With Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart set to light up the PS5, Insomniac Games have already dropped a big hint at what could be next on their release agenda. As a part of the marketing for the aforementioned action adventure shooter, the Sunset Overdrive IP was surprisingly brought back into the spotlight for a brief moment this week. It's now known that players who purchase Rift Apart will eventually get access to the Ryno 8 superweapon, which will pull in objects and characters from across the PlayStation universe.
Curiously, the Sunset Overdrive universe will be one accessible source of power for the gun. The timing of such a tease seems suspicious for a number of reasons. Not only does this represent the biggest instance of Sony publicly acknowledging the Sunset Overdrive IP, there's still currently no way for fans to access the full game within the PlayStation ecosystem. This suggests that a remaster of the original game could be on the cards soon, with the likes of the Summer Game Fest being just one avenue for the potential announcement. Despite holding a special place in the hearts of many players, there's a handful of shortcomings a remaster could fix.
Fixing Sunset Overdrive's Aim
When it comes to gameplay mechanics, a lot of the effort Insomniac Games put into this area of Sunset Overdrive helped establish a foundation for the studio's future successes. The sense of fluidity and impeccable control players have within Marvel's Spider-Man can directly trace its origins back to the shooter. While the arsenal of guns available in-game is just as worthy of Insomniac's renowned legacy, by modern standards there's one characteristic to using them that hasn't aged well. Even back in 2014, the act of physically pointing guns in Sunset Overdrive was described by critics and players as inconsistent, thanks to aggressive auto-aiming.
At the time this trade off made sense, with the constant momentum required to get the most out of the games "the floor is lava"-inspired combat, having the effect of making shooting an almost secondary focus. With the DualSense being such a lauded revolution when it comes to controllers, there's a chance for these issues to be naturally ironed out in a remaster by the more immersive technology. Having already taken advantage of Adaptive Triggers and Haptic Feedback in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, it's hard to imagine Insomniac won't add new wrinkles to combat that make the experience as enjoyable as other aspects of the game.
Sunset Overdrive's Polarizing Humor
It's impossible to talk about or play Sunset Overdrive without commenting on the game's brand of eccentric comedy. In many ways Insomniac Games channeled all of it's legacy into making the game the perfect metaphor for the studio itself. Throughout the experience, a hybrid of fourth wall breaks, sarcasm, and pop culture references, dominated Sunset Overdrive almost as much as any gun or traversal mechanic. While this brand of humor delighted a lot of players, understandably others were turned off by the concoction. Being such a subjective aspect of the game means there's less obvious ways for a potential remaster to address this perceived tonal shortcoming.
Other polarizing topics like a simplistic narrative, and repetitive mission objectives, would also more likely be things a ground-up remake would be better placed to address. However there's still a chance Insomniac Games could tackle the comedy issue without tampering with Sunset Overdrive's unique identity. As it stands, the game makes a number of reference to Microsoft and the Xbox ecosystem, all of which are easy to imagine Sony would want removed in any remaster.
That leaves the door open for voiceover to be tweaked at the same time, which shouldn't be too much of a logistical nightmare as it might seem. Coincidentally Sunset Overdrive's protagonist is voiced either by Yuri Lowenthal and Stephanie Lemelin, who just so happen to both play major roles in Insomnia Games' ongoing Marvel's Spider-Man franchise.
Sunset Overdrive's Franchise Potential
One of the biggest shortcomings of the original Sunset Overdrive, is the simple fact that the game never received the sequel it arguably deserved. While the game was beloved as something of a cult classic within the Xbox ecosystem, and one of the best console exclusives for the Xbox One, no follow-up was ever publicly confirmed to be on the table. As Insomniac Games gradually returned to Sony's orbit with the 2016 Ratchet and Clank, and Marvel's Spider-Man series, the prospect of an improved follow-up started to feel like a pipedream for many fans.
With Insomniac Games now officially an integral member of PlayStation's first party family, and all their IPs falling into Sony's control, the release of a remastered Sunset Overdrive opens the game up to a whole new audience. Fixing the shortcomings of that original game therefore not only represents an opportunity for an even better final product, it's also the best chance for the IP to flourish and become a franchise at the same time.
Sunset Overdrive is currently available for the Xbox One and PC.