Having played the demo of Ruffy and the Riverside at Steam Next Fest earlier this year, I had high expectations for the full version. The inspiration is clear: Paper Mario with hints of Banjo-Kazooie and Super Mario 64 as the icing on the cake. However, this game brings something truly unique to the genre: a magical “SWAP” ability to copy and paste textures around you. Should everyone be playing it right now? Yes and no. However, it uniquely blends collectathon platforming, puzzle-solving, and free-form exploration in a semi-open world, ensuring you’ll keep playing long after the main story ends.

The game follows Ruffy as he teams up with friends like Pip the bee and Sir Eddler the mole to stop the villainous cube Groll from destroying the World Core and plunging Riverside into chaos. I have to be honest: there’s too much pointless dialogue. The characters ramble endlessly about everything, and I’m not ashamed to admit I skipped half of it without missing anything important.

Puzzles throughout the game use the SWAP ability

The SWAP Ability lets you copy a texture from one surface and paste it onto another, transforming the target. Eligible surfaces are highlighted, and you have about 15 seconds to use a copied texture before it vanishes. This mechanic is vital for puzzles and progression, for example, swapping a waterfall with vines creates a climbable path, or turning a stone pillar into wood makes it float. The ability evolves later with the “Pix” tool, allowing custom texture design for both aesthetic and functional purposes.

The main campaign of Ruffy and the Riverside unfolds across a central hub, Riverside, and seven distinct regions. Each area is filled with puzzles, side quests, and collectibles such as butterflies, dreamstones, Etoi creatures, and coins. The moment I realized we have the freedom to explore the map, I happily spent 30 minutes just exploring the first region.

The puzzles vary greatly, from simple tasks like swapping water with lava to burn a tree, to arranging precise stone patterns based on wall images. You might find Etoi hidden behind a wall, requiring you to transform a stone block into wood to breach the area. There’s even an entire puzzle section imprinted as 2D on a 3D wall, accessible via a portal that itself needs a puzzle to be solved. This type of gameplay will follow you through all regions, and you’ll find yourself spending 30-45 minutes exploring each area, which is definitely a lot of fun.

However, not every puzzle is straightforward or easy. You’ll definitely need to think more, and it can become frustrating, as solutions are often found by observing your surroundings. This is partly because the game doesn’t always clearly indicate when you can use the SWAP ability with certain platforms, and these opportunities aren’t always obvious. The SWAP ability also isn’t entirely flexible; you can only use it in designated spots meant for progression, collectibles or on elements that won’t break the game.

Exploration in the game offers many interesting ideas

Despite some drawbacks, exploration in Ruffy and the Riverside offers plenty of fun. Imagine riding a giant ice ball across the sea or atop a bale to win a race. The game also features dynamic shifts, reminiscent of Nikoderiko, like transitioning from 3D to 2D to dodge traps in a temple by hiding from rolling balls and leaping over spikes. In the Realm of Dead, for example, there’s a top-down section where you run from a ghost. The game truly introduces some interesting ideas and worth mentioning is the Buried City areas that combine multiple mechanics.

Ruffy’s moveset includes jumps, gliding with Pip, punches, spin attacks, and sprints, controlled via joystick or keyboard. While gliding and sprinting help travelling, their limited stamina requires coin upgrades. Combat is rather average; enemies pose little threat, and types are repeated. Given that combat isn’t a major focus, the game would have been better as a pure platformer filled with collectibles and puzzles. Boss fights don’t happen often and offer minimal challenge and usually feature predictable attack patterns and segmented health bars. The SWAP mechanic is also underused in combat.

The graphics are truly impressive

Ruffy and the Riverside ties progression to main quests and side content, with collectibles naturally appearing as you advance. While its collectathon structure rewards completionists, some collectibles like Etoi feel less impactful without specific quests, and coins become redundant after early upgrades. If you love collecting and puzzles, this game offers a satisfying experience. Expect about 10 hours for the main story, but around 20 hours to complete the entire game.

