It’s been years. Seriously. Since Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart first dropped as a PS5 exclusive, we’ve seen dozens of "next-gen" titles hit the shelves. Some look great. Others? Not so much. But honestly, if you sit down and actually play through Insomniac’s interdimensional romp today, it still feels like it’s coming from the future. It’s weird. Most games start to show their age after six months, but this one remains the gold standard for what that expensive white box under your TV can actually do.
You’ve probably heard the hype about the SSD. "No load times!" they shouted from the rooftops back in 2021. And yeah, that’s true. But it’s more than just a marketing gimmick. It’s the way the game feels. Seamless.
The SSD isn't just for loading screens
When Marcus Smith and the team at Insomniac Games started talking about the hardware, people were skeptical. We’ve been promised "revolutionary" tech since the days of the Sega CD. But Ratchet and Clank PS5 actually delivered on the promise of instantaneous asset streaming.
Think about the Blizar Prime level.
You hit a purple crystal and—bam—the entire world swaps. You aren't just moving to a different room. The game is literally swapping out every single texture, model, and sound file in less than a second. It's a hardware trick that would have caused a PS4 to go into a literal meltdown. On the PS5, it’s just a Tuesday. This isn't just about convenience; it changes how developers can design levels. They don't have to hide loading screens behind long elevator rides or "squeeze-through-a-gap" animations anymore.
Well, mostly.
There are still a few moments where the game slows down to let the hardware catch its breath, but they are so rare you barely notice them. It creates a flow that makes it hard to go back to older titles. Once you’ve tasted zero friction, waiting thirty seconds for a map to load feels like an eternity.
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Pixar-level visuals aren't an exaggeration anymore
I remember people saying the PS3 looked like a movie. They were wrong. Then they said it about the PS4. They were still kinda wrong. But with Rift Apart, we’ve actually reached that threshold.
The fur rendering on Ratchet and the newcomer, Rivet, is bordering on the absurd. You can see individual strands reacting to the lighting. And the ray-tracing? It’s some of the best implementation on consoles to date. Look at Clank’s metallic body when you’re standing in Nefarious City. You can see the neon signs reflecting off his head in real-time. It’s not a baked-in texture. It’s a live calculation.
- Performance Mode: 60 FPS, no ray tracing, super smooth.
- Performance RT: The sweet spot. 60 FPS with ray tracing at a slightly lower resolution.
- Fidelity Mode: 30 FPS, 4K, all the bells and whistles.
Personally? I think you’re crazy if you play in Fidelity. This game is built for movement. The "Performance RT" mode is basically magic. It keeps that fluid 60 frames per second while still giving you those gorgeous reflections.
Meet Rivet: Not just a palette swap
One of the biggest risks Insomniac took was introducing a new protagonist. Fans love Ratchet. He's been around since 2002. Introducing Rivet—a female Lombax from an alternate dimension—could have backfired spectacularly.
It didn't.
Rivet is voiced by Jennifer Hale, who is basically royalty in the voice acting world (you know her as Commander Shepard from Mass Effect). She brings a different energy. While Ratchet is a bit more seasoned and confident, Rivet is scrappy and distrustful. She’s been fighting a solo war against Emperor Nefarious for years. The writing doesn't treat her like "Girl Ratchet." She has her own arc, her own relationship with Clank, and her own trauma to work through.
The game splits its time between the two, and while their movesets are identical—which is a bit of a bummer, honestly—the narrative justification for switching between them keeps the pace brisk. You never feel like you're stuck in one place for too long.
The DualSense controller is the secret sauce
If you play this game with the sound off and the haptics turned down, you’re losing half the experience. The DualSense is the most underrated part of the Ratchet and Clank PS5 package.
Every weapon feels different.
The Enforcer (a double-barreled shotgun) uses the adaptive triggers in a way that feels tactile. Pull the trigger halfway, and you fire one barrel. You can feel the physical resistance in the plastic. Pull it all the way through the "click," and you blast both. It’s intuitive. It’s not something you have to think about; your fingers just learn the pressure.
