Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (PS5) Review

Fight, shoot, and jump around across dimensions.

 

 The latest entry in the famed Ratchet and Clank series finally makes its way on PlayStation 5 with Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart. Insomniac Games' iconic titular duo are back for another galaxy-saving adventure, this time spanning a new dimension. Having been a fan of the series for the longest time, I was excited for Rift Apart but didn't get the chance to play it at the time. Now that I finally did, does it live up to expectations?

 Our story begins when Ratchet and Clank are celebrating their victories of saving the galaxy over the years. However, things get interrupted when their arch-nemesis Dr. Nefarious strikes again. Tired of always losing to the duo, he steals the Dimensionator, a weapon capable of creating rifts between dimensions and transports himself to a dimension where he's won and has the galaxy under his rule. Ratchet and Clank are separated and find themselves part of the resistance that's fighting against Nefarious' tyrannical rule. The pair will also meet their alternate versions with Rivet, a hot-headed rebel and Kit, a reserved robot who will aid them on their quest. Along the way, the gang will have to thwart nefarious' plans while also travelling between dimensions to fix the Dimensionator and get back home. 

 The story was a good one and new characters Rivet and Kit were great. I did find that the tone was more campy this time around and I miss the adult humor from the PS2 era. With that said, I did enjoy new characters Rivet and Kit, as both were good parallels to the Ratchet and Clank, respectively, with interesting backstories to them.

Ratchet and Clank are back, and this time,
on a dimension-saving adventure.

 Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is a third-person shooter with platforming elements. You control Ratchet or Rivet as you shoot enemies, explore planets, grind on rails, and buy lots of guns. The new rift ability that allows you to seamlessly phase through parts of the areas to unlock new paths or ambush enemies from behind. In certain gameplay segments rifts will come to take into entirely different levels and fight off wild enemies, which was a neat idea that made gameplay all the more refreshing. The game's levels were fun to explore and packed lots of secrets like Gold Bolts that unlock perks and rift levels that house armor sets which made exploring the levels all the more interesting. 

 At times, you'll be playing a mini-game where you'll play as hacker bot Glitch, who'll shoot up viruses inside terminals that block Ratchet's path in certain levels. Glitch's levels were brief yet fun as you're hearing her thoughts as she's fighting waves of viruses gradually get more overwhelming. All in all, the game took around 13 hours to beat, which included getting all weapons, armors, and collectables. It's pretty short for a $70 with replay-value residing in going for higher difficulties and fighting the Battle Arena matches. 

Go guns blazing as you explore a bunch of neat planets
and battle a lot of enemies.

 Without a doubt, Rift Apart is the only game so far that looks "next-gen" to me. Making use of the PS5's capabilities, the backgrounds are dense detail, characters are expressive, and detailed reflections on surfaces. Ratchet looks fuzzy and life-like up-close while Clank is smooth and shiny, which is pretty neat. So far, it's the only game that screams next-gen to me. The voice-work was good, with solid performances befitting the characters and funny dialogue to boot. The soundtrack was also good, though nothing stood out to me.

Rift Apart is the PS5's most gorgeous game yet.

 Overall, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart was an enjoyable adventure that showcases the power of PS5. The story was nice, gameplay was engaging, and production values were fantastic. While I miss the more adult humor of the original games (and it's on the short side for a full-price release), Rift Apart is among the finest games that you can play on the console. Fans of the series and platformers alike should easily give it a look, especially when it's now on the PS+ subscription service.