by Scott Batchelor, Contributing Writer
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is the first outing of our lovable Lombax/Warbot duo since 2016’s Ratchet and Clank, and our first new story since 2013’s Into the Nexus. The PlayStation 4’s console life somehow managed to only have one singular Ratchet and Clank game during its life span and that was just a remake for the tie-in movie releasing the same year and it was widely criticized for being exactly that.
So after waiting the better part of a decade for a new chapter in the flagship PlayStation franchise, I can say that I am very happy with the result. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is everything you want out of a Ratchet and Clank game. The gunplay is smooth, graphics are mesmerizing, characters are unique, and the levels are dynamic. As a video game, this is an amazing achievement. But this is not a perfect game and it sadly suffers from glitches I have never seen before in a Ratchet and Clank game as well as a story that has already been told.
Our story starts with a disguised Lombax hiding from a security force as they make their way through a grainy city trying to sneak around undetected. The armor would make you think this is Ratchet, but the classic trope of not showing the face quickly tunes you in that this is not our titular hero. Quickly into the opening cinematic, it is revealed that this Lombax is in fact a new character to the franchise, Rivet. What role will she play in our world saving adventure? Remains to be seen.
We are then reintroduced to the characters we love, Ratchet and Clank, who are being celebrated by their home world by having a full parade thrown in their honor. Ratchet has come a long way from once idolizing Captain Qwark to now being idolized himself. And right away, I am a bit thrown off by where this lies in the franchise timeline. The PS4 version was this weird, remastered retcon of the original story, but this seems to be ignoring the PS3 games altogether (more on that later). I have no idea what has happened before the events of this story, but in the end, it does not really matter. Ratchet and Clank have saved the world and are now being celebrated, which is I guess all I really need to know.
The gameplay opens in what I think might be the weakest tutorial disguise in the franchise. You are simply going from parade float to parade float using all the mechanics any seasoned veteran has memorized by now, with the exception of a sprint feature which I believe is a first for the franchise. The flood of nostalgia hits me with every swing of the wrench. I am back to using basic attacks, ground slams, throwing it like a boomerang. I am then presented with a basic blaster, which feels as smooth as ever as I can shoot continuously while dodging laser beams. This tutorial introduced everything from previous games including gunning, gliding, and grinding.
But shortly after the tutorial, I feel the story hit its first major snag. Dr. Nefarious is back. Introduced in the third game of the franchise, he has seemingly been the main antagonist ever since. I was hoping his appearance would be a glorified cameo, this being the first new game in five years, but alas, we are back to fighting the same villain. For a video game, this may not be such a problem. Mario always fights Bowser so I guess this is fine, but I have seen other villains in this franchise. I know they can create someone new; I was just hoping for something original. He was shoehorned into the 2016 remake after all, so it is not like I have had much time fighting anything else.
We are then introduced to Mrs. Zurkon, our weapons vendor who offers us small glimpses into our potential new weapons ability, which is comforting to see what our new purchases should look like before we buy. And with these new weapons comes the full utilization of the PS5’s haptic controller. Some weapons are now button sensitive; a half push aims our projectile while a full press will launch it. This was a feature that I felt was added to display the possibilities, much like the motion controls from the PS3, which went nowhere, but this is a feature that I predict will be incorporated into more games.
One aspect of the game that is also introduced early, but ignored by this game is using rifts during battle. Periodically rifts, or portals, will be available to launch through, appearing instantly in another location during a firefight. At first, I used these because they are new and shiny, but as the game went on, I didn’t feel much need for them. They did not offer any real tactical advantage for me and instead I found the traditional gunning and dodging working just fine. Maybe if the enemies got momentarily confused by my disappearance I would use them, but I was able to ignore them just fine.
That being said, the animation of the rift is incredible. I can only imagine the animation power to instantly put you somewhere else in the level. Using the rifts, while not useful for gunfights, is pretty and seamless. There are parts of the game where you must use them to reach ledges or swing across gaps, and each time, the game really makes you feel like you are being pulled into another part of the level. This is one of the many design features that will take your breath away.
And this game will leave you breathless with every new environment. I am not a graphics guy, so 4K or high def or whatever is hip nowadays does not make or break an experience for me. But this game’s beauty is impossible to ignore. Ratchet is no longer just a piece of fur; you can see each hair on his face. And it confuses me why the game insists on him wearing a helmet to cover it up. Thankfully though, the helmet is removed during the cutscenes so we can fully be engrossed by the ridiculous animation in this game. There are some levels where the trees look photo realistic, straight out of The Lion King. And maybe one of the coolest animation details is the reflection off Clank during cutscenes. He is not just metal, but shiny. So shiny in fact, that the world around him reflects off his skull. It could have been easy to just make him gray, but the animators used every pixel they had to wow me and they succeeded.
