Rivet is the female counterpart to Ratchet with many of the same characteristics and plucky “up-and-at-’em” outlook, just with a tinge more attitude. Main character duties are split between Ratchet and Rivet, another Lombax who comes to the fore after Clank tries to do a very nice thing for Ratchet that quickly goes awry. It’s a riff on Ratchet that gives Rift Apart its most unique twist, though. Rift Apart features characters from across the whole Ratchet canon, but with its own distinct riffs.
I’ve barely dabbled in the series since its PS2 days (I was more of a Jak guy), but thanks to the interdimensional hopping that acts as a soft reboot for many of the franchise’s characters, you don’t have to worry about being weighed down by generation-specific baggage. Ratchet & Clank Rift ApartĪnd you don’t even need to be a Ratchet & Clank fanatic (Clankatic?) to dive right in and a smile to almost immediately cross your face. When Doctor Nefarious turns back up, comic book cackling his way through a parade for the duo, it’s not long before the fabric of space and time is torn, leaving gorgeous new dimensions for you to explore almost at the drop of a hat. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is SSD: The Game, its plot seemingly conceived just to show off the power of the PS5’s fancy internals - I’m not complaining, though. The first truly new game in the series since 2013’s Into the Nexus is not only one of the most stunning games ever made, but also feels as close as any modern 3D platformer can get to capturing the wide-eyed wonder of playing Super Mario 64 for the first time. It’s hard not to be won over by pretty much everything Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart tries to do and almost universally succeeds with.