Here's a game that I wasn't expecting, but then again I don't know why, it seems that the gang always make their way to Sony at least once a generation. 'Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart' marks the first time we've seen this dynamic duo since their movie debut which was actually just a stitched composite of the PS4 game's cutscenes into a 2016 embarrassment. (That came out on my birthday, urgh. As though that day needed to be even more cursed...) This marks a brand new opportunity for the franchise to serve as a showcase for all that the newest generation of consoles has to innovate upon, and to their credit, this is actually one of the first games which has managed to tease that very well. Extraordinarily well, in fact, to the point that I am genuinely impressed by what I've seen. (Huh, being impressed isn't really an emotion I'm used to, how strange...)
I'm not exactly a die hard purist when it comes to the 'Ratchet and Clank' games, but I do have some limited experience of playing them as a kid, so I understand the hype. These games came out in a time where action adventure roaming games were a dime a dozen, and yet this title still managed to stand out on the virtue of the unique offerings that it bought to the table. Namely, 'Ratchet and Clank' felt like a more mature take on the genre, with the cool sci-fi themes and a huge arsenal of exotic weaponry; and they also managed to nail the feeling of adventuring around new and exciting worlds that felt different and distinct from one another. Additionally, these were some of the first games wherein I experienced what it was like to search for collectables that actually felt worthwhile. They weren't just hear to fill a percentage completion bar, they had a marked effect on the way the game played and that made the search feel so much more special.
Of course, after the PS2 I've never owned a PlayStation (sad face) and so I've been missing out on the 'Ratchet and Clank' games ever since. But given the strength of the brand I can only assume that they've managed to keep up their unique brand of magic, especially as they remain and action adventure games in a world that seems thoroughly through with that concept. (They remain the celebrated exception.) As such I always smile whenever I see our favourite rodent (Wait, Lombrax are cats? I thought they were weasels all this time!) and his adorably compact metallic sidekick, these are never games that are subject to substantial dips in quality or avaricious tendencies. (With the obvious exception of that cash-grab of a movie.) Thus it was wise of Playstation to stick these guys so prominently in this event showcasing the future, because if Insomniac Games is shaping up to represent the face of PlayStation's future, then that means Sony is making a dedication to quality over quantity. (Hope you're taking notes, Microsoft.)
From the announcement, fans were greeted with a current engine rendition of their Lombrax protagonist, and it's safe to say that ol' Ratchet has honestly never looked better. His model alone seems to have finally shirked that strange 'shaved-cat' aesthetic that he faintly conveyed in earlier depictions, and the quality of his fur is honestly top tier. (I'm talking Sulley levels of fur modelling here.) But even more then that, the animation in general shines on a frankly astounding levels for a fully featured video game. From the smallest insect to the shape of the land itself, this game looks like one of those high-effort animations that Blizzard put out once every 4 years or a newer Pixar movie. It's insane the level of detail and quality that we're seeing here and I feel it makes a suitable testament to the quality of the team and even, at the slight stretch, the equipment that they are using to bring all this together. I think it's safe to say that 10 years ago no one ever thought they'd play a game that looked and breathed as well as a blockbuster animation would, yet here we are.
Of course, for this reveal the opening shots are very much just the appetiser, and the meat of the trailer contains the real eye-bulging content. After being ambushed by some shiny robots, Ratchet and Clank mount on a very seamless chase scene wherein they are thrown through a rift and into a whole other world within the blink of an eye. This entire sequence reminded me of that PS5 tech demo which everyone was losing their minds about a few weeks back, of the woman flying through high detail environments at Mach 5. I don't usually look to tech demos to being much of a benchmark because usually their ideas are theoretical and rarely directly reflect the sorts of games you'll actually be playing. Looks I was in the wrong this time, however, because that is pretty much exactly what this rift-shifting scene showed off in explicit detail; high-speed loading and insane detailing.
As Ratchet is haphazardly chucked from world to world we see a showcase both of the variety and scope of the game in question and the nauseating possibilities of the next generation. We see drastic shifts in environment, colour palette and lighting situations, all rendered without any glaring hiccups or inconsistencies. We see Ratchet move fluidly from riding a small animal, to grinding a railing, to falling, to sliding down a building, to flying on a wyvern to fighting. And we see scale, depicted in some many fashions. Huge cityscapes, to bottomless chasms and ever-stretching oceans; it's clear what sort of image that Insomniac are trying to establish for their newest game, and what sort of reputation that Sony want to leech for their own tech. This is the platform built for endless exploration, for creating whole new worlds and for horizons that you never quite reach. That is the power of the Playstation 5.
With that, I can safely say that 'Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart' is one of the first games that I've seen during one of these events that I can say totally deserves it's spot at a next-gen reveal event. (I mean, 'Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2' looked impressive too, but this showcase actually had gameplay) From what we've seen, everything that this trailer showed off was quite frankly impossible on the current generation of consoles; loading entire worlds and switching between them simultaneously, holding a consistently unjittering framerate and keeping so much action on screen at once. Finally I'm starting to understand what to look at for in the newest generation of games and what I should be excited to experience, whilst before it was all just vague promises that the graphics kinda looked better probably. So good job Insomniac, for actually performing your job and drumming up excitement for the next gen unlike almost every other game which is just courting buzz for themselves.
The trailer ends with a stinger of Clank coming face to face with a lady Lomrax. Again, I haven't played enough R&C to recognise the significance of this. I vaguely recall a plot point of Ratchet's species being rare, but that just be a cliche that my subconscious has transplanted from any number of similar stories. Irregardless, the trailer has done it's job and I, along with so many others, am now supremely interested in this title. (If only it wasn't an exclusive and I had any feasible chance of actually playing it. Alas.) As the second trailer of the event, this certainly did set a good precedent for the event and, in my opinion, is a big reason why folk came away sold on the PlayStation 5. (Insomniac did it again.)
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