The 16th game in the franchise (including the mobile game and the Secret Agent Clank spin-off) and the lead duo’s first foray into the current generation of gaming. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart sees the titular heroes fighting and puzzling their way alongside series newcomers Rivet & Kit, through a variety of dimensions to stop the universe from tearing itself apart.
I am very much a newcomer to the franchise. Having only played 2016’s remake/reimagining of the first game and a smattering of the older PS2 titles. The vibrant, seamless and joyous colourful carnage of the game’s multiple trailers and demos, plus a healthy dose of very positive critical praise led me to picking it up before the price reduced. Luckily I wasn’t disappointed, as it is undeniable that Insomniac once again have knocked it out of the park with the PS5’s current definitive mass appeal system seller that I had a complete joy playing throughout its 9-10 hour campaign playtime.
The plot is a rollicking sci-fi action romp that sees you take control of all four of the cover art characters. After Nefarious gatecrashes R&C’s celebration after the events of Into the Nexus he tears apart their current dimension and murges it with an alternate version of R&C’s reality where they team up with Rivet & Kit (their alternate selves) to take down Nefarious and the Emperor. Structurally the game follows an instantly accessible and familiar structure. The switching of pairs at the beginning (Clank ending up with Rivet and Ratchet with Kit) is a great way to build a variety of character dynamics and their respective perspectives on the situation and each other. The game switches between each pair of characters for certain missions and challenges as they race to fix the reality bending consequences caused by Nefarious. The game charges along at breakneck pace through a myriad of locations, which luckily you do get to revisit and explore at your own pleasure if you please, so you can grab all the collectibles and find the hidden pocket dimensions. The world building is strong thanks to the staggering level of personality and immersion in the voice acting, art design and lore previously crafted in the pre-existing games.
Visually the game is absolutely stunning. A seamless blend of bombastic, bright cartoon spectacle and stylisation, alongside blockbuster scale, realistic and impeccably detailed character and environmental models. The variety of weapons and characters all are visually unique in their animations and sound designs. My personal favourite combination of this being the Emperor’s main robot legion. Masses of spikes, guns and projectiles… but speaking in hilarious overly posh and stilted American/British accents. Robot pirates, a giant squid, dragon monks, speeding snails and the violence loving Zurkon Jr. The level of creativity in the cast of creatures is fantastic. There are several absolutely staggering grind rail set pieces where you sliding through destruction and chaos, as well as dodging between rails. These are on the level of Uncharted 4 and even supersede them at times.
The gameplay is the instantly familiar platforming and shooting combination. Arenas will be filled with enemies, interspersed with platforming and puzzling. There are several different weapons all of which have a different purpose and bring a different variety to combat encounters. From firing a projectile spitting mushroom, a deadly garden sprinkler, ice/razors/lasers/rockets/drill dogs… the possibilities and choice always keep battles engaging. The only real gripe I have with combat is the frequency of having to swap over weapons. You can assign 4 to the directional arrows, but will have to be constantly hopping onto the weapon wheels mid-combat. I understand why, but at the same time I wished the directional arrows could be used to cycle through all the weapons. There are two recurring puzzle sequences. Clank/Kit have to guide versions of themselves over an obstacle course to unlock rifts utilising various power sources. These can get quite challenging and prove to be real brain teasers at times, but never to the point of annoyance. The second recurring segment is playing as Ratchet’s hacking bot Glitch. These are shooter sections as she takes out the virus infecting the progression points. Unfortunately her voice acting, whilst enthusiastic, is incredibly grating and over-the-top.
Speaking of voice acting the rest of the cast of characters are superb. Ratchet & Clank sound exactly as you’ve known them for so long. Rivet is a strong willed, witty heroine and Kit is a surprisingly conflicted and intriguing side kick dealing with guilt from her past. Nefarious is an absolute riot here. A truly petulant, cocky and egomaniacal blast whenever he is on screen. Shout out to the Zurkon as well: Mrs Zurkon’s overly thick Southern drawl and Zurkon Jr.’s hyper screeching make them a memorable pair.
