It wouldn't be a next-gen console launch without an established franchise emphasizing the new console's capabilities. For PS5, it's Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart. Insomniac is pulling out all the stops for PS5 already, with both Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Rift Apart coming at release/in the release window of PS5, respectively. While Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is coming out later, fans have seen more gameplay of Rift Apart, and it looks great.
Gamescom gifted fans with an extended look at the announcement trailer from the PS5 reveal event, and it's clear that Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart has become the poster child of the next-gen PS5, both from a technological standpoint as well as an established franchise making a grand return. The PS5's SSD is being put to fully-functional use in Rift Apart with its dimensional shifting mechanics throughout the game. Plus, Ratchet and Clank's return means all of the good press surrounding the reboot on PS4 helped spur on another sequel in the franchise.
Rift Apart's Utilization of the SSD
The most promising party trick from Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is the dimensional shifting that occurs throughout the game. Apparently, Dr. Nefarious is experimenting and harnessing the power of interdimensional travel. In destroying Nefarious' "Dimensionator" weapon, Ratchet unintentionally destabilizes reality and causes the titular rifts throughout the game world. Ratchet's equipment also seems to be connected to the rifts in some way, allowing him to utilize golden rifts and teleport across each area. But where the SSD technology shines the most are the dimensional rifts that launch Ratchet and Clank across various planets and timelines.
Each dimensional rift, highlighted in purple, carries Ratchet and Clank almost instantly to completely different worlds that are potentially in different timelines. This is where the power of the PS5's optimized SSD comes into play for Ratchet and Clank. Having higher read/write speeds for console gaming means a whole lot more games are going to be optimized for faster texture loading, Ratchet and Clank included. Now higher texture loading means worlds can be loaded in with no loading screens and little transition time. The Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart PS5 live demo at Gamescom proved this technology's capability once again, with transitioning between worlds only taking about two or three seconds.
New Abilities and Arsenal
For the gameplay itself, Ratchet has plenty of new equipment and abilities to use in Rift Apart. Primarily, thanks to Ratchet's odd connection with Dr. Nefarious' dimensional rift gun, Ratchet now has the ability to teleport through rifts. He can only do it through what seems like predetermined locations in each area, but it does give Ratchet an added option for mobility. It's unclear if Ratchet and Clank can use this equipment to trigger the world-hopping rifts, as these seem to be random dimensional tears that are uncontrollable.
In addition to the titular rifts changing up gameplay, Ratchet also has a revamped arsenal for Rift Apart. He's got quite a few new weapons this time around, each with their own unique characteristics that were shown off during the Gamescom PS5 demo.
Burst Pistol seems to be Ratchet's standard firearm that just does regular damage without any special effects. The new Topiary Sprinkler is shot and placed on the ground, and then lifts up and freezes enemies in place in an overgrowth of leaves. The Enforcer is a double-barreled shotgun that blasts enemies with lightning buckshot, which also has a unique DualSense feature that changes firing modes based on the trigger pull. And the Shatterbomb basically functions like a grenade, but seems to work well with Topiary Sprinkler
Rift Apart's Launch Window
Perhaps the biggest new news is that Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart now has a release window. Of course it's not a definitive date, but it is something. Rift Apart is planned to release within the "launch window" of PS5, meaning either later this year or early next year. A console's launch window generally translates to within the first few months of the console's launch, so likely no later than March-April of 2021. It makes sense considering how far along the game appears to be, and for context, the entire Gamescom gameplay trailer was taken from very early on in the game's story.
Fans of the series, as well as PlayStation in general, should be excited for when Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart releases soon after the PS5 launch. If anything, if players aren't necessarily Ratchet and Clank fans, the game will be a perfect benchmark of the PS5's next-gen capabilities. The enhanced loading speeds that allow for these dimensional rifts are honestly impressive from a technical perspective, so Rift Apart may set the standard for next-gen PS5 games moving forward.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is planned to release shortly after the PS5's launch.