Of all the games announced during Sony's PlayStation 5 reveal event, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart stood out for showing off impressive portal jumping gameplay and a new character in the long-running universe: A female member of Ratchet's species from another dimension. Not much is known about this grey, female Lombax from the trailer, but today Insomniac Games confirmed via Twitter that she will be a secondary playable character.
For a PS2-era 3D action platformer series that laid mostly dormant in Sony's catalog until an HD reboot of the original 2002 Ratchet and Clank released in 2016, it should be exciting for long-time fans to know that Insomniac is prepared to take things in a new direction with Rift Apart. Though the developer does not say much beyond confirming this unnamed character's playability, knowing that much alongside some of the visual spectacle that its trailer showed off on the PS5 suggests the new Ratchet and Clank game will be something to look out for.
To be frank, the series could definitely use an injection of something new to help come back into the limelight in 2020. While the 2016 reboot was a good return to form for the iconic duo, the Ratchet and Clank movie released alongside it performed poorly, so it should help the new game stand apart if Insomniac leans into something more unique.
On top of moving in a new direction narratively, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart has the potential to stand out as a showcase of the PS5's SSD. With that the game's main gimmick, jumping through rifts to different worlds and dimensions, looks to be a seamless loading process based on what Insomniac showed off in its reveal trailer.
While the Ratchet and Clank reveal was a clever way for Sony to slip in hints and nods to what the PS5 will be capable of, its reveal event ultimately left some details on the table. For instance, while the world now knows there will be two versions of the console, it's still unclear how much the PS5 will cost.
Hopefully, Sony will reveal more about its next-generation console in the near future, but until then at least it seems Insomniac is going to be very forward about its upcoming title. Learning more about the female Lombax the Internet has latched onto is certainly a good place to start.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is in development for the PlayStation 5.