Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart | PS5 Review

The Ratchet & Clank series is one that has shockingly eluded me over the years. Perhaps I jumped on the PS2 bandwagon a little later than most or I was at that weird age where I felt too “old” to be playing such cartoony games. Regardless, I’ve felt somewhat left out since so many people talk about these games so highly. With that said, I eagerly jumped into the newest entry from Insomniac Games, called Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Although I knew next to nothing about the characters, the hype was simply too high regarding how good it looked. Not to mention, I’ve been looking forward to any title that justified my purchase of a PlayStation 5. I’m happy to report that, for once, a game has lived up to the hype. I was blown away, not only by how good this one looks, but also by how much fun it was to play. This might be my latest contender for my Game of the Year list for 2021.

A Crack in Time

On the surface, Rift Apart seems like a game entirely made for kids. And on some level, it is. Those kids just happened to have grown up into adults. This seriously feels like a story straight out of Saturday morning cartoons, and I mean that in the best way possible. The characters are over the top, the voice acting is top-notch, and never once did the story feel like it dragged.

In Rift Apart, Clank has developed a weapon that creates rifts in the universe between alternate dimensions. His purpose in doing so is to allow Ratchet to find others of his kind. It appears as if he is the only Lombax in the universe, and Ratchet wants to find others like him. Clank’s intentions are pure, but as expected, things go badly. The evil Dr. Nefarious gets his hands on the device and decides to use it for his own personal gain. This causes all kinds of problems in the universe, as rifts start appearing randomly, unraveling existence in the process. It’s up to Ratchet and Clank to reclaim the weapon and save the universe.

The inclusion of Ratchet’s dimensional counterpart, Rivet (along with her inevitable sidekick, Kit) adds an incredibly fun element to the story. The pairs don’t even meet in person until around the halfway mark of the twelve-hour adventure, which invested me in the characters far more than I had anticipated. On top of that, other familiar characters from the series have their own parallel characters in Rift Apart as well. Long-time fans of the games will more than likely get a chuckle out of seeing familiar faces with new characteristics.

My only gripe here is that there’s little explanation of these characters for those new to the franchise. This is far from a deal breaker for me, however. For one, it’s my fault for not playing the previous titles. And for another, it doesn’t detract from the rest of the game at all. I just felt a bit left out of some of the borderline inside jokes present here.

Up Your Arsenal

Rift Apart looks positively fantastic. Rarely does a game’s positive reaction wind up paying off for me by the time I get my hands on a game. In this case, however, the hype is real. This game is stunning to watch. The detail of each and every character is exquisite. I can see individual hairs on each of our furry heroes. What’s even more amazing is that this graphical quality carries over between cut scenes and gameplay with zero transition between one another. I’ve said in the past that certain games made you feel like you’re playing an interactive cartoon, but this one takes the cake. It was almost too good to be true, as it feels like you’re literally involved in a Pixar-quality level interactive experience. No exaggeration. This is the real deal.

What’s even crazier is the amount of beautiful things happening on the screen at one time without even a hint of the hardware chugging while doing so. Especially towards the end of the game, there are a crazy amount of enemies, bolts, coins, and laser beams everywhere on the screen. I instinctively expected something to slow down or to hear my PS5 start sounding like a jet engine. But it simply never happened. The vibrancy of every world carried through and never let up. Rift Apart is proof positive that a game doesn’t have to be realistic-looking to be one of the most beautiful ones you’ve ever seen.

The last thing I’ll say about how this game looks is that the attention to detail is intense. Every area has so many small pieces scattered around with visible wear and tear. There’s never any repeated assets, and every section feels like a lived-in cartoon world. Certain enemies have their own dialogue mid-fight, which is instantly squelched as soon as you defeat that particular enemy. Multiple times, I had to interact with a keyboard. While my character typed on-screen, the sound coming out of my controller actually matched up with the movement on my screen. I even noticed that the characters’ mouths moved in synch with the dialogue during gameplay. There are so many little things that simply didn’t need to be done to make a great game, but they all add up to a wonderful treat for the ears and eyes.

Tools of Destruction

So enough about how the game looks. How does it play? I’m happy to report that Rift Apart is an absolute blast to play. For the most part, you’ll play as either Ratchet or Rivit, blasting through enemies with a plethora of weapons, and traversing light platforming sections. Even though I’ve never played the original games in the series, I’m fully aware of the importance of clever weaponry, and this title delivers. You’ll unlock a crazy amount of inventive tools to take out your foes, and every one of them is great to experiment with. Some weapons didn’t really interest me at all, but when I tried them I wound up enjoying them a lot more than I expected. It’s crazy how satisfying and unique each one wound up being, and that alone makes this title worth checking out.

On top of that, there are other sections that mix up the formula a bit. As Clank, you’ll need to direct copies of himself (called “possibilities”) to the end of a platforming segment. It’s a combination of games like Lemmings and Portal, and I found each very satisfying to solve. Additionally, you’ll play as a robotic spider named Glitch, working your way through computer hardware taking out viruses. Both of these parts of the game never overstay their welcome, either. They’re short bursts buried within the game, and many are even skippable. So if you don’t feel like exercising your brain, you can simply get back into the action. I don’t remember many games offering this option, and it’s very welcome here.

I can’t forget to tell you about the rail grinding sections of the game. Those, and the sections where you’re speeding through the world either on a snail or on your hover boots, provide some of the best cinematic segments in any game I’ve played. The best part is they’re never frustrating or overly difficult. When I messed up, it was purely my fault, and I always jumped right back into the action quickly. They’re seriously so much fun to play and watch, it makes me wish I could just replay those parts of the game.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Final Verdict

Finally, we have a reason to own a PS5. This is the first must-have title for Sony’s console. It’s very accessible, gorgeous to look at, and you should do whatever you can to experience this fantastic title. Outside of a couple times where I got trapped inside the environment and had to restart a checkpoint, my time with the game was flawless. Although I wish I knew the characters better, it didn’t detract from the amazing time I had playing every minute of the game. Don’t let yourself miss out on this one, as it’s definitely worth playing, even if only to see just how beautiful games can look.

This review is based on a purchased copy of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart on PlayStation 5. It is exclusive to that platform.