New Ratchet & Clank came out, well not new, I just didn't have a PS5 when it did. And now, playing the PC port. This is legitimately the ONLY one from Sony that runs not only beautifully, but you don't need a fancy SSD to get it running smoothly.
And dare I say, it's a brilliant full-length tech demo that showcases just what games are capable of these days, and the PS5 to such extent too. Also, Ratchet & Clank man. It's the one game politics don't touch, thank god, for some reason that's actually a refreshing thing to see. It's also one of the most fun, versatile, jam-packed action I've ever played.
But it's also short, like, it's been almost 2 years since it came out. Not even any additional story DLC, it also has small performance problems, and this is being sold full-price on PC. Aside all that, this game is perfect. Just perfect. Everything down to the minute details.
So, there's this thing Insomniac does where it goes "ok, we know what to do, let's just get this out of the way", without skipping a beat, both Ratchet and Clank are being celebrated as heroes in a parade hosted by Captain Quark, Skid McMarx, and the rest of the city after their excursion from Into The Nexus.
The fast-electric humor, the energy gathered from the crowd rendered beautifully, so many NPCs on the screen, spectacles of objects in the game breaking up so seamlessly, doing circus tricks while learning how to play, so much high-fidelity from the presentation.
And then the party poopers show up, Doctor Nefarious and his cronies. I mean, the clever writing and way it sets the twist from the prologue is nothing short of amazing. Even more so when Hjinks ensues, after Nefarious sets in motion the premise of the entire game.
I gotta say though, for a sequel that relies also on visual fidelity and immersion, it somehow manages to find ways to do so with my Xbox Series X controller. It's not something that the Dualsense offers with haptics, but it makes up for it a lot in intensity. I kind of wish the analog triggers weren't so loose. Despite that, I am having a blast.
There's nothing much to add about the gameplay now, as am still learning new stuff and getting access to as well, plus the game is pretty easy. Even just after bumping the difficulty. Yet my attention was on the production value, and the misadventures.
And just as I was taking it all in, grasping the game, it quickly pulled a capitalist move and told me to buy as many weapons as I can. I have no problems with that, not like I just used my pee shooter for 30 minutes already and not used to different inputs based on how far I've pushed my analog triggers. This game isn't the type to make anyone wait.
After waiting on these lackies renegotiating their contract due to the sudden presence of dimensional portals in the air, I swooped in on the element of surprise. I am still floored by how this all plays, the A.I., animation, fluid controls, and the overall package still continues to keep me on the loop.
The gnarly stuff comes later to ramp up the excitement factor to 11, I am talking about a shotgun that's firing rate is based on how far I squeeze the analog, sniper beams at half press charges up shots and fires at full, I can literally summon anthropomorphic turrets to distract enemies, they all have cool names too. Being able to teleport one place to another using the portal riffs, there's also a kind of verticality present here with all this stuff.
Most games like Jedi Survivor have shown that great mixes of challenging combat and platforming can make the experience fun, but it never did it both together like this game did. I have to use my new phasing dodge ability to get across places, but also avoid some that are lava pits in a disco hall. Wow, talk about world building.
This was that point in the story where Clank makes a mistake and the rift instead takes Ratchet to an alternative dimension where Nefarious is the emperor and has a female Lombax who Clank makes contact with.
I still need to accentuate just how the game's personality works, you can do so much with the writing and humor in it, but the way characters express themselves, and carry that to the gameplay section, that's really seamless and even if done before, something as grand as Rift Apart takes it to a whole new level.
And after Ratchet's part of the game post-rift, I get to finally play as the female Lombax; Rivet. I actually do like her. She's more forward and articulate compared to Ratchet, a nice contrast, but both manages to convince Clank to trust em.
Clank goes digital mantra zone and talks to a crocodile looking sage, who helps Clank figure just where and how the dimensional space has gotten shattered. Involving puzzle solving where he gets himself from multiple dimensions, to open gates using some physics based orbs to get em over there. NGL, this part involves real intelligence.
This was easy to play, even when changed to a higher difficulty, but the boss battles are where the games put me close to death. They require a lot of mobility, awareness, and good aggressive plays to defeat. As similar as it is to the 2016 game, that gameplay variety, weapon levels going up after repeated usage while upgraded using crystals, and set pieces are what makes it standout. Rivet's battle with this Grunthor is one example.
And no, that's not a fancy visual cheat mode, there's a gun called a Pixelator. God, I wish they went and did the Sunset Overdrive sequel. This is the thing video games actually do need. An amazing sequel of a beloved series. Expanding on the story and characters, but giving more reason for them to do crazy stuff in the world they created.
It's a great PS5 port, there's so much to offer from the level exploration even as a linear game, the cast of characters, variety like some of the sections involving playing a tiny spider killing off viruses, an amazing new main character, and the wackiest shenanigans. I just wish it was longer, easily one of the best games Sony has released thus far.
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I had great fun playing this on the PS5. Even got the platinum trophy for it. You sum it up pretty well in this post.
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