Happy March, everyone! 🌿 As we continue developing Ryder, we want to dive deeper into the puzzle mechanics that shape your journey. This month, we're breaking down Pressure Plates—one of the core mechanics you'll encounter while solving environmental puzzles.

What Are Pressure Plates?
Pressure Plates are interactive switches that activate when a certain amount of weight is applied. They can open gates, move platforms, or activate other mechanics, but not every plate is the same! Some require only lightweight creatures, while others demand something much heavier to press them down fully.

Since Ryder lets you become different creatures, your choice of form directly impacts how you interact with pressure plates. Here’s how:

Light Creatures – Can press smaller plates, but is not heavy enough for larger ones.
Medium Creatures – Balance between agility and weight, useful for stepping on medium pressure plates or light pressure plates.
Heavy Creatures – Can activate large pressure plates that smaller creatures can’t.
Extra Heavy Creatures – Slow and steady but can activate the largest pressure plates and all other sized pressure plates.

Some puzzles will require multiple creatures working together, meaning you’ll need to swap between forms strategically to keep a plate activated while moving forward!

We’re continuing to develop Ryder and are thrilled to introduce you to three dragon-like creatures you’ll meet—and play as!—on your journey.


As its name suggests, this adorable, pumpkin-shaped dragon feels right at home in Goldenwood’s autumnal landscapes. With its Wind Jump ability, the Drumpkin can help you reach higher locations in puzzles—a handy companion for exploring!


Among the tall grasses of Emerald Valley, you might catch glimpses of bright pink wings decorated with flowers. The Snapdragon loves flowers so much, it grew its own! Beyond its charm, its Teleportation Flowers ability will be key to solving puzzles in creative ways.


Gliding through the snowy forests of the Silver Pines, the Driftdrake is a frosty blue dragon with a snowflake-tipped tail. But its chill isn’t just for looks—its Freeze ability allows you to hold objects in place for puzzle-solving..

In case you missed it… the Ryder demo is live!
- Explore a stunning autumnal forest
- Solve 7 unique puzzles
- Discover 25 creature variants

🎥 Check out our new gameplay trailer! 👇
Gameplay Trailer

Wishlist & follow Ryder on Steam to stay updated on our progress!

🐞 Found a bug? Let us know here: Google Form[forms.gle].
💬 Want to chat about the game? Join the Discord![discord.gg]
Thank you so much for playing our demo!
Arlin and Elle