Review — Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart

The return of a PlayStation staple is filled with hectic action, impressive visuals and emotive storytelling

Ratchet and Clank was one of the first games I remember getting for the PS2. It was a year or two after the title was released and my parents were awesome enough to snag Sly Cooper with it. While I adored Sly Cooper and have played each game in its (too) short series, Ratchet and Clank gripped me more with its slick humor that went over my head, rude attitude and focus on ridiculous weapons used to embarrass and blast foes on wacky planet after planet. It was the perfect game for my pre-teen brain to soak up and play for way too many hours, even after the credits rolled.

Rift Apart recaptures that off-kilter, zany personality the series has honed for almost two decades with an emotional, action-packed romp full of gut busting humor and intense gunfights. After almost a decade without a proper entry, an excellent albeit story-devoid game adaptation of a movie (based on the first game) and said movie that flew under the radar, Rift Apart is a true return to form and continuity. Ditching the more kid-friendly humor present in the Future games on PS3 and utilizing the cast of recognizable characters from the original trilogy, the game acknowledges all of its past efforts while making it clear that Rift Apart is a new beginning. To see the stretchy, goofy caricatures from the PS2 game upgraded to dialogue driven (just as goofy) heroes is rewarding.

This entry is a welcoming, warm game for longtime fans of Ratchet and Clank whether they kept up with the series or not, with winks and nods to old entries throughout as well a plot point that has been in the making since the original 2002 game. But, newcomers are more than welcome. No YouTube crash course is necessary to enjoy the easy to follow plot, although the payoff may not be as rewarding. I found myself tearing up while the credits rolled and during the climax of the game, remembering the previous entries that brought us to those moments. Still, the humor and fluid lore of Ratchet and Clank is embracing for all. You don’t need to know what makes a spaceship work or why Ratchet and Rivet are anthropomorphic creatures, nor why there are so many space pirates, to enjoy the ride.

Rift Apart starts with a bang and never slows down. The intro sequence is a light recap of past games in the series with fireworks, explosions and dozens of ships zooming past the player before the action kicks off less than five minutes later. Before you know it, you’re in a different dimension, finding new guns and navigating a smoky, cyberpunk cityscape. No aesthetic sticks around too long in Rift Apart, taking the player to a dinosaur-run ecosystem before steering them toward a destroyed space mining base. Story progression seems natural, although speedy. Characters seem to know exactly what to do before the player can absorb the consequences, which can disorient players who aren’t used to the fast-paced story telling of the series.

As a showcase for the PS5’s graphical prowess, Rift Apart has no contenders. Yes, Demon’s Souls had incredible 4K graphics and brought a classic to life in a new decade, but Rift Apart leaps over it with three incredible graphics options. The performance option, for those with 120hz monitors or televisions, makes for the most responsive shooter to date on the system at 120FPS, while the performance RT mode, which makes the game run at a stable 60FPS with ray tracing, and Fidelity mode bring the game to a whole other level. While Ratchet and Clank is cartoony in nature, the addition of realistic textures, rays bouncing off of surfaces and reflecting objects in Rivet and Ratchet’s huge eyes add an entire level of realism and beauty. Multiple times, even on the performance RT mode, I felt like I was watching a blockbuster Pixar or Disney movie that was released this year. Enemies are animated but not plastic. The gears in Dr. Nefarious’s head spin and reflect off of his transparent dome. The scale of each planet feels real as you gaze into the distance and see every tree, spaceship and being have a life of its own.

Rift Apart’s story benefits from the experience developer Insomniac gained from plot heavy entries in their recent Spider-Man games. Even going back to the 2016 Ratchet and Clank, Ratchet seems more mature and well-written based on his experience and adventures. No longer the gung-ho wannabe ranger from the first entry, Ratchet is an accomplished lombax with confidence and a humble demeanor before the story kicks into gear. Clank is more of a philosopher and truth seeker based on his dimensional and time-based adventures on the PS3. Rivet, Ratchet’s dimensional counterpart and voiced by the wonderful Jennifer Hale, is reminiscent of 2002 Ratchet, with a chip on her shoulder, hilarious one-liners and a need to avoid emotional confrontation. Yes, kids can enjoy Rift Apart but the writing is stellar enough for players of all ages to enjoy, particularly the one-liners galore from the titular characters and a cast of jokers all around. The mass laser shooting, cocky villains and destruction galore are for all.

As a longtime fan, I was afraid Rift Apart would be another basic entry in the series like the 2016 release as far as gameplay. Thankfully with new mechanics, such as sprinting, hoverboots, dashing and more platforming options, Rift Apart has built on top of what made each game great without shoving in gimmicks. The ability to use a rift to pull yourself across an arena faster than you could ever run there is also a nice touch, useful in combat and puzzles. Rift Apart feels less like an on-rails third-person shooter than previous entries, with combat scenarios playing out differently depending on your loadout.

Weapons are mostly new, with a couple hidden until after your first playthrough, and all pack a different punch thanks to their varied design and usage of the DualSense for function. A new grenade shatters dimensions into shards that stick to enemies, and can be lobbed with a light push of R2 or spiraled directly at an enemy by pushing the button all the way down. Dogs that drill into the ground and blow up enemies can be locked on with a light press of R2 and released by pressing the button fully. Anyone looking for a good shooter with well-done use of the DualSense should pick this game up.

That being said, Rift Apart is missing variety in gameplay and difficulty. Much of the action is moment to moment shooting with platforming tossed in between, which never gets old before the credits roll due to the varied objectives, enemy types and gunplay. Platforming is on-rails for the most part (pun intended) with grind rails, flying sections and rifts to grab and collectibles for anyone looking to deviate from the main path, even slightly. I didn’t find hunting every collectible annoying, but I also didn’t find it entirely rewarding since they didn’t require too much thought to find on each planet. Even on the second hardest difficulty, Rift Apart is not a hard game, but that’s not what it’s trying to be so that’s fine. But for those looking to accomplish more with a second playthrough, you’ll probably have the game 100 percent complete before you even finish it. I even found myself getting collectibles early or before intended due to how easily the platforming with hover boots, resetting double jumps and sticky textures can be abused and manipulated to reach most platforms. Even the few puzzle sections with Clank and the hacking levels required minimal thought, serving only to break up the rest of the action rather than bend the brain.

It’s been less than a year since the ever elusive PS5 dropped and now we finally have a game representing what the system can do with games built for it from the ground up. Rift Apart may not be hundreds of hours of fun but it’s at least a few dozen, with charm, an emotional but hopeful plot and guns that make you go, “Oooh, I can’t wait to upgrade this so it turns even more lizard baddies into plants.” Difficulty may be lacking, but that’s not the point of the technically impressive, gorgeous journey through space. Rift Apart is a sort of reset for future entries of the Ratchet and Clank franchise, a new entry for PS5 owners looking for brain candy.

Now, we wait for more adventures from the Insomniac team. Hopefully a Rivet and Kit game is up next.