This adorable 3D platformer draws from genre greats like Banjo-Kazooie, Crash Bandicoot, and Super Mario Odyssey - and there's a dash of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in there too

A rich blend of creativity and platforming combines in Ruffy and the Riverside, and its devs are citing some of the most iconic games of all time as inspirations.

Speaking during the Future Games Show Spring Showcase -Live from GDC, Patrick Ruckdeschel, art director on papercraft 3D platformer Ruffy and the Riverside, revealed that the first game the team looked to for inspiration was, unsurprisingly, Paper Mario.

• Wishlist Ruffy and the Riverside on Steam now

Ruffy's papercraft design might seem at odd with the Super Mario 64-style world, but it offers him the ability to copy and paste textures from around that world - you might pick up an ice texture, and use to freeze the surrounding water so you can cross the sea to a nearby island. But it's not just Paper Mario that the team drew from.

"There's this whole library from the N64, like Banjo-Kazooie," Ruckdeschel says, "but also PlayStation with Crash Bandicoot. We didn't want to copy it, but we love it, we loved those games." "If you love Banjo-Kazooie and if you love Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Super Mario Odyssey, then you will love" Ruffy's adventure too.

Ruffy and the Riverside doesn't have an exact release date yet, but it's launching in June for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch, so you won't have too long to wait to check it out.

If you’re looking for more excellent games from today's Future Games Show, have a look at our official Steam page.