The graphics are impressive; just standing on a high hill overlooking the plains and buildings reveals the game’s detail and optimization. There’s an insane amount of content spread across regions, including beaches, farms, and graveyards, while characters like Ruffy and Pip are 2D sprites with thick marker strokes, animated with crayon-like charm.

A solid platformer with its strengths and weaknesses

The game definitely has its charm, especially in its humor and plot. There are moments where it genuinely feels like playing an old cartoon. While I admittedly skipped a lot of the dialogue, I grew quite fond of Sirsil the snake. Reaching the highest point of Riverside and playing barrel games, like riding one over a waterfall or jumping from barrel to barrel, was a surprisingly interesting part of the experience. Honestly, the game truly surprises you with these moments.

Another drawback worth mentioning are the controls. If you’re planning to play with a keyboard, forget about it — it’s not intuitive and quite difficult to manage. A controller is your best option. I’m still surprised how challenging it is to navigate the various cluttered menus, an issue that hasn’t been fixed since the demo. In the end, you won’t be entirely let down by this game. Is it perfect for everyone? Sure, if you can overlook some shallow mechanics and tolerate irrelevant dialogue. But if you enjoy collecting items and want a chill gaming experience, this game is definitely for you.

Review copy provided by the publisher

3.8

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You’re summoned to a mysterious world with a huge task: slay colossal giants to get their magical cores. To do this, you can build enormous mobile fortresses with cannons and defensive towers, turning them into walking or even flying war machines. These fortresses need energy cubes to run, which you craft from resources found across the land. Gathering these materials isn’t easy, as enemies fiercely guard them, forcing you into strategic fights to power your creations.

The open world of Loya is filled with diverse biomes each hiding caves, dungeons, and villages. You can take your time discovering secrets, fishing, cooking, or tackling quests with randomized rewards. Puzzles are woven into the environment, adding variety and challenging you to think creatively to unlock treasures or progress. For those who love companions, you can capture and mount pets to join your journey.

Loya offers four distinct classes, unlocked at an in-game altar, providing varied playstyles like melee, ranged, or magic. A crafting system with a forge and procedural items lets you create weapons, tools, and structures, while a gem system and talent tree add further customization depth. Additionally, multiplayer supports up to 25 players per server in co-op or private modes.

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In Renown, up to 100 players per server compete in a medieval world where every resource and stronghold is up for grabs. You’ll start with basic tools and scavenge materials to build everything from simple shelters to fortresses. You’ll also craft siege weapons like catapults and battering rams to break through enemy defenses. The game’s skill-based combat, inspired by titles like Chivalry 2, demands precision in both one-on-one duels and large battles.

Customization is a core part of Renown’s appeal, letting you personalize your experience down to the smallest details. You can modify everything from your weapons and armor to your strongholds with unique patterns, emblems, skins, and colors, crafting a distinct identity for yourself and your clan. This freedom also extends to combat, where an array of period-accurate weapons like swords, axes, and bows offer diverse playstyles.

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Survival in SCUM depends on whether you play solo, with friends, or with up to 64 players per server. You’ll need strategy, resource management, and adaptability to navigate a 225-square-kilometer island filled with forests, abandoned towns, and rugged terrain. Threats like rival prisoners, mechs, and undead “puppets” are everywhere, while unpredictable weather, wildlife, and hazardous environments ensure every playthrough is unique.

Version 1.0, unveiled at Summer Game Fest 2025, includes major improvements. A complete map overhaul brings enhanced visuals, updated points of interest, and better performance, making areas like the island’s beaches, forests, and snowy mountains even more immersive. A stronger anti-cheat system ensures fairer gameplay on official servers, and new vehicles like a seaplane, tractor, and sports bike offer fresh ways to explore or escape.

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Dandelion Void unfolds aboard the Pergola, a massive starship from an alternate late-20th-century timeline, designed as a self-sustaining “civilization in a bottle” to carry its crew across generations to a distant exoplanet. It once housed living quarters, hospitals, farms, and factories, but centuries of neglect have turned it into a ruin. Now, its corridors are overrun with hostile jungle growth, and its systems, including life support, are falling apart.

