Ratchet & Clank Review: Rift Apart, An Impressive Cross-Dimensional Adventure!

Sony’s strategy to acquire Insomniac Games is probably one of the best decisions they’ve ever made, because the developer is arguably in a new, more promising era. After recording fantastic success through the exclusive Marvel’s Spider-Man game which is likely to be followed by a sequel soon, they are now ready to present their first next-gen game on the PlayStation 5 via Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.

From what he’s shown so far, it’s undeniable that Rift Apart is an action platformer game built with top-class quality. We are not only talking about the quality of the graphics, but also how the game looks directly from the action section to cinematic scenes that feel like they were made like Pixar or Dreamworks movies that are realized in real games.
We happened to have had the opportunity to try out the game over the past week. Following the embargo that has been determined, we are finally able to discuss the game in full in the review summary below!

An Amazing-Looking Cross-Dimensional Adventure

For those of us who are still unfamiliar with the premise, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a sci-fi themed action platformer game. The game’s story focuses on Ratchet and Clank who team up with a female Lombax named Rivet to defeat Dr. Nefarious and save dimensions across the galaxy from destruction. As you can see from the premise alone, there’s really nothing too revolutionary about the story concept, so don’t expect an emotional space opera story a la Mass Effect. On the other hand, the story in this game is packed lightly and gives a comfortable feel, similar to the kind of fun animated films that children and their parents usually watch on Sunday nights.

As we mentioned earlier, the visual quality in this game is really formulated like a Pixar animated film. The graphics and especially the character models really look very detailed. We could even count the number of hairs sticking out of Ratchet and River. The characters are also always expressive and very, very pleasing to the eye at all times, especially in the cutscenes. Of all the previous Ratchet and Clank games, we think this series can make some people become Furry lovers because the character model design is so charming *ahem* Rivet *ahem*.

The visual quality also extends to the entire game environment. The world in this game looks so foreign and full of space fantasy elements. Cities look so unique and full of life. Even the NPCs in this game also have good models to the point that we mistake them for enemies or important characters.

But although visually the game does look on par with modern animated films, what’s more impressive is the game’s transition between cinematic portions and gameplay that is so smooth. We’re not kidding when we say that there were a few times where we just realized that the cutscene was over and how the characters were getting controlled. Transitions like this are indeed very good and can even confuse us in distinguishing cutscenes from gameplay.

Exceptional Action Platformer Gameplay

You can shoot, jump, and drag yourself into a dimensional space and perform lots of other cool stunts. After playing, we increasingly feel that the action side feels heavier than the platforming. There are parts in the game where you can perform acrobatic actions such as running on walls or swinging in Lara Croft style, but the difference is that the controls that are presented feel more responsive and easy. So for those of you who expect an extra challenge in the platforming section, unfortunately this game can’t answer those expectations.

Action is the main portion that is deeply rooted in this game. We’ve already mentioned how smooth the game transitions between cutscenes and gameplay, so this part is really immersive. We even saw enemy robots lose body parts and visible damage when shot, which of course also shows the aspect of extraordinary detail. The ability to dodge attacks in gameplay also feels smooth with a friendly Invincibility Frame level. As a result, even though we played on the second highest difficulty level in this review, the gameplay never left us feeling frustrated.

A big part of what keeps the gameplay fresh is the variety of weapons. There are tons of weapons in this game, from the typical sci-fi blaster gun that Ratchet often uses to gloves that can turn enemies into plants. Although all of them are interesting to use or just look at, some of these weapons overall offer the same sensation. Visually the effects are different, but some weapons work the same way, which can make some weapons feel redundant rather than helping us in handling some important situations.

That said, we enjoyed the leveling system it offers for each weapon. Weapons can be strengthened up to level 5, and upon reaching max level, the Skill Tree for each weapon will be fully unlocked. Players can spend Raritanium, loot obtained from certain bosses and blue boxes, to unlock new abilities and bonuses for weapons. Raritanium is very easy to obtain. Actually, you can get it very easily because the world map will also show the places where you can find it. This is indeed quite helpful in completing the game more easily, but at the same time we hope to get more satisfaction from discovering it by doing exploration on our own. This doesn’t just apply to Raritanium, as there are a variety of other items that are also marked on the map which further makes free exploration feel less rewarding and overly regulated.

