This review of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is spoiler free. Review code provided by PlayStation.

Eight months have passed since the launch of the PlayStation 5, and so far Sony has been able to maintain their cadence of high quality first-party releases. With the continued support of its catered studios, players are given more of a reason to purchase a PS5 with each passing day. One of its top talents, Insomniac, opened the console launch window with Spider-Man: Miles Morales. In the short timeframe since November 2020, the studio has produced another title from a beloved franchise—Ratchet & Clank—as a next-gen exclusive.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is the franchise’s next title and it sees the dynamic duo once again tasked with stopping yet another scheme of Dr. Nefarious. This time however, they will need additional support to take him down. His newest plan threatens the stability of the universe, as different dimensions begin to collide and fold in on themselves. Due to this instability, the dynamic duo are separated early on into the adventure and find themselves in the support of familiar, yet different, allies.

Player’s screen-time will be shared between not only Ratchet and Clank, but also series newcomer Rivet as well. Rivet, voiced by industry veteran Jennifer Hale, plays the doppelganger counterpart to Ratchet, as the sole Lombax of her universe. Throughout the adventure, players will swap between playing as Ratchet, Rivet and Clank, as they work to support each other and save the dimension, restoring balance to the universe.

Rift Apart’s gameplay and style will seem familiar to series veterans, however it shines in its ability to welcome newcomers into the franchise. First-timers may feel as though the title is a sequel to 2016’s excellent franchise reboot, however, the title is a direct continuation to 2013’s Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus. Even if no previous Ratchet & Clank was played however, you will be able to enjoy the new title without feeling left out. Rift Apart’s gameplay stands out in its ability to prioritize speed over everything else—without making any sacrifices along the way. As the levels are larger and longer, Insomniac has added new mechanics to help players traverse the worlds at a faster pace than ever before. Large environmental platforms are separated by grapple points that allow Ratchet or Rivet to swing across. On land, players can expect to take advantage of the new rocket propelled boots that will see the Lombaxes skating across long pieces of land.

All of this speed pales in comparison to the load times, thanks to the custom PS5 SSD. Before you can even adjust your hands around the controller, the game has already booted up and is awaiting your command at the title screen. From there, it can take less than three seconds to resume the adventure where you last left off. This speed translates to a gameplay benefit as well, as going from planet to planet, or even from dimension to dimension, is practically instantaneous. If Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a showcase of what the PS5 can offer the industry as a next generation system, then imagine what is in store down the line after more time is spent tinkering.

Each of the game’s planets, while unique and linear in their own way, are large enough to create an illusionary open-world mystique. Narratively tied to each Lombax, players will go from planet-to-planet hunting down the components required to rebuild The Dimensionator and stop Dr. Nefarious. The power of Sony’s next generation hardware has allowed these planets to flourish and pop with the most beautiful scenery on the hardware to date. In addition to this fidelity, the hardware’s capability also allows for player choice in how the game is played. Between native 4K resolution to solid 60 frames per second (fps), players will be able to experience this new adventure in different ways.

But Insomniac didn’t just stop there, why decide between high quality visuals and high frame rate when you can have the best of both worlds? Just as they did with Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered thereafter, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart offers a Performance/Ray Tracing mode that slightly lowers the resolution in favour of high performance and enhanced reflections to increase realism. All three options are viable ways to play, and it’s nice to see the developers finding a middle ground between the two primary options.

Veterans of the franchise will recognize a Ratchet & Clank weapon when they see it. All it takes is one pull of the trigger on a RYNO for fans to instantly identify what game they are playing. Much like 2016 Ratchet & Clank’s excellent implementation of wacky weaponry, Rift Apart knocks it out of the park with its unique and diverse weapon mechanics. Whether it is blasting enemies away with a rapid fire close-quarters shotgun, or using a variety of projectile allies to fight alongside you, there is no shortage of fun to be had with this title. The vast array of weaponry is what establishes Ratchet & Clank’s unique style of platform gameplay—and there is no better way to showcase the title’s lineup like the DualSense’s haptic feedback and triggers.

As a next generation PS5 exclusive, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart contains a host of new bells and whistles that solidify itself as a title worth playing on Sony’s newest machine. The DualSense’s haptic feedback is the star of the show, as Rift Apart’s wide array of weaponry make full use of the controller’s featureset. Most of the weapons available have a secondary function that can be triggered by either applying slight tension to the triggers instead of following through with a full pull, or utilizing the left trigger in tandem with the right. Along with trigger resistance for each weapon comes the individualized sound bytes that they have to differentiate between them. The PS5’s DualSense controller defines the next-gen experience for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.

There are very few flaws to point out within Rift Apart’s short, but fulfilling runtime. Even minor grievances can come across as personal nitpicks, however there are two design choices that can cause you to question the developer’s intentions. For starters, the player’s inventory, unlocks and progression are shared among both Ratchet and Rivet. An understandable gameplay choice, however narratively it does not make sense for the two Lombaxes to be on completely different planets while using the same weapons that the other purchased from the vendor. This could have been explained away by the vendor not understanding that they are different characters, however it references Ratchet as a new entity within the first level.

In addition to this, Clank’s puzzle sections are fun, unique and challenging if you allow yourself to get lost in them. Their only issue is they come in sets of three, three separate times throughout the story. This would not seem like a larger issue if the game was longer, however with its current, and frankly perfect length, the amount of puzzles can feel pace-breaking. Much of this issue with pacing can come from the user’s ability to solve the puzzle at their own speed. Fast learners can make it through the puzzle in mere minutes, quickly resuming the wall-bouncing action gameplay. Those who take their time can lose 15 to 20 minutes completing each of the three-leveled puzzle sections. Not to say the Clank sections are bad, far from it, however reducing them to a two puzzle set with three rotations might have helped keep focus on the game’s main path.

Overall, if you own a PS5 and have not yet purchased Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, you are missing out on possibly the consoles best exclusive to date. Whether it is the frenetic gunplay of one of the many unique weapons in the game, or the insane speed at which the game can load, run and play at, there are more than enough reasons to enjoy this title. Insomniac has produced some of the best PlayStation exclusives in recent memory. No matter the franchise they choose to create and explore, they present a quality that is matched by only a handful of other developers. If you have been sleeping on an Insomniac game until now for whatever reason, there is no better way to jump in than with Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.

Have you been playing Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart? Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments below!