Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is coming out! In three weeks, the first PlayStation 5 exclusive for all audiences will be available in France. In order to prepare for his arrival, we take stock with you on everything there is to know about the game.
Series that saw the light of day in 2002, Ratchet & Clank welcomes its twelfth episode on June 11 with Rift Apart. If they are all part of a larger work, each Ratchet & Clank tells its own story and understands itself independently of the others.
We follow the adventures of Ratchet & Clank: the first is a lombax dreaming of space adventures seeking to other representatives of its species, the second is a robot that has escaped from its manufacturing plant.
In Rift Apart, they must prevent Nefarious (recurring antagonist of the saga) from achieving his ends: thanks to the Dimensionator, he wants to create alternative dimensions where he is always the winner. From then on, Ratchet & Clank are separated and find themselves in two distinct dimensions.
They must come together to stop Nefarious’ plans. If you are strongly advised to play it, you don’t need to do Ratchet & Clank 2016 to understand the ins and outs of Rift Apart.
What is its gameplay? Are there any novelties?
In view of the many gameplay sequences and our preview, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart does not shake up the recipe developed by Insomniac Games almost twenty years ago. Like its predecessors, the exclusive PS5 immerses the player in a title mixing platformer, action and puzzle in a colorful universe.
The combat phases take place in a third-person view, in which Ratchet shoots his enemies. Several weapons with their own capacity are to be recovered during the adventure, and that’s without counting the different armor scattered in the title.
They level up as they are used. Clank will not be outdone: his small size allows him to squeeze into unattainable places. These are often made up of a puzzle, the completion of which is necessary to be able to move forward.
So, what’s new if Insomniac Games more or less changes the formula? For the first time in the history of the saga, it is possible to play a different Lombax than Ratchet: Rivet. It is in the dimension of this feminine lombax that Clank finds himself with whom he will try to find his friend.
If Rivet seems to sport the same abilities as his male friend, Rift Apart signs the arrival of the rush: it will be possible to go very quickly to the left or the right, making the fights even more dynamic and nervous. In addition, it should be noted that the script has been revised upwards.
During our preview of the game, the “Ratchet & Clank staging Rift Apart seems more than ever to be inspired by other big Sony productions, God of War and Uncharted in mind“.
Unveiled at the same time as the PlayStation 5 during a showcase from Sony in June 2020, Rift Apart is the spearhead of the manufacturer to sell its machine and the features it brings. First of all, Sony puts forward the SSD of the console.
The constructor promises fluid and almost instantaneous passages when changing dimensions, the key feature of the title. It is for this reason that the game will not be released on PlayStation 4, the console is not equipped with such hardware.
Also worth noting, the SSD also offers very lively and fulfilling sets, as can be seen in the town of Nefarious. Like Returnal before it, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart puts adaptive triggers and haptic feedback to the test, especially in the use of weapons: depending on the pressure generated by the fingers, the shots of the pistols will vary.
Note: the player will have the choice of playing between a Loyalty mode at 30 FPS or a performance mode targeting 60 FPS.
Who can play it?
Absolutely everyone. For almost 20 years, Insomniac Games has been delivering entertaining productions for young and old. Under these video game tunes hide a polished animation and a humor often very consistent with the subject of the title.
Already mentioned above, Insomniac changes the formula little while taking advantage of current technologies to provide a larger audience with an essential saga of video games. A breath of fresh air for the PS5, whose latest exclusives are aimed at a very (too) informed public with Demon’s Souls or Returnal.
Are there any offers not to be missed?
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is scheduled for June 11 on PlayStation 5. It is currently on pre-order at FNAC for $85.
In addition, a digital deluxe edition exists. Priced at € 89.99, it contains the full set, five pieces of armor, a sticker pack for Photo mode, 20 units of raritanium (in-game upgrade material), digital soundtrack and an artbook digital.