I am very much a newcomer to the franchise. Having only played 2016’s remake/reimagining of the first game and a smattering of the older PS2 titles. The vibrant, seamless and joyous colourful carnage of the game’s multiple trailers and demos, plus a healthy dose of very positive critical praise led me to picking it up before the price reduced. Luckily I wasn’t disappointed, as it is undeniable that Insomniac once again have knocked it out of the park with the PS5’s current definitive mass appeal system seller that I had a complete joy playing throughout its 9-10 hour campaign playtime.
The plot is a rollicking sci-fi action romp that sees you take control of all four of the cover art characters. After Nefarious gatecrashes R&C’s celebration after the events of Into the Nexus he tears apart their current dimension and murges it with an alternate version of R&C’s reality where they team up with Rivet & Kit (their alternate selves) to take down Nefarious and the Emperor. Structurally the game follows an instantly accessible and familiar structure. The switching of pairs at the beginning (Clank ending up with Rivet and Ratchet with Kit) is a great way to build a variety of character dynamics and their respective perspectives on the situation and each other. The game switches between each pair of characters for certain missions and challenges as they race to fix the reality bending consequences caused by Nefarious. The game charges along at breakneck pace through a myriad of locations, which luckily you do get to revisit and explore at your own pleasure if you please, so you can grab all the collectibles and find the hidden pocket dimensions. The world building is strong thanks to the staggering level of personality and immersion in the voice acting, art design and lore previously crafted in the pre-existing games.
Visually the game is absolutely stunning. A seamless blend of bombastic, bright cartoon spectacle and stylisation, alongside blockbuster scale, realistic and impeccably detailed character and environmental models. The variety of weapons and characters all are visually unique in their animations and sound designs. My personal favourite combination of this being the Emperor’s main robot legion. Masses of spikes, guns and projectiles… but speaking in hilarious overly posh and stilted American/British accents. Robot pirates, a giant squid, dragon monks, speeding snails and the violence loving Zurkon Jr. The level of creativity in the cast of creatures is fantastic. There are several absolutely staggering grind rail set pieces where you sliding through destruction and chaos, as well as dodging between rails. These are on the level of Uncharted 4 and even supersede them at times.
The gameplay is the instantly familiar platforming and shooting combination. Arenas will be filled with enemies, interspersed with platforming and puzzling. There are several different weapons all of which have a different purpose and bring a different variety to combat encounters. From firing a projectile spitting mushroom, a deadly garden sprinkler, ice/razors/lasers/rockets/drill dogs… the possibilities and choice always keep battles engaging. The only real gripe I have with combat is the frequency of having to swap over weapons. You can assign 4 to the directional arrows, but will have to be constantly hopping onto the weapon wheels mid-combat. I understand why, but at the same time I wished the directional arrows could be used to cycle through all the weapons. There are two recurring puzzle sequences. Clank/Kit have to guide versions of themselves over an obstacle course to unlock rifts utilising various power sources. These can get quite challenging and prove to be real brain teasers at times, but never to the point of annoyance. The second recurring segment is playing as Ratchet’s hacking bot Glitch. These are shooter sections as she takes out the virus infecting the progression points. Unfortunately her voice acting, whilst enthusiastic, is incredibly grating and over-the-top.
Speaking of voice acting the rest of the cast of characters are superb. Ratchet & Clank sound exactly as you’ve known them for so long. Rivet is a strong willed, witty heroine and Kit is a surprisingly conflicted and intriguing side kick dealing with guilt from her past. Nefarious is an absolute riot here. A truly petulant, cocky and egomaniacal blast whenever he is on screen. Shout out to the Zurkon as well: Mrs Zurkon’s overly thick Southern drawl and Zurkon Jr.’s hyper screeching make them a memorable pair.