Ruffy and the Riverside Demo Now Available on Steam

Written by Brandon Hofer on February 12, 2025

News: Be sure to check out this new platformer that is an homage to some of the classic Nintendo 64 games of the 90s.

German indie studio Zockrates Laboratories and U.S. publisher Phiphen Games have announced that players can finally explore their new game with a demo that is now available for Ruffy and the Riverside. The demo is available now, ahead of the game’s participation in the February Steam Next Fest, which will take place from February 24th through March 3rd.

The Steam demo offers a unique first look at the colorful world of Riverside and lets players collect stars by completing various challenges. 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. Just jump right in and grab those stars!

Console-only players won't have to wait too long to start swapping textures as well, because next to Steam and Epic Games, the full release for PlayStation 5, Xbox One & Series X|S and Nintendo Switch(es) will all arrive on your favorite platform soon.

In Ruffy and the Riverside, you wield the magic power of SWAP, using it to Copy & Paste textures within the game world. Turn ice into lava or waterfalls into vines as you ride hay bales, explore, fight, and solve puzzles throughout Riverside. Unleash your imagination in this quirky open-world action game that literally lets you change the world.

Join Ruffy on an exciting quest to stop the mischievous villain Groll from destroying the World Core and throwing Riverside into chaos. Along the way, you'll travel to fantastic places with helpful friends like Pip the sassy bee, Sir Eddler the adventurous mole, and Silja the wise turtle. Meet a lively cast of characters, each with their own unique stories and dialogues, as the exciting adventure unfolds with unexpected surprises for Ruffy around every corner.

As Ruffy, the Chosen One, you'll harness the magical power of SWAP, and use it to transform the game world. With SWAP you'll change the sun into the moon or ice into lava while overcoming countless puzzles and manipulating objects to your will. You can turn a stone into wood to create a boat or swap a wall into rubble to clear your path, and much more as you fight, jump, and ride hay bales throughout the adventure. The unique SWAP ability opens up endless possibilities, making every moment feel magical and full of surprises.

When the 3D world ends, the player will leap into new 2D levels to collect even more treasures, but watch out - many obstacles must be swapped before you can safely pass through walls. Use your cleverness and the magical SWAP mechanic to transform objects and unlock new paths in your delightful adventure.

Explore the marvelous open world of Riverside, where Ruffy embarks on playful side quests, masters challenges, and collects magic treasures across seven distant regions. Ride hay bales, perform tricks on secret rails, and discover unknown areas as you meet the mysterious Etoi and team up with the Fish Gang to defeat bully sharks. Unleash your creativity by designing your own textures with Pix, transforming the game world into your personal adventure filled with surprises around every corner.

Key Features

Use and master the power of SWAP to transform elements in the game world.

Overcome various puzzles through creative manipulation of objects.

Engage in exciting adventure elements like fighting, jumping, and skating.

Solve puzzles and find treasures in challenging 2D levels

Unlock seven outer regions, each with unique challenges and settings.

More than a dozen characters offering new exciting quests.

Use dreamstones to create and apply custom textures to main game elements like stone, waterfalls and more.

Enjoy a magical atmosphere with a focus on exploration and discovery.

Gather various collectibles, such as butterflies, dreamstones, Etoi creatures, and coins, each contributing to gameplay and customization.

WIll you check out Ruffy and the Riverside? Be sure to check out the trailer below and then download the free demo on Steam.