If March’s State of Play is any indicator, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart looks set to propel the iconic PlayStation duo to all new multiverse-shattering heights. Insomniac Games have so far been devilishly good at showcasing the PS5’s next big exclusive in a way that builds excitement, without actually spoiling what’s going on in any great detail.
If anything, with Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart's release date approaching at lightspeed, the laundry list of questions that needs answering has grown alongside it.
Will the Lombaxes Finally Return?
Ever since the start of the PS3’s Future Saga, the question of exactly where the members of Ratchet’s species are has hung over the titular character’s consciousness. On multiple occasions, the narrative has teased the feline protagonist with the opportunity to reconnect with the Lombaxes via the Dimensionator, only for fate to intervene and force the duo to face the threat of the present instead. However, at the end of Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus –the last entry in the timeline Rift Apart is returning to–Clank was seen pocketing the device, presumably with the thought of getting closure for his best buddy on his mind.
From what Insomniac Games have shown, the Dimensionator will be front and center of Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart's multiverse-spanning plot. Considering the device was originally created by the Lombaxes in an effort to remove the most dangerous species from the universe, it stands to reason that they of all people will have a way to fix the reality-breaking portals that have sprung up across the galaxy. If the planets align, Ratchet (and the audience) could finally be about to get definitive answers to his origins after nearly two decades of looking up at the stars and wondering.
Who is Rivet, Really?
The most obvious question on everyone’s lips going into Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is going to be who exactly is Rivet? That conundrum has formed one of the most alluring aspects of the games pre-release marketing, with Insomniac Games having even played the reveal of her name extremely close to their chests. Whatever answers are revealed over the course of third-person platform-shooter hybrid’s narrative, there’s bound to be wide spread consequences for the universe.
As it stands right now, the most common assumption is that Rivet is a parallel reality version of Ratchet, but there’s a chance that could be being set up by Insomniac Games as a deliberate bait and switch. If the Lombaxes as a wider species do end up playing a larger role in the plot, a Star Wars/Superman-esque reveal that Rivet is actually a long lost relative of Ratchet’s could be on the cards. Even if there’s no “Ratchet, I am your sister” moment, hopefully fans will at least get answers about her, as well as what's happened to the franchise’s original forgotten female Lombax, Angela.
Where is the Parallel Version of Clank?
In many ways Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is shaping up to be an accumulation of elements from across the series’ entire history, with alternate multiverse versions of iconic characters being one of the biggest ways nostalgia-inducing references will be brought to the foreground. Across the handful of trailers that have been released so far, there’s already been teases of an alternate Ratchet and Mrs. Zurkon, and even hints of a revised Thugs-4-Less and Protopet; which begs the question, where’s the Clank appreciation?
With the main universe already technically having an evil Clank doppelganger named Klunk (last seen in Secret Agent Clank, transformed into a vacuum cleaner no less), there’s scope for Insomniac Games to really play around with expectations while answering this question in particular.
Will Ratchet and Rivet Play Differently?
From what’s been shown so far, there appears to be a large crossover between how the two Lombaxes mechanically play, with both of Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart’s main playable protagonists having access to the same new traversal abilities. It stands to reason, however, with both separated across reality that there's scope for the pair to diverge in meaningful ways.
Insomniac Games recently excelled when it was posed with a similar conundrum in Spider-Man Miles Morales, ensuring both web slingers played differently enough, so hopefully Ratchet and Rivet have access to exciting unique playstyles as well.
Where is Captain Qwark?
Some might claim that the adventures of Captain Qwark, the occasional hero/more often times menace, might be slightly overplayed by now across the franchise’s near 20 year history. In many ways though, he still embodies the beating heart of Ratchet and Clank's comedic center, and is almost as iconic as the two titular heroes. His physical presence has been painfully absent in each of Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart’s promotional trailers, so fingers crossed fans get answers to his whereabouts.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart arrives exclusively on PS5 on June 11, 2021.