To be totally honest, I didn’t think that a new Ratchet and Clank was going to come out. I figure after the movie and 2016 game that the series had wrapped up, however I was wrong and the inner long time Ratchet and Clank fan was super excited. My overall experience with the game was a great one, it felt like a Ratchet and Clank game which as a fan of the series, I was fine returning to something that felt familiar. With that being said, let’s talk about 3 things I liked, 3 things I didn’t and 3 things I would want to see moving forward.

The Good:

First thing I want to note is how they stuck to the formula when it came to gameplay. I know it is always interesting to see a series try something new, but like I said earlier it was nice to return to a familiar play style. This made it easier for long time fans to jump back into the series and when it was time to play as Rivet and Kit. What the gameplay also does is show off the adaptive triggers as most of the weapons have a half press and a full press function. So, for an example a half press would lop a grenade where a full press to throw it farther.

2^nd thing I like about this game, was how they used the dimension theme. I enjoyed that it was used to move around the map, for two types of puzzle levels and made boss fights interesting. It was fun looking for pocket dimensions and portals to explore new areas, and the use of moving the boss fight to different dimensions was a nice touch and I personally don’t think was over used and added a fun game mechanic.

The last good point of the game I will talk about is the characters. It was nice that “dimension counter parts” were very different from the Ratchet and Clank dimension not in just design but in personality and backstory. For example, Emperor Nefarious was not only a successful version of Dr. Nefarious had powers that made him a real threat. I also really like the addition of Rivet and Kit and enjoyed that they weren’t just “clones” of Ratchet and Clank and weren’t partners off the bat. I also enjoyed that they paired Ratchet and Kit and Rivet and Clank up as it was a nice way to explore these new characters with characters, we were already familiar with so we could focus on the learning about the new character.

So those are three things I liked about this game, but what are some things I didn’t like?

The Bad:

First thing I had an issue with was the invisible walls and the random clip through spots. I really enjoyed exploring the planets, however I had a couple times where I try to jump on a ledge and would either wall jump off it or clip through it and die. It didn’t happen too often but there were a couple of spots where I would slightly miss a landing, end up in a weird falling animation and then just die. Again, didn’t happen too often but was annoying when it did.

The next thing that I wish was better was Rivet’s gameplay. I enjoyed Rivet as a character, but it would have been nice if she played differently than Ratchet. It would have been nice if maybe Rivet was a bit quicker on her feet, but when she swings her hammer, it was slower but hit harder. Also, I wish they weapon set between the two was a tad bit different. Don’t get me wrong, sharing the weapon set made it easier to level up the weapons, but giving Rivet her own weapons and gadgets would have added a bit more to the character and make playing her feel a bit more unique.

The last negative point I want to talk about is the lack of Kit gameplay. You only get to play as Kit once and it just a Clank level. I would really like to play as her cause she is a big part of Rivet’s backstory and with the fact that she could change size on demand it could have had some interest levels where Kit had to become large to remove some obstacles. Just would have been nice for Kit to get some more game time.

Overall, I didn’t find or have any real issues with the game, just felt like some missed opportunities and leads us to the final sections, things I would like to see in the next game.

The Future:

Hopefully, the game has done well enough that we get a new series of games during the PS5 lifetime. The first thing I would like to see is more unique gameplay, planet wise. I liked the back and forth of Rivet would handle these worlds and Ratchet went to the others, but in the future would be nice if the world was available to both characters and have some sections only available for one of the characters. This would add a bit more diversity in the gameplay as you jump from world to world.

The 2^nd thing I would like moving forward is a Rivet and Kit spin off game. As much fun as it was to watch all 4 of these characters interact, I feel like Rivet and Kit need their own game not only to explore more of their dimension but also watch their friendship grow.

The last and most wanted thing I want is for the next game to finally have Ratchet and now Rivet find either the new home world of the Lombaxes or more Lombaxes. I feel like we finally need the payoff from the future series and have a game where the Lombaxes are found. Especial now since the dimensionator is fixed and in the right hands. I would love to see this and would even take it as DLC but I think a game fully focus on this would be awesome.

Conclusion:

As a fan of the series, Rift Apart in my opinion did a great job continuing on the series and I would love for this continue during the PS5 lifetime. More because the other PS2 icons have died and will likely never return. From the visuals to the audio to the fun characters, this game was a joy to play from beginning to play. I highly recommend this game if you are lucky enough to get a PS5, even if you are new to series, I think you will like the game. And with that, thank you for taking the time to read this and until next time; Stay Safe, Be Kind and Game On!