The release of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is around the corner and it’s without a doubt one of the most anticipated PlayStation 5 games out there. We received a review key from PlayStation and dived into the interdimensional madness that this game has to offer. Is this the one every PlayStation 5 owner needs to play? Let’s find out!
Interdimensional story
If you’ve played Ratchet & Clank games in the past, it’s good to know where Rift Apart takes place. Since it’s part of the future Saga, it’s set after the events of Into the Nexus and the 2016 remaster Ratchet & Clank. For veteran players it’s amazing to see some familiar faces and locations making a return in stellar 4K visuals on PlayStation 5, but even if you’re completely new to the franchise, you’ll have no trouble at all understanding what’s going on.
The story of Rift Apart revolves around an interdimensional rift, caused by a malfunctioning Dimensionator. This amazing piece of technology was a gift for Ratchet so he could find his long-lost Lombax family, but sadly that reunion got sabotaged by the evil dr. Nefarious. Without going into spoilers territory, the story kicks off with Ratchet & Clank being separated and catapulted into different dimensions. Separated from Ratchet, Clank quickly hooks up with Rivet, a mysterious female Lombax who seems to be Ratchet’s equal in her dimension. The story constantly shifts between Ratchet’s and Rivet’s worlds. While both Lombaxes have their own challenges they need to face, they both work together towards one common goal: defeating dr. Nefarious and his more powerful interdimensional counterpart Emperor Nefarious once and for all. The flow of the story is what keeps you going, forcing you to keep pushing forwards while you’re constantly getting closer to your goal. The way the characters are introduced and interact with the many NPCs is unseen and reminded me of the better Pixar movie a couple of times. If you thought the story would just be an afterthought, you better prepare for the ride of your life. Without spoiling it for you, this is by far the best, most unexpected, and most thrilling story I ever witnessed in a Ratchet & Clank game.
Fire up your arsenal
If you want to take down Nefarious, you’ll have to get through hordes of enemies before you can reach him. Fighting these enemies has always been a huge part of the typical Ratchet & Clank gameplay but truly shines on PlayStation 5. Since this console is way more powerful than anything before, combat is extremely impressive and fluent. I faced tens of enemies all at once and defeated them using one of my fast-paced weapons without ever noticing a single drop in quality. Combat is remarkably intense, chaotic, but in the end, always extremely rewarding. I simply love all the small details while fighting my enemies. From visually pleasing effects such as destructible armor and environments to the insanely creative weapons available, everything about combat just screams fun. The more you advance in the game, the more impressive your weapons become. It all starts off pretty straightforward with your trusted blaster but will quickly evolve into rocket launchers, bombs, pulse waves, and more. Discovering and unlocking those new weapons is certainly part of the game’s charm. Thanks to the DualSense controller, combat really steps up to a new and unseen level with the help of the haptic triggers.
Every since I own my PlayStation 5, I have been blown away by the DualSense’s possibilities a couple of times. Before I played Rift Apart, I was convinced that Astro’s Playroom would always remain the game that used the haptic triggers in the best way possible, but now my opinion has changed. Using the haptic triggers in combination with the impressive arsenal of weapons, this really is a new experience. As you’ll quickly learn, a lot of weapons have different firing modes, activated by the triggers. Take your Burst Pistol for example. If you softly push the shoulder button, you’ll fire a single shot, if you push your trigger all the way down, you’ll fire a constant burst of rounds. Experimenting with your weapons is a lot more fun thanks to this haptic feedback and after playing it like this, I wouldn’t want to go back to the old ways. The DualSense is also used outside combat to increase your immersion in the world. From literally feeling the music vibrations in the palm of your hands to countless audio prompts, the DualSense forms a huge factor in how you’ll enjoy your time with Rift Apart.
Travel with no delay
Although the combat is top-notch and really takes advantage of the PlayStation 5’s power, it’s nothing compared to what the speed of the SSD can mean for your gaming experience. Since you’ll be traveling between dimensions a lot, it’s good to know that you won’t have to bother with any loading screens while doing so. Jumping from one dimension to another is just as smooth as entering a door to a new room. During the story itself, you’ll witness some of the most impressive and fluent transitions between dimensions, always while remaining in full control of your character, clearly demonstrating you aren’t watching a cutscene but you are still playing the game. Getting thrown into different dimensions never gets boring and even nearing the end of the story, I was still amazed by the visuals of a new dimension. But that’s not all, the rifts play a crucial role in the gameplay too.
While playing, you’ll often notice a smaller rift hovering around, you can activate those with a push of the shoulder button, which will then pull that rift towards you, teleporting you to its location. Using these smaller rifts is especially useful during combat since you’ll be able to quickly change your location and position, confusing the enemies and giving you a short window of opportunity to take them down a bit faster. The more you advance, the more original and impactful those smaller rifts get while playing, resulting in some high-paced adrenaline-packed sequences. Imaging grinding over a bar at full speed, only to jump to the alternate dimension where you’ll continue grinding and dodging different obstacles. Moments like those have a certain flow and it’s impressive to see what you’re able to do without the slightest form of delay. The SSD really shines here and makes it clear why this is a PlayStation 5 exclusive.
Variation to keep you going
Between battling the enemies and traveling between dimensions, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart always keeps things fresh thanks to its variation. While playing, I wasn’t bored since the game doesn’t allow any rest. One moment you’re fighting one of the game’s impressive bosses, while moments after that, you’re solving one of the original puzzles in order to move forwards. The gameplay really finds the right balance between combat and mini-game-like variations. From racing high-speed snails to infiltrating bugged computers, it’s all there and you never know what to expect. I love how the game constantly throws a new mechanic at you without losing too much time explaining the precise controls. It’s not always that easy and you’ll often fail during your first attempt, but it’s pretty amazing to see how many gameplay elements got combined into one adventure, without ever feeling forced into the story. Each element has its reason to be there and makes exploring the gorgeous worlds even more fun.
Of course, you can stick to the main story missions only, but you’ll miss out on a lot of fun. Between traveling dimension, you’ll visit different planets too, each with its own set of secrets and secondary quests. The main story offers enough content to keep you entertained for hours, but if you really want to extend your stay in Rift Apart, there are tons of extra quests and challenges to be found. It’s never a punishment to diverse from your path and clear some bonus challenges or quests in order to upgrade your weapons or gear. The higher you level your weapons and the better your gear, the more powerful you’ll eventually become before you have to defeat the final boss. The game never forces you to explore the planets but in all honesty, you would miss out on a lot of great content if you don’t do so. All planets have their own environment and theme, and all are filled with amazing content to be discovered. It’s never the game’s main selling point but exploring the gorgeous world Insomniac Games managed to create is worth every second.
Conclusion:
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is by far the most impressive game currently available on PlayStation 5 and uses the advantage of the DualSense and SSD to their full potential. It still offers that classic Ratchet & Clank gameplay but really takes it to the next level. Rift Apart is filled with content to keep you entertained for hours while the story itself is without a doubt the most impressive one yet. If you own a PlayStation 5, there’s simply no reason not to play this masterpiece.
