Here’s everything we know about Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart

Source: PlayStation via YouTube

During Sony’s PS5 showcase, Insomniac Games announced that a brand new Ratchet and Clank adventure would be on the way in the form of Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart. Despite the 2016 re-imagining of the original Ratchet and Clank game, it’s been some time since we’ve seen a brand new entry in the iconic PlayStation franchise, and here’s what we know about the latest entry that’s joining one of many PlayStation 5 titles fans should be excited for.

From the looks of it, there will be new levels, new enemies, and of course, the return of everyone’s favorite unlikely duo. Here’s everything we know about Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart on PS5 so far.

What is Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart?

Source: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart will serve as a canonical continuation from Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus. It’s a third-person platformer that sees players take on the role of either Ratchet — a Lombax who knows how to fight and repair — and Clank, his robotic sidekick.

It’s unknown exactly how Rift Apart will follow the 2016 title, but from the looks of the trailer, rifts have begun popping up across the world, and it’ll be up to Ratchet and Clank to get to the bottom of just what’s causing the rifts and how to stop them.

Can I check out any Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart trailers?

So far, we’ve had a handful of trailers for Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart release, including its initial reveal trailer from The Future of Gaming PS5 event. In addition to this trailer, Insomniac also showed off a couple of minutes of gameplay footage, as well as an extended look at gameplay and a developer insights video courtesy of Insomniac Games’ Creative Director, Marcus Smith.

What’s the story so far in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart?

Source: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Canonically, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart will serve as a continuation of 2013’s Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus. However, Insomniac Games has stated previously that the game will mostly act as a standalone adventure that any fan or player can jump into without having to know too much about the franchise.

The 2016 re-imagining of the original Ratchet & Clank is currently available for free thanks to PlayStation’s “PlayStation At Home” initiative. If you haven’t played a Ratchet & Clank title, now might be the best time to get yourself ready, as the 2016 game will likely feature some of the same controls and combat mechanics.

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart seems to feature the duo once again, getting into trouble. In the brief trailer shown off, we’re told that various dimensions have begun collapsing on one another in the form of rifts, which transport the two to different locations. At the end of the trailer, the two are split up, with Clank meeting up with a female Lombax in another dimension. Insomniac Games confirmed the female Lombax would be playable, and we know her name is Rivet thanks to the latest State of Play on the game, but not too much else is known about her.

What’s gameplay like in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart?

Gameplay in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart will almost undoubtedly follow along with how the series normally plays. This means players can expect a ton of platforming, third-person shooting action, and rail grinding through different areas. Of course, we’ll also be getting a ton of new features as well, including the ability to use rifts in the world to pull Ratchet into new areas.

During a recent extended gameplay demo of the game, we got a great look at how one of the new mechanics in Rift Apart will work. After a device called the Dimensionator causes rifts to appear in the world, Ratchet is able to use his Rift Tether to pull himself into new areas using rifts. This is done by simply pointing your cursor at a rift in the game, allowing you to seemingly teleport into the area with the rift. With Ratchet and Clank having a long history of allowing players to explore and find hidden items and various easter eggs, it’ll be interesting to see just how many areas of each map have rifts that you will be able to explore.

Is Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart coming to PS4?

Source: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Nope. According to Insomniac Games, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is a PS5 exclusive, and it makes sense. With the game looking to use the PlayStation 5’s real-time ray-tracing and Insomniac Games having said that they will be taking advantage of the PS5’s high-speed SSD in order to transport players seamlessly throughout the world, a PlayStation 4 version would just hold back too many of the ideas that Insomniac is trying to accomplish.

What’s the release date?

Like most PS5 games at The Future of Gaming showcase, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart was not announced with a release date or even a release window.

In February 2020, Sony announced that Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is set to release on June 11, 2021. There’s a few different PS5 editions of the game for preorder.