Survival in Dandelion Void is a nonstop fight against a living, hostile environment. You’ll walk through dense jungle corridors to gather crafting supplies, exotic weapons, and rare decorations, while dodging tendrils and other botanical terrors. Sealed doors hide valuable resources, but opening them risks exposing you to the deadly void of space. To explore dangerous areas, you’ll need to repair spacesuits and radiation gear, and stockpile supplies for unpredictable cold nights.

Beyond the usual survival tasks of managing hunger, thirst, and shelter, Dandelion Void adds a layer of emotional depth, making your character’s comfort and happiness as vital as physical needs. To lift morale, you can build and furnish homes in unexpected spots like abandoned air ducts, office supply closets, or near reactor cooling pools.

The game also includes a custom map editor and a robust Lua API, allowing modders to create new maps, import custom clothing and weapons, or design entirely new scenarios and biomes.

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At its heart, Kalit is about surviving in a strange landscape. Hunger and thirst are constant challenges, but they’re just the beginning, with mischievous creatures and unexpected dangers hiding around every corner. To succeed, you’ll dive into crafting tools, weapons, and gear to beat the odds. Whether it’s chopping trees with a googly-eyed axe or growing veggies to fight hunger, gathering resources is key.

The game lets you explore open lands, dive into the sea, or dig through dark mines. A fun addition is crafting makeshift diving masks or mini-submarines to uncover secrets in underwater wrecks, or even building flying machines. You’ll face cartoonish-style enemies, from small to large, reminiscent of old kids’ cartoons, plus gigantic bosses that challenge you to make weapons like guns.

For those who enjoy a slower pace, Kalit offers farming as a way to sustain your adventures. You’ll be able to plant peculiar seeds, nurture animated saplings, and harvest bizarre crops to keep your energy up, while also being able to construct custom bases complete with defense and workbenches. But the fun doesn’t stop there – you can assemble a vehicle.

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Imagine this: you’re a Pathfinder in a world full of magical creatures called Aniimon. Sound familiar? It’s got that Pokémon vibe, where you catch, train, and battle them. But here’s the twist: think Palworld’s survival edge meets Pokémon’s creature-collecting heart. You’re not just battling them; you’re also managing resources, building bases and exploring.

The trailer we saw showed off a bunch of Aniimon, the grass one that looks like Lapras or the one flower-type that reminds me of Forges, each with their own unique look and feel. The art style? It’s a perfect blend of cute and tough, kind of like if Pokémon grew up a bit but kept its charm. It’s free-to-play, coming to mobile too, and features a battle pass with multiple in-game currencies shown in the video. This could definitely lean towards a gacha game model.

You can also sign up for the closed beta test on PC later this summer. Beyond just catching creatures, exploration is key in Aniimo’s huge, open world with many connected islands and biomes. There’s no linear path, so you can dive into battles whenever you want. The trailer even showed that you can transform into creatures to move faster across the land.

Additionally, you can use your own weapons to fight Animon. It’s not clear if you’ll fight other humans. Since it’s likely a gacha game, we can expect many multiplayer options, like PvPvE battles. You can also evolve and merge Animon to make them stronger and the official website does show combat, abilities, and habitats for some creatures, giving us a peek at what’s coming.

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Set in the iconic universe of Nakaba Suzuki’s manga, which has sold over 55 million copies, The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin introduces Prince Tristan of Liones, a new protagonist and son of Meliodas and Elizabeth. The story unfolds in a Britannia thrown into chaos by a mysterious collision of time and space, with your task being to restore order. Alongside Tristan, beloved characters like Meliodas, Diane, and Ban return, joined by new heroes exclusive to this game.

The open world of Britannia is a visual treat, featuring vast landscapes, hidden dungeons, and explorable lakes. You’ll encounter fast-paced combat using three types of weapons and unique “Tag Skills” that trigger special moves when switching characters. Beyond combat, the game offers peaceful activities like fishing, cooking, and crafting gear. Exploration is key, with mechanics like climbing, swimming, and sailing, which somewhat echo Genshin Impact.

