Though Ratchet and Clank has always been a very action-heavy series and has only grown to emphasize that aspect more and more over the years, it is, first and foremost, about platforming. With the upcoming Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, developer Insomniac Games are focusing on platforming quite a bit, and are expanding and refining Ratchet’s movement and traversal in several ways to reflect that.
Speaking with GamesRadar, game director Mike Daly talked about how – similar to the various planets and locations you’ll be visiting in the game – Ratchet’s move set will feature a mix of brand new abilities and returning ones from past games, coming together to create what he describes as an “empowering and expressive” move set.
“New abilities expand how Ratchet can traverse the dimensions using Rift Tethers and combine with a suite of tried-and-true returning moves to create a move set that feels empowering and expressive,” Daly said.
He went on to explain that core movement in the game is faster and smoother than it has ever been in previous games, and that Insomniac have been able to leverage improved traversal to create complex platforming sections. “Ratchet’s core movement is faster and more responsive, with faster and smoother transitions from move to move, making Ratchet feel more agile than ever,” Daly explained. “Our traversal move set enables us to create traversal challenges that have you mix moves together in a satisfying chain, and lets players be more creative with how they move around the battlefield to outmanoeuvre enemies.”
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is due out exclusively for the PS5 some time this year. Confirmed as a PS5 launch window title, no specific release date has been nailed down yet. When the game it launches, it will leverage the PS5’s SSD to deliver impressive loading, while it will also have options for both 4K resolution and 60 FPS gameplay.
