Where to start. Ratchet and Clank….. a true nostalgia trip to the past, the days of the PS2, now a possibility on Steam and thus the PC. I waited quite a while before buying the new Ratchet and Clank a rift apart. Still, I had to go for it! Why, you may ask yourself. As I mentioned, Ratchet and Clank was a true childhood memory, starring Ratchet and Clank Gladiator. Although I have currently had the pleasure of playing them all, Gladiator still holds an incredibly special place in my heart. Since we started Zoneofgamer.com i thought lets write about a true masterpiece.
The gameplay
When you dive into the new game called Ratchet and Clank: a rift apart you immediately notice something after all these years. Despite now playing it on a computer with a mouse and keyboard, it works exactly as I have always been used to from the game. This meant an incredibly easy transition for me. Although, of course, it now takes some getting used to the fact that Ratchet is not your only playable lombax, now that Rivet is also in the mix. The same goes for Clank and Kit, by the way.
Gameplay, as in all Ratchet and Clank games, is incredibly fluid and lets you switch between all weapons with ease. What I do miss, and this may be due to Gladiator, is that the ammo of the weapons is a bit harder to obtain. Sure, you can replenish everything for some currency but during your journey, the boxes containing this ammo are a bit scarce. This meant that melee became my greatest friend of all. While in some cases this can be tricky, it was more than worth it.
The weapons
As always, the game will provide you with a gigantic amount of weapons. This ranges from the sniper to the rocket launcher and everything in between. Best of all, you can upgrade everything too and you notice a significant difference in power and versatility. This might make you slightly more reckless in some cases, but hey that of course just makes it more fun.
Your enemies
While the previous Ratchet and Clank games already had a large range of enemies, the new game has even more. This ranges from pirates, nature’s doggies, dinosaurs and a variety of emperor and doctor Neferious’s minions. There is a lot to fight and sometimes it requires a slight adjustment in your strategy. Or in my case grab your wrench and hit until nothing moves.
The switch between Ratchet and Rivet
The switch between Ratchet and Rivet is pretty much seamless. Of course, Rivet uses her boots for a quiet landing, while Ratchet uses Clank’s helicopters. They both have their own base planets where they operate. As you progress through the game, the more Ratchet and Rivet appear on the same planets. All in all this was a unique yet great experience in the world of Ratchet and Clank.
The story
The story cannot be told without the main enemy Neferious. However, he was sometimes a pain on his own, you now get the chance to focus on him and his doppelganger. An emperor in Rivet’s dimension. Actually, I do not want to spoil the story itself. It is a wonderful nexus of two stories that come together and can really draw you in. So I recommend that you look up absolutely nothing regarding walkthroughs, honestly, everything is pretty easy to find and this way you also avoid spoofing your own story and experience.
The arena
As a fan of Gladiator, I obviously can’t make it not to tell anything about the arena experience of a rift separately. At first, I thought this arena could be challenging, especially when I had to take on the pirates. Yes, this fight did take a while but the rest of the arena I flamed through without effort. I had actually hoped that the arena in the game would be a bit more elaborate and the challenges a bit more of a challenge. By the way, this does not detract from the experience and game in general. This was more of a personal hope.
Conclusion
As a fan of the Ratchet and Clank franchise, I would say go for it! The game is absolutely worth it and the storyline combined with the small sidequests, achievements and collectibles gives you an awful lot to do. Should you be new to the franchise you really will be sucked in with ease. For the true Ratchet and Clank veteran, this is another familiar Ratchet and Clank game, which continues where they left off.
Side note: Now should I make another personal wish, I hope they focus on a remake or a completely new experience of Gladiator in the future.