Designed as a follow-up to the successful The Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross, Origin shifts from turn-based combat to real-time action, offering greater freedom. Netmarble’s CEO Kwon Young-sik emphasized that the goal is to fully capture the Seven Deadly Sins universe.

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You begin as a nobody, traveling to the settlement of Garkai, with no overarching main storyline. Instead, the game emphasizes emergent narrative, where your choices shape the world through interactions with hundreds of unique NPCs, faction alliances, and quests. Deep character customization like race, attributes, traits, and starting faction unlocks varied dialogue and consequences, affecting how NPCs trust or distrust you.

A really interesting thing about Ardenfall is that it skips traditional quest markers. Instead, it uses a “ring of interest” on the map to guide lost players, mimicking Morrowind’s exploration-driven approach. Every NPC home is enterable, and you can steal items. Beyond standard weapons, you can use unconventional tools like a “potion of silence” for stealth kills or a throwing knife of fire.

The project began in 2017 with a couple of college students. Since then, they’ve gained new teammates and released an Ardenfall demo in 2022, which was a great success. Thousands of players tested the game, leading to a total of 30,000 wishlists on Steam.

What inspired Ardenfall, and what kind of RPG are you aiming for? How much freedom will players have in the game?

Ardenfall’s largest inspirations are classic action RPGs such as Morrowind and Fallout New Vegas. We’re aiming for an RPG that promotes reactivity and player choice through dialog, branching quests, and sandbox gameplay. Players will be able to enter any building (and rob the inhabitants blind), build a reputation with everyone in the world (or go the evil route and kill all characters, even “essential” NPCs). Our goal is to drop as many boundaries as we can, and allow players to experiment and play their own way!

How big is the team, and when do you plan to release Ardenfall?

Our core team is five devs, with a handful of support devs and voice actors. We’re planning to release Ardenfall into Early Access on Steam in late 2025.

The Steam demo is available, what does it include, and how will it compare to the full game?

Our 2022 demo includes a large region, a town with 40 NPCs, several quests, and multiple dungeons. It’s a considerably large area! But with the early access launch, the game will be over 4x the size, with a lot more density, quality, and features.

Beyond the demo, we’ve put a ton of focus on creating quests and locations that flesh out our world further, giving players a better look into the history, magic, and politics of Ardenfall and beyond. As we’ve added new towns, dungeons, and regions, we’ve ensured a high replayability and changes to the world players can create. New features will be present in the game – alchemy, expanded spells and potions, new enemies, durability and repairing, dodging and improved combat, and more.

After the initial release of the Early Access, we have a roadmap that involves expanding the world, introducing a perk system, guilds, and more. We’re incredibly excited to have players fully explore the world we’ve made so far, and look forward to growing the game based on feedback from the community.

Indie RPGs often face ambition vs. resource challenges. What’s been the toughest hurdle for Ardenfall, and how did you tackle it?

Developing Ardenfall has absolutely been a challenge for our small team. It started out as a passion project and has remained so, and thus funding was never an issue. We started off as students without any industry experience but simply had the desire to create a unique experience to fill an RPG niche that we felt was missing for over a decade. The journey has been the most important aspect as we continued to learn new things and it was exciting to adapt and evolve to make the game better in all aspects of design.

Project management and creating deadlines for ourselves have been a great challenge. The first six years were focused on building the engine and tech to support building the vast world we had imagined. We tried several different options to document and track project goals and shifted a ton. In the end we landed on something that was most accessible and easy to document using shared cloud drives and communicating with frequent check-ins with work sessions sometimes spanning hours long into the night.

The documentation process has been the most important aspect as we narrowed down each project’s scope, discovered gaps, and prioritized what’s needed for the next phase. This hasn’t been perfect, but over time we’ve learned what’s needed and what can be de–prioritized for later.

Tell us more about the alien world of Ardenfall. What factions and characters will we encounter?

