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Our two newcomers will get to meet, greet, and team up about two-thirds of the way through the story, but if you think it's smooth sailing for the new duo from there on out, think again. The brilliance of this switch-up is that the veteran teammates - Ratchet and Clank - can help the damaged and solo heroes - Rivet and Kit - learn to trust others and work alongside them. So this time, we get a change-up in the pairings: Rivet finds Clank, and Ratchet finds KT-7461, a.k.a. Our pals Ratchet and Clank have gone through this a number of times over the many games in the franchise, often being separated physically or philosophically, only to reunite before the end again and again. That loss will come into play throughout the game in a running theme that focuses on feeling broken and finding your way toward becoming whole, whether that's through trusting in your own strengths or trusting others not to exploit your own vulnerabilities. That's how Ratchet and Clank not only get separated but how Clank loses his arm. He finds it, in a manner of speaking, but manages to disrupt all the borders between dimensions in the process, throwing all of reality into chaos and allowing heroes and villains alike to slip between worlds through rifts. Nefarious, who steals the reconstructed Dimensionator in an attempt to find the one dimension where he always wins. Those festivities are, of course, interrupted by the rather goofy anti-biotic and fully robotic Dr. This lovely and nostalgic (and surprisingly action-packed) tutorial sequence acts as a quick catch-up for the story so far: how they met, how they fought, and how they saved the day again and again. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart only gives over control of the action once the title team prepares to enjoy a lavish celebration in their heroic honor. And while the game starts you off by following in the footsteps of Rivet, a masked female Lombax leading a rebellion against her universe's Emperor Nefarious, it's not until our own familiar version of the perennial antagonist shatters the borders between dimensions that we get the possibility for crossovers.
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Why? Because it's partially a celebration of the title team's meet-cute and worlds-saving adventures, and it's partially a revisit of that story with the alternate version of the team: Rivet & Kit. The overall plot of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart isn't all that complicated and is actually quite easy to follow, especially if you've played the first game. Spoilers Ahead RELATED: 'Ratchet & Clank: A Rift Apart' Review: The Wrench-and-Robot Duo Has Never Looked So Good
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So if you haven't finished the "Game of the Year" contender yet, best do so now before reading any further. And to do so, we'll necessarily need to delve into some spoilers. That's what we'll be talking about today.
#RATCHET AND CLANK SERIES#
To see where the Ratchet & Clank title has come from, you have only to play the latest game (or all 16 games in the series if you have the time.) To look forward, however, you have to at least finish Rift Apart to see how the future of the franchise and its expanded cast of characters can evolve from here. Wherever you land on that debate, one thing is clear: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart delivers a solid story that pays homage to the original title team while opening up bold new possibilities for the future of the franchise. In fact, it could be argued that the 2021 release and PS5 exclusive is the best of the bunch overall, even surpassing the first game and its more recent remake.
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Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart may just be the best game since the Insomniac original that started it all back in 2002.