Just as stunning as the animation is the actual gameplay. As mentioned before, the gunplay is exciting as the level up system is back again. The more you use a gun, the more experience you will get for it. And what is truly a testament to the care that goes into this game is the level variety and what each world requires of you. One world is practically an open world environment for you to explore, another requires you to jump from ship to ship, and one uses almost exclusively rail and swing shots to move around location. All the worlds are unique in both design and gameplay. Each world has its own identity, which makes each new location an exciting experience, knowing I will get to do something new.
What might be the biggest addition to the game is playing as a whole new character. Clank built Ratchet a dimensionator so Ratchet can find other Lombaxes, but Nefarious gets a hold of it and chaos ensues. Ratchet and Clank are split up and after a level of Ratchet looking for his lost compadre, we are introduced to Rivet.
I am sure you are wondering how the gameplay changes from Ratchet to Rivet. Well, it doesn’t. At all. They both share the exact same weapons, ammo, bolts, armor, etc. Everything Ratchet does, Rivet does as well and vice versa. They come up with a story reason of why what one does has no effect on the other, but that does not change the fact that the only upside of playing as Rivet is that you get to see her interact with Clank. The game does not give you a choice as to who you will play as either. Each planet is either a Rivet or a Ratchet planet that changes with each new discovery.
That is not to say Rivet is a downgrade from Ratchet. She just does not offer anything new game-wise. Rivet is a wonderful new addition and one I hope sticks around going forward. She could easily be implemented in multiplayer features in future installments. She has a fleshed out backstory, hopes and dreams that make sense to her, reluctance to trust that is deep seated, and she is not perfect either. She is stubborn to the core and does not trust anything. Watching her slowly let her guard down for someone as sweet as Clank is an absolute joy to this game, and by the end, you are hoping for a Rivet spin-off to spend more time with her.
With Rivet now teaming up with Clank, we cannot leave Ratchet by his lonesome for too long, can we? Ratchet eventually finds a female version of Clank, KT-7461 (who does get a nickname, and no, it is not the obvious one). KT-7461 is a former warbot who is desperately trying to change her way. And unlike Rivet, Ratchet has trust that anyone can be redeemed, which provides an equally compelling buddy up journey.
But sadly, the relationship building is the limit of a good story this go-around. We see different characters interact with each other and while that is certainly a highlight of Rift Apart, the overarching plot has been done to death in these games. It is just reskinned with new enemies and villains. The bad guys are not varied enough to even make me realize they are using different weapons. I cannot tell if one baddie uses lasers or guns. The only variant comes late in the game where pirates use shields. Ratchet’s motivations are also conflicting. He is retired, but once something goes wrong, he does not even question if he should go fight, he just does.
On top of that, we are revisiting a story I know I have seen before. Ratchet wants to find more of his kind, which has been done before. This is where I get confused about the lore of the story. There seems to be just loose threads connecting stories, but how much of the previous games are we ignoring? Most of it? All of it? Never stated. But the story has never been the strongest point of these games and I am cool with that. The gunning is enough to make this a wonderful time.
As perfect as I feel the gunplay and gameplay go, this game has some really glaring technical issues. I found my first major glitch in the second level where for some reason, I would die and never respawn. Worse off, it would literally brick my PlayStation. I waited several minutes and could do nothing. I could not turn off the game or the console. I had to dangerously unplug my PlayStation just to get off the screen. And the worst part is, this happened twice. I finally just had to stop playing all together and come back another day. But the glitches would persist. At times, levels would load incomplete, making me fall through the floor to my death. Parts of a level would stall, leaving me grinding off the rail when I should be able to jump. At times I would jump onto a platform and be zapped backwards, again to my death. These annoyances happened consistently throughout the game and it took a bit of enjoyment away and caused some anxiety about if the game was going to brick or not.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart has some real flaws, but they can be easily overlooked (as long as the PlayStation doesn’t get bricked). The story is missing originality, but the characters that are introduced bring all the charm and heart you hope for from a Ratchet and Clank game. Rivet and KT-7461 are so wholesome and loving, and there is a manic pixie dream bot that brings the type of energy that is euphoric to even the biggest introvert. Where Ratchet and Clank truly shines is the stellar gameplay. This game perfectly makes it feel like 2003 while introducing several new elements to keep it fresh. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is excellent in all the ways that truly matter, and gamers around the dimensions should be thrilled we can return to a franchise that helped shape our childhood.
Grade: A-