Outside of the action and combat sections, another gameplay element that we feel is well packaged is puzzles. There are two main types of puzzle sequences in the game, one where we hack the system, and the other where we can play as Clank to get rid of dimensional anomalies. Both are very helpful to keep the gameplay interesting because the differences are quite significant from the battle portion. A lot of effort is put into the puzzle, with a completely different map and mechanics making it quite stand out from the normal gameplay. In particular, we applaud the Insomniac Games team for giving players the option of skipping the puzzle if they just want to focus on combat and exploration. Regardless, we still highly recommend you to try the puzzles given because each challenge is for a more rewarding playing adventure.

Apart from the puzzle portion, you will play as Ratchet or Rivet, two Lombax who both have quite the same abilities. Unlocking skill access for one character will automatically unlock it for another character before it’s ready to be used again. Personally, we feel that this is a wasted opportunity to make the two characters unique and stand out from each other. Yes, they do have their own distinct and unique personalities, but the gameplay is pretty much the same. If Ratchet and Rivet had certain abilities that were unique to one of them, we think the gameplay would be much more interesting.

DualSense Features to Performance

We haven’t played a lot of PlayStation 5 exclusive games, but Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart might be considered one of the best, or perhaps the best, to take advantage of the DualSense feature. Insomniac Games really takes advantage of all the features on its controller and manages to make the gaming experience so enjoyable.

Even in the intro part of the game, we can feel certain parts of the controller vibrate based on the scene displayed on the screen. If a spaceship flies past us on the left, the left side of the PS5 controller also vibrates and vice versa. This is just one example of the many interesting experiences I’ve had with the Dualsense feature. The already stunning cutscenes are made even more immersive thanks to the precise and precise haptic feedback, which really made us want to keep the controller in hand at all times.

In addition to the vibration effect, the game makes use of adaptive triggers. For many weapons, depending on how much we press the R2 button, the weapon will have a different reaction. For example, pressing R2 halfway will indicate the angle and distance at which our grenade will land, whereas pressing it fully makes our grenade throw go fast. Other weapons can also change their firing pattern or mechanism based on this adaptive trigger.

But wait there’s more! Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart also makes careful use of the Dualsense Controllers integrated speakers. From dodging, to being hit, the controller will play audio cues that are just right but different from what we heard on the TV. This automatically makes the immersive impression in the game increase rapidly.

The game also runs as smoothly as it looks visually. We hardly noticed or felt any fps drop, even though what was displayed was full of hectic and hectic particle effects. The Motion Blur effect when moving the camera is still quite pronounced, so for players who can’t stand this graphic effect, fortunately, it can reduce its intensity in the settings section. We also almost never experience bugs and crashes except for one moment where the character is trapped in a container. But this problem can be solved by jumping to the previous checkpoint.

Conclusion

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart didn’t bring such a big revolution to the action platformer genre or the previous series, but we can’t deny the amazing gaming experience it offers from start to finish. Without a doubt this is one of the games with the best graphics quality on the market today, both visually and in-motion from the many actions that are displayed to the smooth transition from cutscenes to gameplay.

The implementation of the DualSense feature is also a plus point that makes our gaming experience even more memorable and immersive. This is certainly one of the superior features that will definitely not be obtained from the PlayStation 4. The light story with the gameplay offered is also combined with fun, although there are some complaints about the differences in the Racthet & Rivet gameplay which is still lacking and the exploration side is too controlled to follow the instructions. Not perfect and not so revolutionary, but from a technical point of view and the fun of playing Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart managed to answer its task with top-class quality.

Excess

Amazing graphic quality just like a Pixar or Dreamworks movie
Exciting gameplay with a solid portion of puzzle challenges
Maximum implementation of DualSense features

Lack

Pretty generic story
Ratchet and Rivet in gameplay seem quite the same

Final Score:

8.5/10

Be sure to stay up to date with other game news on Gamerwk.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Developer: Insomniac Games

Release Date: 2021-06-11

Console, PS5

This is the latest in the series that returns to tell the story of the adventures of the iconic Lombax Ratchet and his friend Clank to stop Dr. Nefarious. Developed exclusively for the PlayStation 5, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart features fantastic graphics, a live world setting, impressive cross-dimensional mechanics, and the presence of a sweet new protagonist, Rivet.