Review: Ruffy and the Riverside

Developer – Zockrates Laboratories UG Publisher – Phiphen Games Platforms –   Xbox Series S|X,Playstation 5 , PC (Reviewed) Review copy given by Developer Ruffy and the Riverside is a delightfully imaginative platformer bursting with charm, whimsy, and color. From the moment you step into the hand-drawn world of Riverside, you’re greeted with a visual style that feels lovingly crafted, like a storybook brought to life. Every frame is filled with personality, with expressive characters and vivid environments that pop with movement and texture. The game’s artwork blends detailed 2D illustrations with playful 3D landscapes, and this seamless fusion elevates the adventure from the very first screen. At the center of Ruffy’s journey is the powerful SWAP mechanic, a magical ability that lets you transform elements of the world in real time. You might switch the sun into the moon to trigger night-specific paths, or change stone into wood to create a raft across water. This mechanic is clever, intuitive, and wildly flexible. It makes puzzles feel less like obstacles and more like experiments waiting for creative solutions. Turning a lava pit into solid ground or breaking through barriers by swapping them into rubble never gets old, and the satisfaction of solving a tricky puzzle by thinking outside the box keeps the momentum going strong. The world of Riverside is enormous, offering seven distinct regions full of challenges, collectibles, and surprises. The game does not rely on strict linear paths. Instead, it encourages exploration and rewards your curiosity. You can ride hay bales through grassy hills, uncover hidden caves, and perform tricks on rails tucked behind waterfalls. There’s always something new to discover, and the map invites you to poke around every corner. The sense of freedom is refreshing and helps the world feel alive rather than just a backdrop for gameplay. The cast of characters is as lovable as the environments they inhabit. Ruffy is joined by an unforgettable crew including Pip, a sassy bee with attitude, Sir Eddler, a noble mole with a thirst for adventure, and Silja, a wise old turtle who offers cryptic wisdom. Along the journey, you’ll meet plenty of other quirky personalities, each with their own mini-stories, side quests, and vibrant dialogue. These interactions add warmth to the adventure and make Riverside feel like a community, not just a collection of levels. The blend of 3D exploration and side-scrolling 2D puzzles creates an exciting rhythm to the gameplay. When Ruffy leaps into these 2D levels, the challenge tightens up. You’ll need to be quick with your SWAP skills, transforming obstacles in mid-movement to clear paths and collect rare treasures. These segments are clever and satisfying, often requiring more precise thinking and rewarding your mastery of the game’s core mechanic. They serve as puzzle-packed palate cleansers that balance the broader exploration of the 3D world. Customization is another major highlight. As you explore and collect dreamstones, you unlock the ability to create your own textures with Pix. You can reimagine parts of the game world with your own designs, applying them to surfaces like stone, waterfalls, and even environmental elements. This lets players express themselves creatively and leave their own personal stamp on the game. It is a rare feature that adds real depth to the sense of ownership you feel over the world. The side content is plentiful and engaging. You’ll find butterflies to chase, coins to collect, and strange creatures like the Etoi to track down and catalog. These collectibles are not just checklist fodder. Many contribute directly to customization options or unlock new paths, giving them purpose beyond padding. Every discovery feels like part of the story rather than a distraction from it. There’s a joyful rhythm to the game’s structure. You explore, you collect, you puzzle, and then you do it all again in a slightly weirder, more charming way. The pacing is light and snappy, always urging you forward without dragging you into repetition. The world shifts and evolves as you progress, revealing new layers of interaction and design that keep things interesting for hours on end. Even the villain, Groll, brings a certain mischievous energy to the game. His chaotic meddling with the World Core gives the story an underlying tension, but the tone never feels heavy or grim. The stakes are high, yet the overall vibe remains playful and inviting. This balance makes the narrative feel accessible to a wide audience without sacrificing depth. The music and audio design complement the visuals perfectly. Light melodies, quirky sound effects, and ambient touches breathe life into the world. Everything feels handpicked to enhance the mood, whether you’re skating across floating leaves or shifting the time of day with a magical swap. The game rewards those who return to previously explored regions with new powers. The world opens up in layers, and there’s always something you missed the first time around. Revisiting old areas with fresh tools is satisfying and gives the open world a sense of depth that encourages long-term engagement. The fusion of artistic presentation, inventive mechanics, and thoughtful exploration makes Ruffy and the Riverside more than just a cute adventure. It is a deeply polished, creatively driven experience that respects the player’s intelligence while embracing its playful heart. It takes risks, and those risks pay off in big, magical ways. By the end of the adventure, you’ll feel like you’ve made memories, not just completed objectives. With its handcrafted style, joyful mechanics, clever puzzles, and heartfelt characters, Ruffy and the Riverside stands as one of the most charming and memorable platformers in recent memory.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 officially announced

