The Ratchet & Clank series has long been an important staple of the PlayStation game library. The adventures of the lombax and robot heroes have been with Sony consoles since the PS2, and in spite of the variety of franchises within developer Insomniac’s history Ratchet & Clank has remained an icon for the studio. Now, the adventuring duo are back in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.
In Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, the titular heroes are happily celebrating a parade for their successes in previous entries when they are attacked by Dr. Nefarious. Before too long the battle results in the destruction of the Dimensionator, meaning that dimensional rifts are opening, and all three are transported to a dimension where Nefarious rules with a literal iron fist. Separated, Clank runs into another lombax called Rivet, and together Ratchet, Clank, and Rivet must search for a way to fix the rifts and defeat Nefarious.
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It’s fair to say that there was a lot riding on the success Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. It’s an early PS5 exclusive at a time when the new console generation needs to make its mark; after all, the sales success of the PS5 won’t last forever if there aren’t games to back it up. Thankfully, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a phenomenal game, and it may well be the first title of the generation to truly feel like a step into new territory.
A lot of this comes from the game’s incredible graphics. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is astounding, with crisp visuals, beautifully flowing animation, and extremely expressive character models for everyone from its main characters down to the most basic of enemies. Locations in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart are fantastic, too, from robot cities to busy mining platforms, meaning that each of its many worlds feels fully fleshed.
The intricacy of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart‘s character design should not be understated. The fluidity of movement from allies and villains means that the game feels more akin to an animated movie than a video game at times, and certainly not far away from the 2016 Ratchet & Clank film. The damage models on the robot enemies are particularly impressive, with the player able to keep track of their remaining life not just via health bars but by checking on how wrecked they already look.
Rather than graphics acting as a be all and end all, though, instead it’s used to complement other well-designed elements of the game. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart exudes charm in every second, with plenty of good humour that is told through dialogue and the actions of the game’s inhabitants. Even before the shooting starts in each and every area, there’s a sense of what to expect through wandering around and listening to the background dialogue of NPCs.
This helps build every world extremely well, compounding the atmosphere and making each semi-open Ratchet & Clank level feel unique. There’s a subtlety to the design of this game that could easily have been lost given how quickly the player can chop and change between dimensions at times. It’s a well-rounded yet fresh experience, and each location begs to be revisited when the chance arises.
This would mean little if the gameplay wasn’t fun, but Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is an absolute blast to play. It has the same basic tone as previous games in the franchise, predominantly aimed around action-centric platforming with lots of enemies to shoot, although there are a wealth of extra features such as a new dodging mechanic that may or may not be to the player’s taste. In spite of the changes, though, it still feels like a quintessential Ratchet & Clank game.
Although Ratchet and Rivet’s gameplay feels the same, there are also various mini game modes to freshen things up. The game’s Glitch sections are a basic third-person shoot ’em-up where the player must shoot out virus hubs within networks, while the player takes control of Clank to fix dimensional shifts with little puzzles that feel like a simplistic version of Lemmings. It might not have quite the same level of variety as the fantastic It Takes Two, but nonetheless there is still plenty of changing gameplay throughout Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart makes great use of the DualSense controller, particularly its haptic feedback, and this is something that PS5 players will be glad to see included. Plenty of games have given it a shot, particularly in the realm of racing games, but this really gets to grips with its potential. From the throbbing bass line of a club to the varied footsteps of different terrains or the impact explosions of attacks, the vibrations alone help immerse the player in the gameplay experience.
Something that makes the game even better is that, reportedly, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart was made with no significant crunch. Scientific studies have long shown that overworking is detrimental to quality of work, and the brilliance of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart would seem to support this. It just goes to show that a truly top-level experience can be created with developer wellbeing in mind, and that crunch is never needed.
That’s not to say that Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is perfect, however. There are some technical glitches, such as the player clipping through the floor at unfortunate moments, but this is a relatively rare occurrence and the game’s robust checkpoint system means it isn’t a particularly frustrating issue. It’s certainly nowhere near the same kind of problem seen in games like Cyberpunk 2077 or the launch version of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
In short, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is simply brilliant. Between its thrilling gameplay, fantastic graphics, and charming story, it’s a must-have for PS5 players everywhere. There haven’t been many games to justify a step into the new console generation as of yet, but this is definitely one of them.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is out now for PS5. Screen Rant was provided with a PS5 download code for the purposes of this review.
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