Ratchet And Clank Rift Apart Review

Script written by Ty Richardson

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Review

It’s hard to believe that in the first eight months of the PlayStation 5’s life cycle, we haven’t had many hard-hitting exclusives for the console. Aside from “Astro’s Playroom” developed by Team ASOBI, there have been no first-party PS5 exclusives as every game tied to the console is either being developed by a studio not owned by Sony or is a cross-gen title. So, what does a PS5 exclusive experience look like? Is it an impressive ride that takes full advantage of the hardware? Is it the evolution of a classic franchise, refined and improved upon thus allowing the IP to evolve? Or is it yet another lackluster game that shows how rare it is to find great launch games? Perhaps it's just as buggy as the platform it launches on? Who can really say? Everything we thought would only be on PS5 is now also going to PS4! As the first and only PS5 exclusive we know about at this time, our Lombax and defect warbot have a lot of expectations burdening them. Can Insomniac deliver, or has their flagship franchise begun showing its wrinkles and bunions?

Greetings, ladies and gentlemen of the internet! My name is Ty with MojoPlays, and this is my review of “Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart” for the PlayStation 5.

“Rift Apart” takes place sometime after the events of the 2016 reboot. To celebrate Ratchet and Clank’s heroic deeds, a parade is thrown in their honor where Clank plans to give his pal a special gift - a device called the Dimensionator, which longtime fans might recognize from the “Future” saga. However, our dastardly Doctor Nefarious invades the party, swipes the Dimensionator, and transports the three of them to a world where the universe is under his rule. This results in the duo getting separated - Ratchet being stranded in a metropolis littered with his nemesis’s face and Clank being taken by another Lombax named Rivet. Now, they’ll have to find a way to repair the dimensions, stop Nefarious, and find their way home.

At first, I was wary about “Rift Apart’s” story as I was not a big fan of how the 2016 reboot approached Ratchet and Clank as characters. The writing, dialogue, and voice acting made it feel like I was playing through an awful family-friendly movie that featured awesome gameplay. It was missing the edge and wit of the original games. Luckily, Insomniac must have heard several fans complain about the approach because “Rift Apart’s” storytelling is completely different. Not only does it have that blend of adult and family-friendly humor, but there are beats in the narrative that don’t feel hokey. There’s actually character development here, characters struggling to cope with their mistakes and learning from each other. Some twists are obviously predictable, but the way “Rift Apart” goes about its plot makes it entertaining throughout.

Those familiar with any of the “Ratchet & Clank” games will know exactly what they’re getting into. Not much has changed in terms of gameplay - you’ll still have swarms of enemies trying to kill you, and there’s still that frenetic cycle of switching between weapons and using them as often as possible to get them all leveled up. However, there are a couple of unique mechanics added to give you the advantage in combat. Ratchet and Rivet can pull themselves into rifts, allowing them to instantly transport themselves from one part of the area to the next. This sudden change of position opens up flanking opportunities and helps you maintain control of the fight. You can also utilize what is called the “Phantom Dash”. It’s pretty much a dodge button that can also help you reach farther ledges when not in combat.

Of course, the main stars of the “Ratchet & Clank” games are the weapons. Veterans can expect a handful of weapons from past titles to show up, though there are plenty of newer weapons at your disposal, too. Some are mechanically similar to other tools of destruction such as Mr. Fungi being a somewhat different Mr. Zurkon and the Enforcer basically being the Blitz Gun and Shock Cannon. Still, that doesn’t make them any less fun to use, especially since the DualSense’s capabilities give you a sense of impact. Firing each weapon feels satisfying. I only wish the adaptive triggers didn’t make my fingers go through an intense workout with their resistance.

While we’re on the subject of hardware, I’d like to point out that “Rift Apart” does an excellent job at utilizing the power of the PS5. With worlds loading in at a moment’s notice and seamless transitions between cutscenes and gameplay, it’s astounding to see console gaming finally reach the level of modern PC gaming. Throughout my time with the game, I tried really damn hard to overload the game. It’s a “Ratchet & Clank” tradition - once you unlock all of the weapons, do everything you can to cause the system to slow down, dip in frames, or anything. Put your console through the wringer and become a god! “Rift Apart” was able to handle everything I threw at it. I spawned every ally I could at once, fired off the most visually demanding weapons, swapped weapons like a maniac, and not once - NOT ONCE - did I experience frame dips, stutters, NOTHING. Everything was able to render in, activate, and perform without trouble.

