It has been five years since the last game in the series came out. That game was simply titled Ratchet and Clank which released in 2016 and was a PS4 exclusive. It was a remake/reboot of the first game which was made to also promote the series’ first movie.
Based on reviews, fans seemed to have dug the game way more than the movie. What’s most important here is that it has been a long time since this series last emerged and the big question was is Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart worth the wait? The easy answer is yes as it is a nice showcase for the PS5. The series does show its age in some regard with this new game though.Â
10 Best: D-Pad Shortcuts
Games that give players the option to change controls, such as moving how one runs, are always welcome. Not many games allow players to tinker with the D-Pad though. In this game, by default, it is used to hot swap between four weapons which is great for combat. What’s even better is using the D-Pad for other shortcuts such as accessing Photo Mode quicker or using it to throw the melee weapon, which is a standard move for this series.Â
9 Worst: Glitchy Audio
This game is extremely polished but there is one bug that is very noticeable. Like most games, characters will talk while running around in the game which adds some nice context while out of cutscenes.
Sometimes these conversations will continue if one activates a cutscene so that there will be layers of audio tripping over each other. Another audio bug can oftentimes cut out one character so that it sounds like the other is talking to themself.Â
8 Best: Weapon VarietyÂ
This gaming series is known for its inventive weapons and this new game is no different. There are some returning variants such as guns that shoot missiles and saw blades, but then there are some truly original ones. The Pixelizer turns enemies into pixelated nightmares, complete with audio fitting the pixel vibes. There’s another gun, the Topiary Sprinkler, which is basically a sprinkler grenade that turns enemies into shrubs.Â
7 Worst: Enemy VarietyÂ
The one variety in the game that is not as good as the weapon placement is in regard to enemies. There will be a lot of fights with the same robot archetypes again and again which is not terrible because they do look great and most games reuse enemies. No one is going to fault another platformer star, Mario, for stomping on Goombas all the time.
The place where this is most noticeable is the bosses which nine times out of ten will use the same Juggernaut type robot and that can get old.Â
6 Best: Challenge Mode
This gaming series has always prided itself on adding a New Game+ option for players. In this case, it is called Challenge Mode and carries all level progression for items and characters. The only thing that resets is the story. This mode adds new weapon upgrades along with the ability to earn more bolts via a multiplier if one doesn’t get hit.Â
5 Worst: Not Much New
This game is the best playing and looking version of anything that came before it. This gaming series started on the PS2 in 2002 and has continued to remain true to itself. There are issues to this as while this is a fun game, it also doesn’t do anything truly new to make the experience new for veteran players.
Players go to a planet, do a mission, and then leave to land on another planet to repeat the process. Don’t expect anything more than a more polished version of this tried and true cycle.Â
4 Best: Epic Scale
The most obvious thing one could praise this game on is the graphics. They look great on the PS5 in motion and perhaps better in a still if a photo is taken. The graphics are one thing but what really sets the technology apart from other games in the series is its scale. There are so many epic battles going on in this game with enemies and blasts appearing on screen that it is a technical marvel that it runs so well. Â
3 Worst: No Manual Saves
This game does not feature any way to manually save the experience. On one hand, it should be praised that it offers many checkpoint opportunities. If one dies on a section chances are they don’t have to go back too far especially for tricky platforming situations like on the grind rails.
As generous as the game is it would also be great for players to add in saves of their own for many reasons such as wanting to replay a section whenever they want.Â
2 Best: Puzzle Skip
At its core, this game, and overall series, is an action platformer with RPG elements. There are also some small sections of the game with puzzles. Not everyone that plays action games like this enjoys and/or is smart enough to solve puzzles can force some to quit games. The nice thing about this game is that both the Clank and Glitch puzzles can be skipped with a simple touch of a button in the menu.Â
1 Worst: Doesn’t Do Much With Rifts
Another thing that goes along with this game not offering much new to old players is in regard to the rifts. The game is centered around them, is even named after these anomalies, but it doesn’t do you bough to really make them pop. Besides the coolness of showcasing levels loading quickly, that is basically it. There are no surprises taking in things from other things which some players might have been hoping for since this does use other realities.Â