Pirates of the Caribbean fans had a strange wait of six years between 2011's On Strange Tides and 2017's Dead Men Tell No Tales, and it's likely to be quite a while until Pirates of the Caribbean 6 releases. Unfortunately, this is partially due to the very public debacle between Johnny Depp and ex-wife Amber Heard, with many rallying around Depp and his iconic role as Jack Sparrow. Notably, it may not scratch the same itch as seeing Jack Sparrow in action, but Pirates fans can find a little piece of the franchise in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart.
Jack Sparrow is no stranger to video games, having appeared in Kingdom Hearts 2 and 3, as well as a LEGO game based on the franchise. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart's Easter egg goes past Jack Sparrow though, calling on of the franchise's most iconic non-Sparrow scenes. It first appeared in Curse of the Black Pearl before perhaps being even more popularized by the popular Disney ride, so too named Pirates of the Caribbean.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Dog With The Key
Prior to the Black Pearl's attack on Port Royal in Curse of the Black Pearl, Jack is stuck in a cell while other pirates attempt their escape. Reaching through the cell, they offer a bone, whistles, and more to a dog that has a key in its mouth. As Jack says, "the dog is never going to move," but as fate so has it, the other pirates are able to escape thanks to the Black Pearl's cannon fire, leaving Jack in his cell alone. The scene is so popular that it too features as a major part of the aforementioned Disney Ride, seen above at the 7-minute mark.
Finding the Pirates of the Caribbean Easter Egg in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
Once Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart players arrive on Ardolis (Pirate Base), they'll just need to keep their eyes peeled as they play through. One the dialogue starts up, it's hard to miss. Instead of real pirates or a real dog, of course, this Easter Egg features three robot pirates trapped in a cell and a robo dog with a key in its mouth. Just like Pirates of the Caribbean, these pirates try to offer the dog a bone in exchange for the key, although one pirate also offers up some "head scritches," his hat, his ship, and, regretfully, his booty.
The recreation of this famous Pirates of the Caribbean scene in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart doesn't come across as too surprising. This scene, again, is intensely popular, and it finds itself among several other Easter eggs. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart also has a Kingdom Hearts Easter egg, as well as a cameo gun that brings in elements from Sly Cooper, Horizon Zero Dawn, and more. As such, the reference to this famous scene/ride fits right in.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is available now for PS5.