The next dimension
The Ratchet and Clank series is probably the longest-running franchise that gets the least amount of respect and attention. Anyone who has ever played one speaks highly of it, but it never gets mentioned alongside other titles in the same way. Rift Apart is likely not going to change the conversation, as it is definitely more of what Ratchet has always been. That doesn’t mean it isn’t great, in fact, quite the contrary. Even with a few hiccups and some misleading promotion Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is easily my favorite game currently available on the PlayStation 5 and one of the best entries in the series to date.
Much like previous games Rift Apart embraces its story with a whimsical tale of our hero and his trusty sidekick. The thing about Insomniac Games is that they deliver some of the best writing and performance in the business. The story feels like a grand family comedy that brings back familiar characters as well as introducing new ones. The humor is well-timed and the game makes subtle pop-culture references constantly. The Fast and the Furious trophy made me smile. With the power of the PS5 the production values are through the roof. These cutscenes and even game play will absolutely floor players.
MSRP: $69.99
Platforms: PS5
Price I’d Pay: $69.99
The story takes Ratchet through several dimensions and the introduction of a brand new Lombax counterpart named Rivet. I really enjoyed playing as the new character, and the arc opens up possibilities to expand the franchise even more in the future. I never feel like the Ratchet series gets the credit it deserves for creating such a fun and interesting world. The characters and locations in Rift Apart are some of the best the series has ever seen.
When Insomniac first debuted Rift Apart the hook was the fact that the game utilized the power of the PS5’s super fast SSD hard drive to transport characters between dimensions instantaneously. This led me to believe that this would be some sort of new weapon that allowed players to switch between worlds on-the-fly. That is not the case here. Instead, it is all scripted with a few exceptions. Jumping between worlds is still extremely impressive. Some of the chase sequences are downright the most impressive things I have ever witnessed in a video game. The graphics are on par with Insomniac’s best work and the locations in Rift Apart are simply stunning in detail.
Rift Apart is still an action platformer with much more focus on action this time around. Ratchet and Rivet share weapons and their upgrades along the way, and the selection of guns this time around is as imaginative as we have come to expect from Insomniac. There are so many weapons in fact that it takes two weapon wheels to hold them all. I found myself using the starting pistol and shotgun mixed with dropping Mr. Fungi bombs and the new sprinkler weapon that freezes players in their tracks by covering them in moss. With so many weapons though it feels like several of them kind of feel underutilized or appreciated. There were some that I used only to upgrade or just a few times after purchasing them as they didn’t fit most situations within the game.
The structure of the game mimics the last entry. Once the game opens up, there are planets that become available and I could choose where to go most of the time to progress the story. Players will switch back and forth between Ratchet and Rivet depending on which planet they move to. There is plenty to see and do on each one, and the game does a nice job of letting the player know when the final battle is imminent so they can mop up any side missions or tasks before moving on to the endgame. Players could easily mainline the game in around 10 hours, but there is a nice collection of side missions and collectibles to pad that out. Thankfully, traversing the world is fast thanks to the SSD in the PS5, so mining bolts and collecting upgrades is quick and easy.
Surprisingly, this is the most I have ever run into quirks in an Insomniac game. There were several instances where I got hung up on geometry during game play. There was one section on a planet where I had no idea how to progress. As it turns out the game failed to trigger an event that was supposed to happen. A quick reload remedied the situation, but it was still awkward. I also had a hard crash on the final boss fight which caused me to have to do the whole thing over. I assume these things will get ironed out around launch, but as it stands it was disappointing as Insomniac games are usually extremely polished.
We can’t talk about Ratchet and Clank without mentioning the visuals. This game is absolutely stunning to look at. The cutscenes are simply jaw dropping and the aforementioned performances are simply immaculate. Ratchet comes with three visual modes to choose from. The standard 4K 30fps mode is absolutely stunning to look at. Once again Insomniac has also added a 60fps performance as well as a 60fps mode with ray tracing. The obvious difference is the resolution, but after switching back and forth the difference is negligible. I would recommend the 60fps RT mode as it feels superb as well as looking incredible. It is the best example of the types of games we will become accustomed to in the next generation. Everything is so clean and well-designed it is a showcase of what the PlayStation 5 is capable of.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is one of the best entries in the series to date. It really showcases the power of Sony’s new console, especially with the SSD loading times and switching between dimensions. Outside of a few minor hitches which I assume will be cleaned up by launch this was easily one of my favorite experiences early in this generation of hardware. Sony continues to produce some of the best first party games on the market, and hopefully with the bigger hitters so far out Ratchet will finally get his time to shine. If you managed to get a PS5 this game is a must-own for the console. Don’t even hesitate to hit that purchase button. It is a fantastic adventure that hits on all cylinders.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
