Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (2021)

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart did well at the DICE Awards: Outstanding Achievement in Animation, Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction, Outstanding Technical Achievement and Family Game of the Year. I think no other game won quite as many awards.

Returnal one the award I thought it clearly deserved, Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design, and also took home Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition which I can't disagree with (sorry Mark!).

Not surprised that Forza Horizon 5 took home best racing game, although I did enjoy Hot Wheels Unleashed.

Still somewhat amazed that It Takes Two won best game. I still don't think I've really encountered one glowing review for that game, most have been mixed. But I guess I have to find out for myself one day since I own it on PS4/PS5 and have it on Game Pass.

My PS Wrap Up for 2021 finally worked and I have some stats to report.

Ironically the game I spent the most time in was one I didn’t enjoy but I forced myself to see through to the end. Also, I played four Insomniac games on PlayStation consoles this year but none of them made it into my top five most played (this despite playing Rift Apart twice back-to-back).

Also I played Mass Effect Legendary Edition on my PS5 but my console claims I completed the first game in 29 hours which either means gameplay time is not being counted correctly or I am now able to 100% ME in under 30 hours. The latter is not that far fetched since I basically know the game by rote.

Anyway, here you are:

This is the first I've ever played of this series, and I don't know why it took me so long. When I was talking to other folks about how much I was enjoying it, someone mentioned that they just don't crank these out (no pun intended). Instead, they take their time to craft them - and it shows.

First off, what a BEAUTIFUL game for something that's more on the animated side. The attention to detail and world-building is really impressive. I found myself pausing the game to capture some of the more sweeping landscapes - and there are plenty of them. The storyline is simple, but keeps you guessing so it doesn't get too boring or repetitive. And there's not too much dialogue to bog things down. in fact, there's a sweetness in the characters which are kindhearted and caring.

The gameplay can get a little repetitive, but there's enough variety and fun that it keeps it challenging. In fact, some of the bosses were downright hard - not discouraging - but enough that I had to try them more than a few times before I figured out how to beat them. Speaking of which - the WEAPONS! So much variety and imagination! Once you figure out how to make them work together, some magic happens - really cool stuff.

This isn't an epically long game, but enough to hold my interest to the end and have a lot of fun along the way. Again, a fun game, full of adventure with plenty of stuff to blow up! I really enjoyed this little romp. I'll definitely pay attention to the next one(s) that come out. Well done!

So some thoughts that I probably won't write in a review. My experience with the series is that I only played the first 2 games through a PS2 emulator and I played Rift Apart on Renegade Legend (the hardest difficulty).

• Traversal is soooo much fun. Speeding through levels with hover boots through linear hallways is super satisfying and I never get tired of using them. I would always use them if I am ever able to which is nearly all the time.

• I think the writing feels undercooked. Ratchet feels too flat in this one as he has very few traits like being uncertain and "he's a hero". Some conflicts do feel undercooked. I think the Nefariouses didn't play off each other as much as I would've liked. And the blowout between Rivet and Kit feels rushed compared to R&C 1. We don't see Kit's side of contemplation and the split doesn't last long. I think the relationship between Rivet and Kit lacks dynamism. I didn't find much of a reason for them to be friends other than "they're counterparts to Ratchet and Clank". I don't recall much playful banter between them as I did with R&C 1 & 2.

• Guns are really tame compared to my current favorite, Going Commando. The Buzz Saw gun especially feels less satisfying than the one on GC. Not much weapons that make you go "HOLY SHIT! THIS IS SO FUCKING COOL!" I still had a lot of fun with the combat as I was using so many of my guns, dashing around, quickswitching like I was playing DOOM Eternal. Plop down the sprinkler, freeze some guys, and go haywire for some maximum damage output.

• Enemy and boss designs are very limited. It makes approaches to combat feel less thought out. Hope that Insomniac improves a lot on this aspect because after playing 3 of their games in a row, I think things need to change.

• How this game shows off what the PS5 could do is amazing. Currently the best game to showcasE the PS5's hardware. This game is gaddamn gorgeous. The haptic feedback is a major improvement from the Spider-Man games which felt lacking. The adaptive triggers are just crazy good. The setpieces help service how fast the SSD loads worlds seamlessly.

• I feel that there should be a disconnect between Ratchet and Rivet. It doesn't make much sense from a narrative perspective where Ratchet and Rivet are separate for most of the game yet the upgrades are shared. Both play identical to one another and I feel there could've been room for different weapons since what we have feels tame. It would make the game harder for the player to fall into a repetitious groove.