Today, during a panel held at this year’s Anime Expo in Los Angeles, CD Projekt Red announced they reunited with studio TRIGGER to create Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2. The panel featured Hugo Award-winning writer Bartosz Sztybor, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners director Hiroyuki Imaishi, and voice actors Emi Lo (Lucy Kushinada) and Zach Aguilar (David Martinez) with host Joey “The Anime Man” Bizinger. At the panel, they announced Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2, which is created in collaboration with studio TRIGGER and CD Projekt Red, the developers of Cyberpunk 2077. The new standalone anime series that is set in the world of Cyberpunk 2077 will be released on Netflix just like the first one. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners received outstanding reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics giving it a 100% while the fans gave it a 95%. It was released almost three years ago on September 13, 2022. Fans can watch the Cyberpunk Edgerunners panel on Twitch. The series was so popular that Lucy Kushinada became a guest fighter in Guilty Gear Strive. A release date for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 has not been confirmed as the anime has just entered production. Did you enjoy Edgerunners?

Projects Reported Safe From Recent Xbox Layoffs Includes Next-Gen Hardware & Hideo Kojima’s ‘OD’

Microsoft has certainly painted itself in a bad picture these past few days. Although the high of its Xbox Showcase came & went in June, it pulled the carpet with a massive wave of layoffs for its gaming division. These recent firings included the closure of The Initiative with cancellations for titles Perfect Dark, Rare’s Everwild, and ZeniMax Online Studios Project Blackbird to name a few. The recent labor restructuring also included a massive refocus for its employees at Turn 10 Studios. It was revealed that those affected were part of the Forza Motorsport team which has been reduced to a support team for the spin-off Horizon series as the original franchise is shuttering. Even Romero Games essentially closes its doors as employees reveal that the layoffs cut its funding and directly axed the game studio. But amid the fatal blows that hit many Xbox projects, there are some that are still standing following the recent layoffs. According to Windows Central, Hideo Kojima’s cloud-focused project ‘OD’ is still afloat. Announced in 2023, it is a new project in collaboration with Jordan Peele. Previously, Kojima expressed the title to be too ambitious, but that Xbox “showed that they understood, and now we’re working together on the project.” Additionally, Windows Central also understands that effort on the console front did withstand the Microsoft layoffs too. Recently, it was revealed that the push for next-generation Xbox will be a major partnership with AMD as it will produce bespoke silicon for the platform across console, PC, and handheld. From CEO Lisa Su, she expressed legacy support is a core focus to be preserved moving forward with the new arrangement with Xbox. “AMD will go beyond building custom chips for Xbox consoles to designing a full roadmap of gaming optimized chips. Combining the power of Ryzen and Radeon for consoles, handhelds, PCs, and the cloud. And we’re doing it all with backwards compatibility so gamers can access their favorite titles across platforms. Delivering on a promise to both gamers and developers.” You can read the full report by heading here. Are you relieved some projects for Xbox are still alive in the fallout of the Microsoft layoffs? Source: Windows Central, (1)

Romero Games Is Another Victim Of The Xbox Layoffs As Its Pulled Funding Will Shutter The Studio