Then there’s the haptic feedback. When you walk on metal surfaces, you feel a sharp, metallic "clink" in your palms. When you’re in a club with loud music, the controller pulses with the bass. It sounds like a small detail, but it adds a layer of immersion that a standard rumble motor just can't touch. It’s the difference between hearing a story and feeling like you’re actually standing in the room.
Why the PC port matters (and what it tells us)
In 2023, Sony brought Rift Apart to PC. This was a big deal because it was the first time we could see how that "SSD-only" tech fared on traditional hardware.
The results were... interesting.
The port, handled by Nixxes, is fantastic. If you have a high-end NVMe drive, it runs just like the PS5 version. But if you try to run it on an old-school mechanical hard drive? It falls apart. The portals stutter. The game hitches. It proved that Insomniac wasn't lying—the high-speed storage is fundamental to the game's architecture.
For PS5 owners, this was a moment of vindication. It confirmed that the console wasn't just a slightly faster PS4; it was a fundamental shift in how games are built.
Modern misconceptions: Is it too short?
One of the common complaints you’ll see on Reddit or ResetEra is that the game is too short for a $70 price tag. Most people clock out at around 10 to 12 hours for the main story.
Is that short? By Assassin’s Creed standards, yeah. But there’s zero filler here.
Every planet is distinct. Every encounter is hand-crafted. You aren't spending twenty hours clearing out icons on a map just to level up. It’s a concentrated burst of high-quality entertainment. I’d much rather have ten hours of "wow" moments than sixty hours of "okay" moments. Plus, Challenge Mode (New Game+) adds plenty of replayability with new weapon levels and secrets.
The Arsenal: Classic Insomniac Weirdness
You can't talk about Ratchet without talking about the guns. The weapons in Ratchet and Clank PS5 are as creative as ever.
- The Topiary Sprinkler: It turns enemies into literal hedge sculptures. It's hilarious and incredibly useful for crowd control.
- The Ricochet: A ball that you can keep bouncing off an enemy's head by timing your trigger pulls.
- The Negatron Collider: A massive beam that tears through everything.
- The RYNO 8: This time around, it pulls objects from other PlayStation dimensions. You’ll see Sly Cooper’s van or a Tallneck from Horizon falling on your enemies.
The weapon leveling system is still the best in the business. You use a gun, it gets better. Simple. It encourages you to rotate your arsenal instead of just sticking to one "best" weapon.
Getting the most out of your playthrough
If you're just starting or thinking about a replay, don't sleep on the accessibility settings. Insomniac went above and beyond here. You can slow down time, adjust shaders for better visibility, and even automate some of the trickier platforming. It makes the game playable for almost anyone, regardless of skill level or physical ability.
Also, find the Gold Bolts.
In older games, they were just collectibles. In Rift Apart, they unlock actual gameplay modifiers and cosmetic cheats. You can turn the bolts into confetti or give Ratchet a giant head. It captures that old-school PlayStation 2 era vibe where games were allowed to be silly and fun.
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What to do next
If you've already beaten the game, there are a few things you should actually try before moving on to the next big release.
First, go back and do the arena challenges on Zurkie's. They force you to use weapons you probably ignored during the campaign, and some of the later waves are genuinely difficult. Second, try to find all the CraiggerBears. They are a tribute to a late Insomniac developer, and finding them all is a nice way to see every nook and cranny of the maps.
Ultimately, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart remains the definitive "I just bought a PS5, what should I play first?" game. It’s a technical masterpiece that hasn't lost its soul in the pursuit of shiny graphics. It’s fun, it’s heartfelt, and it’s one of the few games that actually feels like it’s worth the premium price point.
Actionable Steps:
- Check your TV settings: Ensure HDR is calibrated and 120Hz Output is set to Automatic in the PS5 system menu.
- Prioritize the Performance RT mode for the best balance of visual fidelity and 60 FPS gameplay.
- Don't rush the story: Explore the side paths on Savali to find armor pieces that provide permanent stat buffs, even if you don't wear them.
- Upgrade the Topiary Sprinkler and Lightning Guard early; they are the most effective tools for managing boss fights on higher difficulties.