Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart review: A thrill ride for PlayStation 5

The popular and ever-evolving Ratchet & Clank franchise has finally made the shift to the PlayStation 5. In the latest installment, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, the duo finds themselves as celebrated heroes who wonder if they’re still worthy of that adulation. The two erase that doubt as they find themselves put to the test against Dr. Nefarious when he and his goons crash the parade honoring them and he steals the Dimensionator, a device that lets him travel to other realities.

During a struggle for the device, it malfunctions and sends Dr. Nefarious, Ratchet and Clank to an alternate world where the villain has succeeded in conquering the galaxy. Obviously, this thrills Dr. Nefarious while the titular heroes face an uphill battle as they rally a resistance force. Ratchet and Clank also meet up with their counterparts Rivet, a fellow Lombax, and Kit, a warbot with a dark past.

They’re products of a dimension that’s ruled by Emperor Nefarious, who is a more ruthless and calculating version of the archnemesis that Ratchet and Clank have faced in the past.

Rivet, Kit and the rest of the resistance’s campaign against the two Nefarious villains is epic as players venture through nine locales. Each of them are enormous and elaborate with secrets begging to be explored. Players will find spybots that unlock a secret weapon, golden bolts that unlock cosmetic perks and armor pieces that confer bonuses. These collectibles are strewn across selectable levels that are almost like miniature open worlds, each with their own flavor of gameplay.

Rift Apart has plenty of combat and platforming, Insomniac does a smart job of breaking it up with puzzle levels courtesy of Clank, Kit and Glitch. The first two are warbots who have the power to fix dimensional rifts by clearing paths for their possible selves.

Glitch is a hacking construct that Ratchet uses to eliminate computer viruses that infect gadgets and halt his progress. The Glitch levels are topsy-turvy and have spiderlike programs shooting at the viruses and minions while also taking down their defenses. The hardest part is navigating the mazelike stages because the AI program can walk up walls and ceilings to ferret out the bugs that hang in out of the way places.

Rift Apart has jaw-dropping moments where the developers harness the PlayStation 5 strengths to create intricate set pieces that feel like they’re straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster.

The characters even have modest depth to them. Don’t expect Shakespeare or Dickens. Rather, Ratchet, Rivet and Kit all have internal fears they have to overcome in order to save the multiverse. The character arcs feel ham-handed at times but the narrative does enough to convey the right feelings and motivations that players can buy into and enjoy the counterweight to the eye-candy extravaganza of this multidimensional adventure.