• After beating Going Commando, what ever happened to Angela Cross if they're going through with this "last of the Lombax race?"

Right now, I'm feeling in the middle between 3 and 4 stars. Edging slightly closer to 3. I had a lot of fun with it, but things definitely could've been better.

During my play through a I noticed Jim Ward wasn’t voicing Captain Quark. However, I didn’t know the reason until now:

Why Qwark Changed Voice Actor In Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Granted, character voices have been changed throughout the series’ history. From the first to second entries alone, Ratchet himself got swapped out. The difference is, Jim Ward - the actor behind Qwark, the failing hero and recurring frenemy - has been here since the start, even appearing in the 2016 re-imagining and its movie counterpart. However, he’s not behind the character in Rift Apart, and it’s for upsetting reasons. Ward has retired as an actor, due to Alzheimer's and a severe case of COVID-19.

“Dear friends, family, and fans of the greatest voice-over actor ever (my biased opinion) Jim Ward, loved by thousands,” his wife, Janice, stated in an open letter. “Jim made people spew coffee at unexpected moments and people pulled over to the side of the road cause they couldn’t stop laughing. Many of you have wondered where our voice deity went. Well, he got sick. At first, it was a mild cognitive memory issue. Once he arrived at Silverado Beverly Place Memory Care, all was well. But, two weeks later, he got the worst case of COVID imaginable, and was allegedly close to death several times due to the impact of COVID on his health.

“He was completely paralyzed and hospitalized for four months where he learned to eat again, walk again, etc. The amazing thing about Alzheimer's is that part of the brain still functions normally. The other part - well, he has no memory, not from a year ago, a day ago, 10 minutes ago, two seconds ago. But he still plays harmonica, guitar, does voices, and sings. He still knows who I am.”

Jim Ward isn’t just Quark, he was a prolific voice actor that’s pretty much been in at least one thing you love, if not ten. This is truly sad. What makes it even worse is they are crowd funding for his medical support, because that’s where people are at in the US. I hope he gets the support he needs and deserves. He’s made a lot of people very happy over the years and his voice will be greatly missed.

A few hours in, I guess around 1/3 through the game. While it's not my favorite thing I've played this year, there are several exceptional things about it that I feel make it a must-play. For one, as many have pointed out, the graphical fidelity is next level, from the extreme detail and clarity on the characters and backgrounds to the cool ray traced lighting effects. The use of the DualSense controller is also a game-changer that makes me reluctant to go back to shooting stuff on the Xbox controller. But it's not just hardware being exercised—there's clearly a seasoned command over the artistic and presentation side being put to work here too that puts this in a similar realm as things like God of War and Final Fantasy VII Remake.

There's a feeling of extreme kinetic energy zipping this game back and forth between its gameplay segments and cutscenes. I had to take a step back and realize how few instances of hard cuts to black or loading I had seen in the game, and how incredibly detailed the game was at all times to blur the line between game and cinematic. That technical beefiness allows such an extra level of expressiveness in the characters, a vibrancy and immersion to its locations, and ups the overall level of excitement while playing a lot. They don't waste this power for a second, and to use a cliché phrase, it really does feel like playing a high-quality Pixar movie.

The inter-dimension aspect of the game is a super cool visual effect that I reckon probably is helped a lot by the PS5 hardware too, and I expect other games to copy it because it's just that good. It's one of those games that has been a big "whoa" moment visually, which you only really get 1 or 2 of each year.

Just finished my first run through of Rift Apart. I think it’s tied with A Crack in Time as my favourite game in the series. This game had a lot of love and emotion put into it and it shines. It has a really beautiful story and the new characters are my instant favourites. I’ll put all this and other thoughts on a review after I’ve completed Challenge Mode, but I love this game. For anyone who was a bit lukewarm on the Ratchet & Clank reboot in 2016, don’t sleep on this game, it’s phenomenal.

It also has big Mass Effect energy in a couple spots, and not just because of Jeniffer Hale. I don’t want to spoil too much but there are some moments that really remind me of the strong team dynamic of Mass Effect even if the structure of the game and side characters is not quite the same. It still captures a lot of the importance team camaraderie and trust and conveys it in ways that remind me of moments in ME. P.S. I’m 99% certain the first character speaking to Rivet (Jennifer Hale/Cmdr.Shepard) via comms is voiced by Ali Hillis (Liara). How’s that for a nice little Easter egg ;-) Oh and Kimberly Brooks (Ashley) can be heard as the PA announcer in Nafarious city.

Anyway I’m still welling up with feelings after completing it so I’ll say more later, save for this one thing: it’s all worth it for the Nafariouses song at the end!