Funny enough, the times where I did encounter problems were during the least chaotic moments of the game. I’m not going to sugarcoat it - “Rift Apart” is a surprisingly buggy game, at least it was during my playthrough. There was a time where I saw a cube beneath Ratchet, another where he was missing a limb in a cutscene, a bug that made leaping from walls a bit harrowing, and another where Ms. Zurkon saw me as an enemy and refused to sell me weapons and upgrades. Granted, these weren’t “Cyberpunk” levels of technical problems, but they were still glaring and irksome. I don’t expect every game to launch perfectly without any problems, especially this early in the PS5’s life cycle. However, this only solidified my belief that the PS5 should have been released at a much later date than it did. Insomniac would have had more time to squish these bugs and learn more about the console’s strengths and weaknesses.

That isn’t to say my time with “Rift Apart” was completely soiled. As a fan of “Ratchet & Clank”, I felt that “Rift Apart” is perhaps the best we’ve seen of the franchise since “A Crack in Time” in 2009.

For starters, Clank’s segments are more fun than ever before. For those unfamiliar with the franchise, Clank’s segments are typically more focused on puzzles and platforming, and Insomniac has managed to incorporate some ingenious concepts with the character from using transformative Gadget Bots to recording movements and cloning. This time around, Clank will be repairing dimensional anomalies using a continuous strand of his possible existences. To repair the anomalies, you’ll have to switch out orbs and trigger certain switches. While not frequent, these puzzles do get complex and will require some thought. There were a handful of times where I sat and wondered if I even knew what I was doing.

The HUD has also gone through a bit of rearranging. Whereas past games have made information as clear as can be by centering health bars and making stats obvious in their respective corners, “Rift Apart” clearly wants you to stay immersed in the world as long as possible. Your HUD isn’t too small to where you can barely see it, but it’s also designed in a way that lets the player focus more on the action. You aren’t constantly eyeballing your ammo counter as you now have a small meter below your reticle that indicates how much ammo you have left. The health system is also communicative in its own subtle way that works really well. Not only will Ratchet and Rivet remark about not feeling great, but the DualSense controller will also vibrate in a way similar to a heartbeat. Given how many shooters rely on obscuring the player’s vision with red vignettes and veins, I’m very impressed in how Insomniac has managed to incorporate the DualSense’s capabilities into their desire to keep the player’s eyes on the action. I know it seems trivial to the average player, but as someone who plays a good number of shooters, I hope third-party studios notice what Insomniac has done here and implement these kinds of features into their future products.

If you’ve been watching the review, I’m going to spare you of the common “Rift Apart looks like a Pixar movie” remark. Yes, it's amazing, and as someone who practiced and studied animation for several years, I was over the moon at how much energy and personality was put into every character’s movements. But, moving on…

Last thing I want to point out is the trophy list. Of the “Ratchet & Clank” games that do have a Platinum trophy, this is arguably the easiest. None of the trophies are tied to difficulty, and it is possible to get every trophy within a single playthrough. There are a couple of missable ones that could result in you having to start a second playthrough, but that’s really as demanding as it gets. Honestly, it’s a disappointing trophy list. There’s more focus on finding collectibles, getting a certain number of kills with specific weapons, and of course, story and side missions. Challenge Mode is not a requirement for the Platinum, and if you’ve played any of the previous games, you’ll probably 100% it in roughly fifteen hours, no more than twenty. I managed to do so on Resistance Leader difficulty at an estimated sixteen hours. Great to have hit Platinum trophy #92, but it would have been nice to have some encouragement to play Challenge Mode and maximize the weapon upgrades.

Overall, “Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart” managed to meet my expectations and surprise me in several ways. Despite being your typical “Ratchet & Clank” experience, there’s enough here to make “Rift Apart” stand out from the other installments and satisfy anyone looking for intense action, a fantastic and funny story, and an experience that only the PS5 can offer. Personally, I think the $70 price tag is kind of steep given some of its bugs and glitches, but hopefully, Insomniac has ironed those out by the time you’ve come across this video. Hey, they’ve proven that they’re tech wizards when it comes to PlayStation hardware, and it certainly shows here!