Fun with Ragdolls Plus

A sequel to a cult sandbox favorite

Fun with Ragdolls Plus, released April 16, 2026 by developer Jadon Barnes and publisher Fun & Simple, follows up 2019's Fun with Ragdolls: The Game (still available separately on Steam) with a full 3D physics platformer built around Dummy Danny and Rickie Ragdoll's journey through a competition with a darker truth underneath. It pairs a proper cinematic story mode with the sandbox creation tools the original was known for, landing to a Mostly Positive reception (219 reviews, roughly 78%) that splits sharply depending on which half of the game a reviewer cares about most.

A story mode that earns its cutscenes

The clearest across-the-board strength here is the story mode, which reviewers repeatedly single out as a genuine surprise for a small, mostly solo-developed project. The narrative between Danny and Rickie, their tested friendship, and the reveal of what's really behind the ragdolls' competition draws consistent praise for humor, heart, and cinematic presentation well beyond what the original game attempted. Several reviewers specifically call the ending affecting in a way they didn't expect from a ragdoll physics game.

Sharper movement, shallower combat

Parkour and traversal come in for consistent praise too, with reviewers highlighting improved grappling, more responsive jumping and climbing, and a general sense of polish over the original's movement. Combat fares worse: multiple reviewers describe it as little more than spamming a basic melee attack or relying on inconsistent auto-aim for ranged weapons, and several specifically wish for more variety given how much the story mode leans on fighting robots and enemy ragdolls along the way.

What the sandbox lost

The most consistent and pointed criticism in the review sample comes from returning fans comparing the sandbox mode directly to the original game's. Reviewers list specific losses: certain ragdoll types no longer available, cars that used to follow the player, a gravity changer, slow motion, and NPCs that used to populate custom maps. For a series whose original release built its reputation largely on sandbox creativity, several reviewers frame this as a genuine step backward rather than a refinement, regardless of how much the story mode improved.

No Workshop, no browsing

Compounding the sandbox complaints, Fun with Ragdolls Plus launched without Steam Workshop integration, a feature multiple reviewers credit as central to what made the original's community and longevity work in the first place. Without it, there's currently no way to browse or download other players' custom maps, which a number of reviewers call out as the single biggest missing piece relative to what they expected from a sequel.

Uneven difficulty and a few rough edges

Beyond the feature-comparison complaints, some reviewers report an inconsistent difficulty curve within story mode itself, with certain levels spiking sharply in difficulty (one Russian-language reviewer sarcastically thanked the developer for ten-to-twenty-minute levels with no checkpoints) while others feel too easy. A handful of reviewers also note a framerate inconsistency specific to ragdoll physics, running noticeably lower than the rest of the game, alongside occasional camera glitches during ragdolling. A separate contingent finds the sandbox's build menu and editor genuinely confusing at first, describing a learning curve around item placement and grid snapping that takes real time to get comfortable with, even setting aside the missing features carried over from the original.

Is $19.99 fair right now

Given the story mode's short length (most finish in one to three hours) and the sandbox's reduced feature set relative to the original, price is a recurring point of friction in the negative review sample, with several reviewers calling the game overpriced for what it currently delivers. It's a fair critique on its own terms, and one that's likely to soften if Workshop support and lost sandbox features return in future updates, but as things stand today it's a real consideration for anyone deciding between buying now or waiting.

Made by a small team, judged like a big one

A recurring theme runs through the more forgiving reviews: several reviewers explicitly ask others to remember this is a small, largely one-person project rather than a studio release, and frame their patience with the rough edges accordingly. That context matters for interpreting the review sample fairly — the production values in the cutscenes and story presentation genuinely punch above what a solo developer typically delivers, even if the sandbox comparison to the original stings more given the same small-team constraints. It's worth weighing both halves of that argument rather than treating either the praise or the criticism in isolation.

Who should give it a shot

Fun with Ragdolls Plus is best suited to players primarily drawn in by the promise of a proper story mode wrapped around ragdoll physics chaos, especially those newer to the series without strong attachment to the original's specific sandbox toolset. Longtime fans whose favorite part of the first game was building elaborate custom maps and sharing them through Workshop should treat this as a disappointing sidegrade until those features, if ever, make a comeback, and are better served revisiting the original in the meantime.

The verdict

Fun with Ragdolls Plus is a genuine creative step forward in its story mode and movement, held back by a sandbox that took a real step backward from what made the original beloved. Longtime fans chasing the new story content will likely come away satisfied; anyone buying primarily for open-ended sandbox creativity should wait to see whether Workshop support and lost features return before paying full price.