The impact Microsoft holds on the gaming industry is quite eye-opening when putting the scale into perspective following the latest string of layoffs. Probably one of the most impactful comes in the form of Turn 10 Studios. With reportedly 50 percent of the workforce let go, it was revealed by one employee that the Forza Motorsport team is being dissolved with focus to support the Forza Horizon effort primarily. Additionally, other teams are also shutting down under the Xbox umbrella. After showcasing a presentation for the Perfect Dark reboot, The Initiative is to be closing its doors as well. Other disappointing news that came from the firings is Rare veteran Gregg Mayles is to exit the developer after three decades. Alongside Louise O’Connor, the two are planning to depart following the cancellation of Everwild. In a new development from Romero Games, the studio spearheaded by Doom co-creator John Romero, the game studio is also closing. And although not a direct Xbox Game Studios team, it was receiving funding by Microsoft which was cut in the latest layoffs. Via a post on X, studio director Brenda Romero share a statement. “We have some difficult news to share. Last night, we learned that our publisher has canceled funding for our game along with several other unannounced projects at other studios. This was a strategic decision made at a high level within the publisher, well above our visibility or control. We deeply wish there had been something, anything, we could have done to prevent this outcome,” the letterhead reads. “This absolutely isn’t a reflection of our team’s work, performance, or the quality of the project itself. We hit every milestone on time, every time, consistently received high praise, and easily passed all our internal gates. We are incredibly proud of the work being done, and of the talented team behind it. The best we’ve worked with. We’re currently evaluating next steps and working quickly to support our team.” Through another post on X, hard surface artist Christoph Redl on X corroborates the story elaborating he and the team is out of a job thanks to the Xbox layoffs. “Unfortunately, due to the recent Xbox layoffs, I’ve lost my position at Romero Games.” What is your opinion on the latest team affected by these Microsoft layoffs?

Recent Xbox Layoffs Reduces Forza Motorsport Team To A Support Studio, Focusing On The Horizon Spin-offs

In recent time, the Xbox brand has been hit dramatically in the crossfire of the latest Microsoft layoffs. In the debris, it was uncovered that both Call of Duty as well as Halo has been hit by the string of firings for the Xbox firm. Additionally, projects like Rare’s Everwild is no more also. In tangent, Video Game Chronicle reports that veteran developer Gregg Mayles is to exit the firm in response to this decision. As for other tragic reveals from this recent motion by Microsoft, it was also announced that ZeniMax Online Studios president Matt Firor is to also depart after the layoffs shelved its new Project Blackbird title. Additionally, the Perfect Dark reboot is no more following the Xbox layoffs as well. The Initiative, a collection of industry veterans based in Santa Monica, closed its doors as a result. Now atop of the recent list of bad news for Xbox, a new development has surfaced for one of the platform’s most recognized IPs. In that, Forza Motorsport appears to be no more. That is according to former employees at Turn 10 Studios. Insider Jason Schreier reported on Bluesky that the studio was hit with about 50 percent of staffing let go. Uncovered via a Facebook post, former Turn 10 Studios content coordinator Fred Russell shared the details on the matter – stating the team responsible for the Forza Motorsport franchise has been dismantled. “Turn 10 Studios has shuttered the Forza Motorsport space and the team is no more.  A very sad day for one of the best car racing video games.” In a separate post, Russell says, “the studio is open to support the Horizon side… shuttered the Forza Motorsport dis only.” What does not help is the recent 2023 reboot Forza Motorsport did not perform extremely well. And while the IP holds a legacy that stands for over two decades, much of its legacy is not accessible – even on Xbox. In that, the titles for the Forza Motorsport titles are delisted from its storefront with the latest Forza Motorsport 7 being removed back in 2021. As for the matter of Forza Horizon, it is not surprising the latter series is to remain. The title did just ship on PlayStation 5 this past spring with a glowing response. It was reported that the new version sold at least 2 million units already. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you shocked by this new development for Turn 10 Studios?