Ryan’s Rescue Squad

Ryan’s Rescue Squad starts with a pleasantly straightforward promise: pick a Ryan’s World hero, bounce through themed levels, and rescue Ryan’s kidnapped friends. Its mix of platforming, collectible hunting, costumes, and character-assisted attacks is clearly aimed at younger players, and the local two-player option makes it easier for a parent, sibling, or friend to join in when a jump proves stubborn.

The game has enough variety in its worlds and minigames to avoid feeling like one long string of identical runs, but it is not likely to hold an experienced platform fan for long. This is a cheerful, kid-first licensed adventure whose best use is shared couch play with a Ryan’s World fan, not a deep challenge for the rest of the household.

Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Ryan’s Rescue Squad understands its audience immediately. You choose Ryan, Combo Panda, Alpha Lexa, or Gus the Gummy Gator, then head into a side-scrolling rescue mission built around jumping, collecting, and using character aids against enemies. That directness is a strength. A young Ryan’s World fan can quickly grasp what they are doing, while an adult sitting beside them has a clear way to help without taking over the whole game.

The character support moves give the action a little more personality than simple hopping on enemies. Gill’s Barrels, Moe’s Spaceship, and Peck’s Slime can stun foes, while Shelldon can be ridden. Power-ups, including Moe’s pizza for invincibility, add a forgiving edge when the action gets hectic. None of this turns the game into a demanding platformer, but it gives kids a few playful tools to try rather than asking them to repeat the same jump all afternoon.

Collecting Sun Coins and Surprise Eggs feeds into a costume shop, so there is a tangible reason to poke around and keep playing. The themed Toy, Pirate, Space, and Prehistoric areas also help break up the journey. Minigames such as Bulls Eye, Spaceship Flight, The Floor is Lava, and Fire at Will add welcome detours, although the central platforming is still the main draw.

Local two-player is the feature that most improves the package. It turns a potentially slight solo outing into an easy shared game night for a younger child and a more capable partner. If you are buying it for yourself as a seasoned platform-game fan, the simplified challenge and licensed framing will wear thin. If you are buying for a kid who already knows these characters, the accessible structure is much closer to the point.

Graphics

The game uses a 2D side-scrolling presentation built around Ryan’s World characters and themed environments. Toy, pirate, space, and prehistoric stages give the adventure visible changes of scenery, while enemy encounters can include slime, spaceships, and the oversized Shelldon.

Story

Dark Titan, Robo Combo, and Packrat have kidnapped Ryan’s friends, and the whole story runs on the simple goal of bringing them home. It is a clean setup for a children’s platformer: villains to stop and friends to rescue.

There is not much reason to come here expecting a layered plot. The story mostly gives the jumping and collecting a familiar Ryan’s World wrapper, and the real character appeal comes from being able to play as Ryan, Combo Panda, Alpha Lexa, or Gus.

That simplicity is appropriate for the intended age group. Kids who know the cast get a recognizable rescue adventure, while anyone outside that audience will likely treat the story as a light excuse to move from one activity to the next. For a fuller official rundown of the premise and playable activities, see the publisher’s Ryan’s Rescue Squad description.

Overall Experience

Ryan’s Rescue Squad is a competent, cheerful licensed game that knows exactly who it is for. Its rescue premise, collectible loop, costumes, and varied minigames make a better case for continued play than a bare-bones character tie-in, and the ability to bring in a second local player is a genuinely useful family feature.

Still, the game does not have much to offer once you remove the Ryan’s World connection. Experienced players will find the platforming lightweight, and the rescue premise is too simple to create much momentum beyond the next rescue. The payoff is in watching a young fan recognize familiar faces and confidently make progress through an adventure that does not ask too much of them.

Give it a chance if you need an approachable couch-co-op platformer for a child who loves Ryan’s World. Skip it if you want intricate level design, a rich story, or a platformer that will seriously test your skills. In its narrow lane, it is a friendly pick, but not one with much staying power beyond its intended audience.