is a waterfall the only way to reach a star? SWAP it with nearby vines to climb to the top.
Ruffy can otherwise navigate the 3D world of Riverside by running, jumping, getting a lift from Pip the bee, and even riding haybales. Race through Riverside, pull off haybale stunts, and unlock even more stars to clear levels.
3D to 2D And Back Again
Switch from hand-drawn 3D graphics to monochrome 2D levels in a quest to collect as many stars as possible. It’s through these puzzle levels that Ruffy can also find secret treasures such as dreamstones, that let players create and apply custom textures to game elements like ice, stone, lava and more.
Although the demo is designed to give players a taste of Riverside, the full game will come with seven distinct regions. Players will also get the chance to fully customize the game world by designing and importing their own textures.
Zockrates Laboratories was founded by game artists who decided to take a step into full game development, with Ruffy and the Riverside as their debut title. The publisher, Phiphen Games, was founded with the aim of bringing innovative games to the world. Ruffy and the Riverside is also their flagship title.