One of the worst experiences with a video game I've ever had.
the gameplay while better than the originals is an unbalanced casual spammy mess.
The game suffers from too many modes and a lack of focus.
Ea is a crap company and had zero interests in fixing the tons of day 1 bugs and exploits that have been plaguing the game for years. They also ban players without proper evidence.
The community is absolute toxic garbage that should be avoided at any cost.
If you're going to play this game do so with a couple of friends with mods for a while then uninstall. It's not worth the time to get into even though it may appear so on the surface.
this game is a trap

After clocking in 100 hours and doing 3 obsidian runs it isn't a bad game, but lacks In so many areas and I think this is something that needs to be experienced rather than reading a review on, but I’ll try.

this is a niche power fantasy soulslike game, that has slow combat and pacing. While it does stand out on it owns it tries to copy dark souls to its core and doesn't attempt to detour from that formula. The lore is ambiguous just for the sake of being ambiguous and I didn't really care for the world i was in.

the sound is crisp, but u can tell this was made a small indie team because the boss music is boring and it loops constantly. The animations look really cheap and clunky too. The weapons often feel like they are teleporting in there attack chain because they are missing animations and float back into position. I should also mention all the characters run like they have a stick up their up bums and its uncomfortable to look at.

The map is convoluted especially the crypt with twist and turns everywhere that branch off from the main path. So much time has to be spent learning the map so you don't get lost and so you know where to pick up all the upgrades and items for each consecutive run and the optional dlc.

Its janky, there are many times where an enemy has slammed me into a wall and I couldn't move, or my character glided off the map due to hitting a slope at the right angle.

The parry mechanic is inconsistent. empowered parry is so much better than the base parry because its more forgiving, the base timing is very tight but luckily u can use harden if the parry fails at the last second. Sometimes I had parries randomly fail but the key is to use it 1-2 seconds before an attack lands so your characters arm is fully extended.

Weapons are imbalanced, while they offer different ways to play, for those who don't care and want to breeze through the game as quick as possible, the only options worth using are the hammer and chisel and hallowed sword. they all do the same damage per hit and charging up attacks doesn’t deal increased damage which i think the heavier, slower weapons would have benefited from. the dlc weapon axetana(wonder how they got that name?) is busted because u can stagger an enemy and repeatedly slam on top of their head using the special attack, and you can 1-2 tap mobs really easily by spamming the lunge attack only. The weapons don’t have much depth and you can beat anything by using the light attack light attack heavy attack combo and abusing certain stunlock combos.

Tiel has the best stamina and dodges in the game, and I would recommend that shell for anyone wants to speed up the gameplay. Shells are all good but play very similarly starting off.

The combat has a built in delay where actions don't have happen as soon as u click a button, the devs probably added that in there to prevent the game from being a complete cakewalk. Enemies attacks are blazing fast while yours take eons in comparison.

The bosses are predictable and while visually appealing they can easily be beaten like any other enemy in the game by just abusing the harden mechanic, even on new game pluses where you can take some damage through harden. Even though bosses are easy they can still feel cheap due to the inherent delay of combat that forces u to have to play slower. The Ice boss feels extremely cheap with how fast some of his attacks come out and the fact he always forces the player to play keep away and has a bs aoe attack that lingers even though the animation is over. The last boss is atrociously bad because he spams bs that forces the player to not interact with him and often times i’ll parry in that fight with harden and die anyway. Hardern with the axetana feels incredibly oppressive and is just a contest of who can outlast the other.

Obsidian runs I think don't make the game more difficult, just more punishing as you can still abuse harden. I much prefer the game with a shell since you can recover from bs accels from the ai.

The camera is more suited for 1v1 fights since the inertia is horrible. It became a detriment in 1vX fights due to the accel problem mentioned before.

The DLC makes the game more bearable but you're fighting the same enemies as u do in the base game. I had a good time with it even without meta gaming and choosing the best perks and weapons.

I would personally recommend this if you’re new to the genre, the combat is pretty forgiving if u can manage stamina know and when to harden. Read a guide first since starting area can be rough for first timers.

Items are plentiful but the healing items need tweaking. I also didn’t like that you had to use an item first to see what it does

There's potential for a sequel but it'll have to do more to make it stick out from other dark souls clones while improving the timing and fluidity of combat. If you a want a faster paced ds clone I would recommend thymesia but Mortal shell is better imo.

Ratchet gladiator or deadlocked in america
is a tps shooter where ratchet has to fight to the death to earn his freedom in a far away region of the galaxy that wasn't expanded upon.

The sidekicks aren't a real replacement for clank, but I didn't absolutely hate them. Ratchets other allies don't get used much, they are just there. The other heroes that get mentioned in this game are only used for skins and it's disappointing.

the concept is exciting at first but mid way through it falls flat and just becomes another ratchet saves the day thing and it loses its appeal.

the game has a lot replayability if trying to max out all the weapons, but some weapons are better than others and u can go through the whole game only using them.

The villian is kinda forgettable, Vox is just another soulless business man and has nothing over Dr. nefarious who ironically has a cameo at the end.

the commentary can be really annoying. I think this game would be better without the tropes and edgy aesthetic. The maps and soundtrack are passable but nothing special. the draw distance on one of the maps is really bad but that might be a 1 off example.

it has online multiplayer if you don't mind the tps camera angles.

I just feel like this game is overrated after playing through it 3 times, it doesn't hold up as well as the other games like up your arsenal, going commando, and tools of destruction. It's ok for mindless fun if you just want to shoot things and feel cool while doing it, but since almost every ratchet and clank game includes a gladiator section this isn't a must play.

StepMania and osu are better, the point to this is the visual charm and characters that can be modded in.
it can be button mashy but all I can add to that sentiment is that the game is better when not taken seriously. game is dying but already has a lot of content.

The base game is not worth mentioning, the mods are where its at.
some may not like the songs don't have lyrics, but that can be modded in too

For being made by 1 dev this is an impressive effort.
pros
it actually has a good story even though it's voxel game, achievements are apart of the gameplay loop so you can spent around 30-60 hours unlocking them and get rewarded in game for doing so. It also has a workshop editor and maps you can download to expand playtime.
Boss fight at the end was a blast to play.

cons
1. no turn caps makes it so acceling your mouse every swing is a legit strategy
2. 1 shot mechanic doesn't fit here, it would be better with 2 hit kill
3. ai is garbage and makes the game combat feel more luck based than skillful
4. online coop is a mixed bag
5. community is full of children that are really bad at the game
6. online pvp is play once and forget due to server issues and bad hit registration
7. swinging mechanic is outdated and blocking doesn't feel intuitive enough

Solo survival mode, workshop, and story are where this shines. It's ultimately let down by the abysmal ai and one shot mechanics.

I personally think this killed the 3d hero shooter genre
1. ham-fisted comp scene with no single player content at all
2. overbearing and annoying characters
3. Cheap and spammy attacks that make you question your sanity
4. Very toxic community like every hero based game
5. Miserable solo que experience that no-one should go through