Bolts Ahead: A Brief Look at Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
A New High Standard for this Sony Duo
The Ratchet & Clank remake languished on my backlog for years. At first, I wasn’t sure why. It was critically acclaimed! The combat seemed fun and right up my alley! From everything I heard/read, it was a must play Playstation exclusive.
But whenever I would settle down and decide to give Ratchet & Clank a try, I just couldn’t get into it. I would drop into a level, battling waves of enemie. I would hit the next story There was some collectibles and a random rail-grinding section.
Before to long, I realized the truth. Ratchet & Clank 2016 is dull. It looked great, but it felt creaky. Uninspired. It was a remake of an old game, and it felt like it. The jokes never landed for me, and the game was full of them. As I unlocked a new gun, I felt nothing. Each time I came back to the game, I would eventually just move on to something more appealing.
Snatch & Grab (2016)
Unfortunately, I knew I had to fight through that apathy. As 2021 continued on, I found myself looking forward to Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. It was the best big PS5 title! It looked like a showcase for the $400 behemoth on my TV stand, and I desperately hoped that I would like the game more than the PS4 Ratchet & Clank.
Because I’m a professional, I knew what I had to do. I was going to finish Ratchet & Clank. I wasn’t going to worry about the Platinum, the side quests, or even gathering up the Gold Bolts. This was the Game Loot equivalent of a snatch and grab; in and out. I also supposed that it was possible that I would grow to like the game. I don’t think the game is bad, I just found it excessively bland.
And I did it! I rolled credits and was finally able to delete the game (what a feeling!). I had not developed any new feelings about it. I had finished it and cleared another game off the backlog.
The sequel was incoming, and I was worried that I wouldn’t like it.
Nuts & Bolts (2016)
I’m nearing the end of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. I’ve completed every side quest available to me thus far, and I intend to earn that ever important Platinum trophy. In my mind, Rift Apart is nuts and bolts past the 2016 remake. If it didn’t feature a similar art style and returning characters, it would almost feel like a different franchise all together.
In my mind, Rift Apart has everything that the previous game didn’t. The story is wacky and wonderful. Each new planet from Blizar Prime to Torren IV brings a new flavor of adventure and interesting takes on the interdimensional action. The interplay between Ratchet and the newcomer Rivet is a joy to behold. The secrets of the Lombax draw me forward, even as I fear the (surprisingly) intimidating Emperor Nefarious. The humor has also received an upgrade as well; perhaps it’s a decade or two of improvements in game writing?
The graphics are startlingly beautiful. Like a lot of the other PS5 titles I’ve played so far, I can’t stop taking screenshots. Lighting effects, fur in the rain, particle effects as you blast another jetpack-lizard from the air; the work that Insomniac put into this title is apparent in every frame.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a fantastic title. I pulled a complete 180 on the Ratchet & Clank IP because of it. The remake didn’t work for me, but Rift Apart most certainly did.
