Levy was contacted by Perkins, due to their previous working experience on Apocalypse (1994) for Virgin Interactive Entertainment, and was asked if he was interested in making a game with him.

Ruff 'n' Tumble garnered favourable reception from the Amiga gaming press; praised was given to the detailed arcade-style graphics for their quality and spritework, varied level design and gameplay but most reviewers felt mixed regarding the audio and difficulty, while criticism was geared towards the lack of additional levels, difficulty settings, innovation and originality.

[2] Page began his career at Graftgold, taking over the role of in-house musician from founder Steve Turner, before moving to Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.

[2][6][7] To build each level, the staff made use of an in-house map editor by Renegade, which allowed puzzles and traps being quickly designed and placed on-screen.

[27][28][29] The One for Amiga Games' Simon Byron praised the graphics for its style and spritework, level design, setpieces, enemy AI, fine-tuned gameplay, soundtrack and overall longevity.

[18] Amiga Format's Stephen Bradley gave positive remarks to the title's sprite animations, smooth scrolling, varied level design, sound department and addictive playability, although he ultimately stated that the game was not very original.

[20] Amiga Power's Jonathan Davies gave positive commentary to the firm but fair stage designs, slick visuals and sound effects but criticized its high difficulty and music for being awful.

[14] Aktueller Software Markt's Jürgen Borngießer noted that Ruff 'n' Tumble felt like a console game due to its use of a joystick or joypad for controls and commended its visuals, audio, presentation and fun factor.

[26] Génération 4's Michel Houng praised the sprite animations, playability, arcade-style graphics and good sound effects but noted its music and the lack of additional levels as negative points.

[22] Amiga Computing's Jonathan Maddock referred the graphics as "exquisite" and "gorgeous", comparing it with Bitmap Brothers' Gods and Magic Pockets.

[25] In a similar tone as Dillon, British magazine Amiga User International commended both Perkins and Levy for creating a balance between platforming and shooting with the title's design, praising its gameplay, audio and graphics.