Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Brings Classic Characters to Next-Gen | Video Games

Taking place following 2013’s “Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus” and before the 2016 remake of “Ratchet & Clank” that coincided with the release of the film, “Rift Apart” centers again on a battle between the title characters and the notorious Doctor Nefarious. After the opening sequence/tutorial, a rift opens into another dimension and the villain jumps off to do what he does and try and destroy it. It turns out that the version of the good doctor over there has beat him to it and Emperor Nefarious is a far-more-dangerous version of the franchise’s big bad. Of course, there’s also an alternate version of Ratchet in the form of Rivet, a female Lombax, who is leading a resistance force against Nefarious. Over the course of the game, players alternate playing Rivet and Ratchet, even if the alternate universe concept feels a little underdeveloped.

Most of all, “Rift Apart” feels incredibly familiar. The weapon wheel and most of the bad-ass technology returns with a few old guns, a few new ones, and a few riffs on classics. It’s a game wherein the player has to constantly be switching weapons due either to situation or lack of ammo. It’s also a game wherein people will find their favorites and upgrade them accordingly. I became a fan of a weapon that shoots and chains lightning across enemies, along with the Buzz Blades, which are kind of exactly what they sound like. The game is constructed as a series of combat scenes, wherein Ratchet or Rivet have to defeat waves of enemies to progress the story. Sadly, other than the inclusion of some dinosaur enemies from Rivet’s dimension, the enemies really blur together this time. Luckily, the creativity of the weapon design still keeps the action fun and addictive.

The only real new addition to the gameplay is something called the Rift Tether, wherein Rivet or Ratchet can suddenly pull themselves across the map. While it’s a neat idea, it’s underutilized, working kind of like a zip line in something like “Returnal”—a way to get one out of the line of fire or to a resource quickly, but rarely employed with a lot of strategy. With the exception of a few grinding sequences that will be familiar to “Ratchet” fans, and a few unique side missions, “Rift Apart” is a surprisingly direct game, relatively free of storytelling or gameplay twists. While it felt like the “Future” games really took these games in a new, exciting direction, “Rift Apart” feels like a more traditional “Ratchet & Clank” entry. And it comes in at a very short playtime. I was stunned to be told I was starting the final mission, thinking I was only about halfway through the game, and that was after doing several side missions as well.