Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart arrived for the PlayStation 5 on June 11, 2021. Immediately, it captured the adoration of critics and fans. The next-generation game by Insomniac Games is a technological marvel. The extra time it spent in the oven between the launch of the PS5 and its release this Friday was well spent. The game brings the best out of the PlayStation 5. Apart from Astro's Playroom, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is now the definite game to play to experience all of the PS5's offerings. Here's what the critics say about Insomniac's next-generation masterpiece.
The Ratchet & Clank series never had a terrible game. But the newest entry to the series is bringing the franchise to new heights. Multiple gaming websites gave Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart a perfect score. Its Metacritic aggregate score is at a high 89 score from 104 critic reviews.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Review Scores: Best in PS5 Graphics
Insomniac Games did a great job in making the best out of the new console's strengths. “Not only is Rift Apart itself superb,” Comicbook.com says, “but as a showcase for what the PS5 is capable of, it’s likely the best example we have seen so far and continues to verify that Insomniac Games is one of the best studios in the world.”
At the same time, Rift Apart stayed true to the series' personality. Gaming Age says, “For as long as the adventure lasts, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart does pretty much everything that a Ratchet and Clank fan and PS5 player would hope for.” Gaming Age also praised the game's story which had perfect pacing and felt like a treat for longtime fans. Old characters were brought back tastefully in the game. It did a great job in returning beloved characters from the series intact enough to give the much-needed nostalgia factor, at the same time presenting them differently enough to keep them fresh.
The game also introduced a new character, Rivet, which serves as a secondary playable character. She's a fellow Lombax who's also the last of her kind from her reality, and she helps Ratchet defeat Doctor Nefarious and fix the rifts introduced by the catastrophe he has caused.
While fans of the series will feel right at home here, newcomers will not feel any sort of discomfort fitting in. Gaming Bible reviews the game, saying, “This is the sort of game that everyone can play and enjoy, and although it's a shooter through and through, it's not violently graphic and the storyline is lighthearted and easy to get along with. The world, characters, and gameplay are all gorgeous.”
Not everyone gave Rift Apart a perfect score, but everyone praised what it did
Meanwhile, not everyone felt that Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a flawless masterpiece. There have been a couple of reviewers that contributed to lowering the game's aggregate score down to 89. Among the lowest scores it received was from The Washington Post. Their review called the game “another lighthearted adventure that coasts on lame jokes and madcap action sequences… If you’ve seen one of the trailers then you basically know what you’re in for: something totally familiar but with next-gen graphics. In other words, from a marketing perspective, it’s a safe bet.”
Metro Game Central felt that the game is too predictable. “It’s an incredible technical feat, especially as it seems it was originally planned to be a launch title, but it’s telling just how quickly you become accustomed to the incredible visuals and realise that the game underneath isn’t quite so impressive.”
Gamer.no was disappointed with how the Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart‘s story and characters took a backseat in favor of combat. “Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a beautiful and action packed adventure, but which sadly leaves its characters' personalities and fun, snarky comments behind in favour of more shooting, strafing, and a more sanitized, Disney-like story.”
Finally, some reviewers experienced too many crashes to enjoy the game to its fullest. One of them was Gfinity Esports, which wrote, “A certain level of scrappiness can be charming, but it’s harder to excuse in a big-budget project like this one, and three crashes in an hour is far too scrappy to be overlooked… Once all the many, many bugs are fixed, this’ll be a pretty good game for families to enjoy, and a superb showcase for what the PS5 is capable of. “
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