Ratchet & Clank is back after a soft reboot in 2016 re-established that the series still works wonders in the modern generation. While four years may not seem like such a long time ago, it was difficult to predict how soon Insomniac would revisit the series, especially when Marvel’s Spider-Man sold insanely well and might have become their main focus for the future.
Thankfully, fans don’t have to wait any longer. At Sony’s Future of Gaming presentation, we got an incredible trailer that showcased phenomenal visuals, a new mechanic that makes use of the PlayStation 5’s insane loading speeds, and a glimpse of a new character that has fans eager to learn more about her.
Here’s all the information we could find about the new Ratchet & Clank, including its release date, gameplay details and story details.
Check out our Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart review.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart release date
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart was revealed last year and is expected to launch on June 11 for PS5. This was revealed in February, and prior to that, a PS5 launch advertisement made it clear that Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart was expected to launch at some point during the first half of 2021.
Insomniac also confirmed that Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart will be entirely PS5 exclusive, unlike Horizon: Forbidden West and Spider-Man: Miles Morales. This isn’t particularly surprising, as Rift Apart’s most exciting gimmick is only possible thanks to the PS5’s SSD.
If you’re interested in playing the 2016 reboot of Ratchet & Clank, it has recently been updated on PS5 with a patch that allows it to run at 60 frames per second.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart State of Play
Sony livestreamed a hefty gameplay showcase for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart at its latest State of Play. We got an expanded look at the game’s detailed world, along with some gameplay featuring the new playable character, Rivet.
During this trailer, we see an assortment of new weaponry, including mysterious firearms like the Negatron Collider, Mr. Fungi and Topiary Sprinkler. Classics such as the Burst Pistol, The Enforcer and Shatterbomb also make a return. We also know the game will feature an upgrade tab, although its hard to say what its contents will look like.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart announcement trailer
Insomniac blew us away with an announcement trailer that shows Ratchet & Clank seamlessly traveling between half a dozen different worlds within a minute or two. This is clearly an attempt by Sony to show off the PlayStation 5’s phenomenal SSD, which will allow for blisteringly fast loading speeds capable of fully rendering an entire zone in mere seconds.
Fans also got glimpses of a brand new character in this trailer. While we don’t even know her name yet, the gaming world has blown up in excitement over her, with lots of cool fanart circulating around the internet. The best part is that our mysterious female Lombax will be playable. This was revealed in a tweet by Insomniac Games not long after the reveal of the game, and while we’re unsure to what extent we’ll be playing her, it’s great to see a strong feminine protagonist seize the world of Ratchet & Clank and kick butt.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart gameplay trailer
Fans were also graced with an incredible gameplay trailer, which showed off a mix of fresh mechanics and old beloved weapons. Immediately, we get a glimpse of the new Rift Tether ability, which lets you transport Ratchet through scripted spots in the world. However, whether or not you can freely teleport at some point in the game remains unclear. This new mechanic might be Insomniac’s replacement for the Swingshot, which was a common gadget used in the series to let Ratchet traverse areas easily.
This trailer also showcases the classic moveset, with Ratchet tossing his wrench, shooting his basic level one weapon, and dodging mid-air to avoid enemy blasts. We also got a glimpse of some new weaponry, including a floral sprinkler that freezes enemies and something called the Shatterbomb, which seems to completely tear enemies apart.
At Gamescom Opening Night Live, we were shown an uninterrupted gameplay demo of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. It shows the beloved duo falling out of a portal while chasing an antagonist of some sort. Some features shown in this demo include a sprinkler which freezes enemies and a burst pistol which fires green projectiles.
Something particularly impressive about this demo has to do with the incredible reflections and lighting. Not only that, but the amount of additional characters scattered about makes the environment the most detailed the series has ever seen.
We also see Ratchet & Clank flying through different portals, sliding on a rail and down a building before mounting some sort of flying dinosaur. Being able to jump between planets so quickly is quite exciting, as it’s an easy way to keep the experience fresh.
We also got to see Doctor Nefarious in action, blowing himself to smithereens after his weapon malfunctioned. It’s hard to tell what the game is actually about, but the entirety of reality seems to be crumbling while our two heroes try to unravel the truth behind this mystery.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart worlds
Before Rift Apart was announced, I was personally hoping we wouldn’t get another retread of an old story like 2016’s Ratchet & Clank. If we had, it would probably have been a revisit of the story and worlds from Going Commando, the second title in the original series. Going Commando is one of the best in the franchise, so this wouldn’t have been a terrible decision, but Insomniac Games have made smart moves in how it’s tackling this latest entry.
By building out the concept and mechanic of “rifts,” we can now see Ratchet, Clank and the feminine Lombax tackle previously beloved worlds from some of the best games in the series and gorgeously built new ones. Insomniac Games also confirmed this in a tweet in which they claim we’ll “see alternate dimension versions of old favorites.”
It was also confirmed at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2020 that the game would not be a follow up to the 2016 reboot of Ratchet & Clank. Instead, it’s a direct sequel to Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus. This means a large majority of the series is still canon.
At the start of the announcement trailer, we can see our two heroes appear within a Jurassic-esque area, which is an immediate callback to Tools of Destruction. These memorable glimpses happen a lot throughout, as we see both Ratchet and Clank teleport to a pirate ship that is likely a callback to Quest for Booty and a large desert world that resembles one of the best areas from A Crack in Time.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart performance and fidelity modes
Similar to Insomniac Games’ other soon to release title, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart will feature performance and fidelity mode options which allow the player to optimize their console accordingly.
According to a Famitsu article, performance mode will allow the game to be played at 60fps with a resolution lower than 4K, while the fidelity option will run the game at 30fps with 4K HDR enabled. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart has also been confirmed to include ray tracing.
The official PlayStation website confirms that we can expect “enhanced lighting and ray tracing” which will be “displayed in crisp, dynamic 4K and HDR.”
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart DualSense functionality
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart’s PS5 exclusivity gives it one gigantic advantage: DualSense functionality. Ever since the PS5 launched, users have been blown away by the controller’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. As a result, many are highly anticipating how each new exclusive will utilize this technology.
Speaking to GamesRadar, director Mike Daly claims we can look forward to “custom adaptive triggers for each weapon that add new functions to the pull of the trigger itself” and “haptics to give every impact unique and physical sensations that further allow weapons to express their personality.”