Is this the best looking next-gen game so far?
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is an intergalactic adventure from Insomniac Games that showcases what’s possible for games designed around PS5’s SSD and DualSense wireless controller. Players seamlessly travel through different dimensions in mid-gameplay. The DualSense wireless controller brings combat to life, with haptic feedback and the adaptive triggers adding powerful sensations that increase immersion in combat.
I was overly impressed with the Ratchet and Clank reboot for PS4 and even more so when they recently added 60FPS support, but I’ve mostly been anticipating the newest game “Rift Apart” which is a PS5 exclusive and is clearly designed as such to make the most out of the new features of the system and its DualSense controller. The story begins with Ratchet and Clank attending a ceremony in their honour, only for it to be sabotaged by Dr Nefarious and soon enough they are all whisked away into another dimension where Nefarious is an Emperor and there’s a new Lombax in town, Rivet…
The iconic duo are separated for a large portion of the game, so Clank pairs off with Rivet at the start and Ratchet spends a while alone before finding a new friend to join him until the two Lombaxes meet up later in the game. The good news is that both play exactly the same and even your upgrades for weapons apply to both characters. Travelling between planets is almost instant thanks to the PS5’s SSD and can even load up new areas and pocket dimensions with zero load times. It’s actually crazy to see in action when you see set pieces where you will go through a number of dimensions in a row without any slowdowns or loading, it really shows off the hardware.
The DualSense is a big star here with it showing off great haptic feedback and impressive adaptive triggers depending on what type of weapon you are using. The 3D Audio is also seriously incredible if you have the Pulse 3D headset, I could hear every little sound from my footsteps to each bullet fired and everything else sounded amazing.
The game comes with different performance options that will allow you to play with 4K 30FPS RT (Fidelity Mode), 1080p+ 60FPS with reduced RT (Performance RT) or 60FPS with no RT but a slight resolution boost to somewhere between 1620-1800p (Performance). I’ve tested each out and while I love the full Ray-Tracing effect from the Fidelity mode, I have to say that the Performance RT is the better option thanks to the 60FPS and while it loses resolution and has reduced RT features, it still looks incredible and runs the best in my opinion.
In terms of length, the game isn’t particularly long though. I managed to Platinum the game in a few days, but I was only playing a handful of hours a day. There are a good number of hidden collectibles, but most are easy to find as they pop up on the map when you are near one or you can later get something that shows them all regardless. The big question will be whether you personally think a game of that length is worth £70/£80.
I can say that visually it’s hands down the best-looking game of this generation and it’ll be difficult to top the level of detail found in what can only be described as Insomniac’s take on a Pixar film. It’s a highly enjoyable game too with some incredibly fun moments and some superb set pieces, with some truly memorable moments that will stick with me for years to come.
The Verdict
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is my favourite game in the series and despite its length, is still an amazing showcase of what the PS5, 3D Audio and the DualSense are capable of. Insomniac have really outdone themselves with this entry and I hope we get to see more of not only the main duo, but also Rivet in the near future…
Score: 9.0
Disclaimer: Code for the game was provided from PlayStation.