Ardenfall doesn’t feel like an adventure you’ve had before – we’re inspired by Eastern Asian / South Eastern Asian and other cultures (in large part due to much of the team being from these cultures), that are less common in western RPGs, and have the goal to create a world that is both alien and grounded as if it could be a real place. Instead of each fantasy race having a single monoculture like many fantasy worlds, Ardenfall has a lot of subcultures that bounce off each other in interesting ways both in lore and in game.

The island of Ardenfall is controlled by several native clans, from wannabe techno-imperialists to militaristic isolationists to wine peddling slavers. This power is in question due to a foreign empire introducing a boon of trade, wealth, and law into the land of Ardenfall. Two of the three clans have succumbed to the will of this empire – what will happen next will be affected by the player.

How important are race, tattoos, attributes, and traits in character creation? Do they significantly impact gameplay? Can you give an example?

Character creation is very important for the gameplay that will follow.

• Attributes are your core stats – Strength, intelligence, agility, and charisma. These values are essentially set in stone, with some rare items giving boosts, and some even rarer ways to increase them permanently.
• Skills are more flexible – Your initial skill values are affected by your major skills that you choose, combined with relevant attribute values. If you have a high strength, then you’ll have higher weapon skills, and if you have higher intelligence, then you’ll have higher magic related skills.
• The player race will both affect how others see you – Characters will mention your race, some will give snide remarks, and others may even refuse to talk to you), as well as give special stat modifiers: Karu Elves are adept at stealth, while Obsidian Dwarves are great at wearing Heavy Armor.
• Traits are used to unlock dialog interactions – Perhaps you’ll use a “Criminal” trait to scare someone into giving you money, a “Scholar” trait to learn additional lore, or the “Mechanics” trait to repair a machine.

At the end of the day, pretty much every stat is used in dialog options, when interacting with objects in the world and completing quests, and of course during battle.

What can we expect from combat? Is it similar to Avowed or Elder Scrolls? Any standout mechanics you’d like to point out from the trailer?

The design for combat is built around sandbox elements with an array of different play styles in a first person view. The player is free to use swords, magic, stealth, throwing potions and much more at any time. The player can still specialize in skills to unlock each weapon’s full potential but there are no hard requirements preventing players from using items outright.

Something we avoid compared to some RPGs is a hard level requirement for equipping items – this goes against our design philosophy of player freedom. Rather than gamifying the requirements, the weapons may just be less effective if skill requirements aren’t high enough.

Combat itself is meant to feel dynamic and fluid between different enemy types. Monsters can teleport, dash, or dig to maneuver around the player. The goal is to keep the player on edge, switching between different combat tools like throwing potions to poison or stun enemies, casting a levitation spell to gain high ground, or pushing enemies away with a gust of wind magic. There are a lot of different approaches to combat and the design is built around freely experimenting and discovering fun ways to defeat enemies.

The environment introduces complexity as well – rain or water will apply wetness, which cancels out fire damage, but increases shock damage. Fighting enemies or running around in the dirt may make you dirty, which will reduce many npc’s opinions on you – getting wet or using soap will clean you right up.

How do NPCs influence gameplay? Do they offer quests, protection, or act as mercenaries? It seems stealing is really emphasized in the game, something we rarely see nowadays.

NPCs in Ardenfall are incredibly important. Many provide quests, act as traders, or offer fast travel for a price. Players will come across a variety of NPCs where increasing reputation can lead to economic gain, unlock rewards that have permanent effects on the player. Gaining favor from one faction can result in a betrayal from another, locking away options and unlocking others. All this creates a truly reactive world with consequences that can be rewarding or punishing depending on player actions. This allows for high replayability as NPC faction and reputation systems can open or close doors to the player.

The stealing aspect is really important as there is various tech involved to ensure items are “owned” by a particular NPC. A fun thing we discovered through building the system is not only can you pickpocket an NPC, the reverse can be done as well, such as putting an item into an NPCs inventory. I wonder what will happen if you place a potion of explosion in someone’s pocket? Only one way to find out!

