Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Looks Even Better in New Sony State of Play; Combat, Traversal, and Environments

During today’s Sony State of Play, Marcus Smith, the creative director of the upcoming Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, walked viewers through the title’s various noteworthy features, such as its combative advancements and methods of traversal.

Around half of the stream showcased Ratchet on his own. After being sucked away to Nefarious City, which resides in a different dimension, Ratchet tries his hardest to find Clank, who a mysterious female Lombax has taken. One immediately apparent aspect of this title is how much it takes advantage of the PlayStation 5’s hardware to deliver what is easily the most stunning title of the Ratchet & Clank franchise, with traffic and civilians being more prominent than ever before.

Once at a certain point in the story, Ratchet learns some maneuverability options that allow him to dash mid-air, climb across specific surfaces, and more. This stronger emphasis on mobility is purposeful, as Insomniac aims to provide a more diverse gameplay experience where movement chains into combat.

The Rift Tether is another new mechanic that allows players to pull themselves across areas via specific portals. This can be used to escape dangerous situations easily or take advantage of the enemy’s blind spots.

The DualSense controller’s capabilities also play a large role in combat. Thanks to its adaptive triggers and haptic feedback, shooting guns has never felt more satisfying. For instance, when the trigger is just lightly held down, Ratchet will fire singular shots from certain guns, and when the trigger is fully pressed down, Ratchet will fire either multiple shots or more powerful ones. This innovative incorporation adds a whole new layer of immersive destruction that the series never had the opportunity to grace before.

The PlayStation 5’s SSD allows for near-instantaneous loading between areas too.

Rivet, the female Lombax who has taken Clank, is also shown in all of her playable glory. Many of the gameplay sequences shown with Rivet are similar to what was shown with Ratchet, just with some more scenes of uniqueness, such as riding atop a speedy monster. The 3D audio is highlighted, further enhancing the immersion this title provides alongside the inclusion of the adaptive DualSense triggers and haptic feedback.

Lastly, Smith reveals that there is far more to this title than what was priorly shown with vast, open areas being explorable, Clank being playable via dimensional puzzles, Glitch Challenges, Arena Challenges, Aerial combat, the return of the series staple collectible Gold Bolts, several unique Armors, and of course, a Photo Mode.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is looking to be one of the most ambitious and one of the most addictingly enjoyable games the series has to offer. We can’t wait for its release this Summer.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is releasing for PlayStation 5 on June 11, 2021.

You can view the State of Play feature for the title below: