Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is a great reintroduction to the Ratchet and Clank series. The game strikes a chord with fans that have fond memories of the original releases and delivers an entirely new experience. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart also takes leaps in technology that the PS5 allows to deliver a game unique in innumerable ways while feeling grounded in the franchise’s history.

Through familiar places and classic faces, it allows new and old fans to experience Ratchet and Clank without feeling like something is missing. While this approach worked great for Rift Apart the series may need to consider some additional updates in future titles. Long-time fans likely wanted to see old villains like Nefarious return, and the alternate dimension theme provides a way to bridge the gap between classic and new knowledge. However, future sequels should take these foundations of Rift Apart and build on them.

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While fans are familiar with Ratchet, Clank, and Nefarious, the ability to adapt the expansive universe they live in has often been the series’ greatest strength. The magnitude of space leaves the door open for incredible enemies, both small and large, as well as deep yet fun storylines. The earlier games in the series often had connected anti-heroes, antagonists, and even weapons like the RYNO, but still introduced new content for fans.

New Allies and Villains

ratchet and clank rift apart rivet talks to kit

Rivet and Kit are great additions to the franchise and open the door to incredible possibilities when considering spin-offs and future releases. Kit is a great homage to the original Ratchet and Clank, but is an entirely new character. The level of care that has been put into her and Rivet shows that the same depth can be applied elsewhere. Their characters are great examples of why the addition of new faces to the series can help it continue to be fun and exciting.

The impressive gallery of rogues that Ratchet and Clank have battled should continue to be diversified for a new generation of fans, similar to the protagonists. New enemies and villains could also become long-standing members of the series.

While the types of enemies and their motives may be hard to pin down with the most recent reality-ending event prevented, there is plenty of inspiration to pull from the past. The idea that every villain the heroes of the series will face off against needs to be as ambitious as Emperor Nefarious would likely lead to disappointment. Trying to reach a new peak time and time again will only make the climax of future games feel not up to snuff.

Smaller stakes with sizeable stories may be the way to go. The strength of many good series is how they build up to big moments. It is not about the size of the villains' plans, but how they are used in the story. A great example of all of this is Ratchet and Clank: A Quest for Booty. While there are some major future ramifications, the adventure that Ratchet and Clank have is not over the top. Instead, it sets up the series up to deal with some of the more grandiose events that fans witness in future games.

Using this same approach for future games and villains would allow for a myriad of new faces without things feeling lackluster. With the success of Rift Apart, this could work well if applied to either Ratchet and Clank or Rivet and Kit.

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is available now for PlayStation 5.

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