How significant are the political and economic aspects of the game? Will players have the ability to rebuild or construct new cities?

Ardenfall’s world is shaped by a web of political and economic histories, interconnected across factions and eras. The largest way players will be interacting with these concepts is through quests and dialog – you aren’t merely sent on a quest to collect an old ring, but instead you may be sent to assassinate a political opponent, erase wrongdoings of allies, or find yourself being merely a pawn.

Players can affect the world in large (and sometimes quite visually stunning) ways, changing how characters react to you, unlocking new quests, and even altering the economy. Prices on certain items will rise and fall depending on your decisions, affecting both yourself and others.

What can we find in the dungeons?

Dungeons are the best place for players to find dangerous monsters to slay, and rare and unique items to help you along your journey. Each dungeon is handcrafted, with many being quite expansive – secret rooms, hidden treasure, and glimpses of an ancient world await those brave enough to explore.

The low-poly art style looks amazing. How did you choose it, and how does it shape the game’s tone?

In a way, you could say that Ardenfall’s art style is utilitarian – dropping most textures and embracing a non-realistic artstyle allowed us to produce more models, necessary for such a large game!

We try to push the brightness and saturation of the colors, especially the fog and sky. The stylized look also lends a more abstract feel to the game, allowing us more flexibility with game systems that would look goofy and out of place in a graphically realistic world.

The tone of Ardenfall is a blend of serious and light hearted. Our world often takes itself pretty seriously, but not in a dark fantasy blood-and-guts everywhere sort of way – instead we are more interested in presenting a very beautiful and rich world, and showcasing equally beautiful and rich cultures, while also presenting their flaws and dangers.

With so many RPGs releasing every year, how will Ardenfall stand out? What do you think will attract players most?

We believe Ardenfall can stand on its own even in this current market. The “total freedom” aspect is very important to us, as is the reduction in hand-holding, both of which we view as a clear desire for certain groups of players.

Our dream is for players to fall in love with this world as deeply as we have. There’s something magical about stepping into a bustling inn, the light of two moons spilling through the bamboo windows, while the cheerful rhythm of jelly drums drowns out the distant cries of beasts in the wilderness. After braving temple ruins and cutting down ancient horrors, there’s no better reward than a strong drink and a slurred conversation with the locals. Rest well – tomorrow, anything could happen.

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You begin as a prisoner, freed by a mysterious stranger, and your task is to shape Avalon’s future. The story was written by Polish fantasy writer Krzysztof Piskorski and spans three acts across regions like Misty Horns, Cuanacht, and Forlorn Swords, each packed with over 200 side quests and 250 NPCs. This isn’t your typical Arthurian tale; it’s a mature, morally ambiguous journey where every choice feels incredibly weighty, offering multiple endings.

Tainted Grail is a love letter to open-world RPGs, offering limitless freedom. Its character creation lets you craft unique builds, whether you want to be a stealthy archer, a mystical blacksmith-mage, or even an alchemist-berserker, using over 50 spells, countless weapons, and customizable gear. Combat feels responsive, with light and heavy spell casts, stamina-based melee, and a Souls-like dodge-and-parry system for tough elite enemies and bosses.

The world is packed with hidden dungeons, secret items, and journals with lore. Activities like fishing, farming, alchemy, and even sketchbook journaling really enrich the experience. Plus, there’s a Wyrdness mechanic that transforms the world at night, making enemies tougher but also making the loot more rewarding. A portable bonfire system for leveling up, cooking, and fast travel adds a unique twist too.

With a “Very Positive” rating on Steam (that’s 87% of 6,483 reviews), Tainted Grail is clearly resonating with RPG fans who crave depth and freedom. Its Elder Scrolls-inspired gameplay, paired with a darker, more desperate tone, really fills a gap left by titles like Oblivion and Skyrim. While some technical issues and a few unpolished mechanics keep it from being absolutely perfect, its heart and soul truly make it a standout RPG title.

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