Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart: Review

This game was reviewed on PC.

Reviewed by:  Nikola Hristov

One of the most popular PlayStation exclusives out there is now on PC due to Sony's recent quest of allowing their games on different platforms. So far, they've been either a hit - in the case of Spider-Man and Miles Morales, or a miss with major controversies around them - as was The Last of Us: Part 1. Thankfully, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is from the former - and despite minor inconveniences, the AAA PS exclusive is a joy to play on PC, almost as much as it was on the PS5.

Having platinumed the game already, I knew everything that it has to offer going into this PC adventure. And before I get into more specific details I have to say that although it runs well, Rift Apart was built for the PS5's powerful SSD. Meaning, unless you have a gaming monster with the newest SSD and RTX 4070 or better, you can't expect to run this with the best possible graphics. Gamers without this expensive hardware will tell you that this experience is sometimes unplayable - because the fast loading is simply impossible with older technology. That being said, on more normal graphics and a decent computer, pretty much everyone can enjoy this thrilling experience.

Ratchet and Clank is famous for being a kid-friendly franchise. This is noticeable in the story and dialogue instantly - everything is extremely vibrant, all characters speak politely and no vulgar language is ever used. It has a simple narrative that everyone can understand - Clank built a Dimensionator, giving the main duo an ability to travel between dimensions and hope for Ratchet to find his family. However, all goes wrong when Dr. Nefarius invades the celebrations and steals the device - kicking off the story with our characters being stuck between many different dimensions and having to stop their main villain once and for all. The new characters introduced - Rivet and Kit - are genderbent versions of the loveable main characters and serve their purpose in the story perfectly as alternate versions that feel similar, yet also different. Don't expect anything too deep however - this is a very simple story and it doesn't try to be anything more - but that's ok.

Gameplay is where this game shines. On the PS5, the main selling-point of the game is the traversal between different dimensions - making Rift Apart one of the few games to fully use the new-generation console's capabilities. And though it's not nearly as instant on PC, it is still surprisingly fast, but that's of course dependent on your GPU. I was running the game on an RTX 4060, and the graphics were amazing, while also feeling very fast-paced. Other than exploration with your jet boots and rails that you can ride, Insomniac introduced their biggest weapons and gadgets wheel yet, with over a dozen different options, all useful in their own ways. All upgrades are also shared between Ratchet and Rivet, making exploration and combat much more easy and less frustrating throughout your 10-12 hour experience.

Overall, Nixxes have proven once again that they have little trouble porting Insomniac's games on PC and will probably continue to do so in the future. Rift Apart is a gaming marvel in terms of fidelity and polish and still they managed to do an amazing job (unlike other PS5 ports in recent memory). Though at times you will noticeably feel the lack of the PS5's SSD, if you've never played this on PlayStation, it's a no-brainer. If a short, easy and fun experience is what you're looking for - then this is exactly what you will find. 

Reviewed by: Nikola Hristov