One series that has remained a hallmark for the PlayStation brand is the Ratchet & Clank series. A new entry is set to arrive for the PS5, growing the franchise’s reach across four generations on the PS platform. However, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart has its work cut out for it to deliver a memorable experience.
The series saw a big downturn in quality until the reimagining arrived, but the former glory still hasn’t returned. Of course, that means Rift Apart is positioned to be the defining point for the series, meaning it has to avoid previous mistakes and give fans the quality they deserve and will be expecting this time around.
10 Have: Clank In A Substantial Role
The games with the lowest critical acclaim are the ones that have side-stepped Clank’s importance. With Rift Apart being a reinvention of sorts, the series needs to reestablish Clank’s role as the second main character and have him directly involved.
This means placing him in the plot with more than just the role of being Ratchet’s friend to play. Clank should also be given importance within the gameplay itself, with the ideal way to go about this by placing him as the focus character during platforming sequences.
9 Avoid: Ratchet Acting Like A Jerk
The very first game made the mistake of making Ratchet a real jerk, with some subsequent games unknowingly returning to this problem. Some of his mannerisms have even been turned into memes by fans due to the ridiculousness on display.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart should try to make Ratchet an everyman in personality, in that the players can relate to him and be tickled by his antics. With a female member of his species accompanying him, it’s imperative that the story doesn’t just turn him into a musclebound bonehead.
8 Have: The Series’ Trademark Humor
The series has earned the right to be included in the funniest games ever, as the comedy here is a mixture of juvenile humor and subtle adult references. This has allowed the fanbase to range from children to adults, as every demographic can enjoy them.
The latest game shouldn’t tone this aspect down, as it would take away the identity of Ratchet & Clank entirely. Instead, the humor should be left untouched and only brought in more abundance to accompany the story.
7 Avoid: Separating The Protagonists
With the series having been active for so long, it’s no wonder there aren’t as many similar games out there. What the selling point has remained has been Ratchet & Clank’s chemistry, both within gameplay and in the story.
However, some games have separated the duo, which then suffered from an incomplete feeling since fans didn’t enjoy having just the one protagonist. Rift Apart should make this story one where the two heroes go hand in hand.
6 Have: Platforming As A Core Gameplay Aspect
The series saw many years of mediocrity when some games were too short or long, or heavily inclined toward the action side of things. Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart needs to stick to its platforming roots, especially since the traveling aspect is incorporated within gameplay.
Entire sequences should be dedicated to platforming events, which incorporate the PS5’s superior engine and have creative takes on established platforming tropes. Only then can this game stand out from its predecessors.
5 Avoid: Repetitive Gameplay
Another thing common in the worst games of the series was the one-note style of the playthrough. These featured Ratchet essentially running around and blasting stuff apart, which doesn’t seem nearly as fun after the first dozen times.
The next game needs to mix things up and provide a balance all around. This includes the storyline as well, with cutscenes given enough attention for players to be motivated into completing the gameplay as well.
4 Have: A Simple And Straightforward Storyline
The importance of a simple plotline has been underrated in the last decade of video games. For the most part, stories are so heavy-handed that a lot of content is thrown together, with the result of making things too confusing or over-the-top.
There has already been a long plotline about the Lombaxes, so Ratchet should have a straightforward story this time around. It would be best for the players to have a breezy playthrough where the characters are seen in good spirits, thereby making Rift Apart a fast-paced feature that brings in a lot of highlights.
3 Avoid: Excessive Boss Fights
The temptation to throw in multiple boss fights as a way to present checkpoints is understandable. However, it’s also a relatively lazy way to go about things, as the core gameplay gets overlooked in favor of these sequences.
Due to this, Rift Apart would be better off keeping things smaller in scale, with the occasional boss fight showing up to truly make these fights feel like a big deal. Ratchet & Clank has never been great in the boss fight area, so few numbers will give the developers the time to make the ones that show up memorable.
2 Have: Alternate Worlds
It’s been promised that multiple levels across different planets will be featured, although there’s a chance these aren’t as well defined as they should be. Rather than choose a few worlds as the backdrop, the game should have a large variety of them.
This way, the game will feel brand new after every few levels, all the while maintaining the player’s interest as they navigate through a fresh area. Not to mention the point of the game is supposed to be about different dimensions, so it needs to deliver on this aspect.
1 Avoid: Short Runtime
The Ratchet & Clank games have always steered toward shorter playthroughs, but this doesn’t need to be the way to go this time. After all, the series is coming back after half a decade, so fans should be given their money’s worth in gameplay.
Some titles like Quest for Booty have been criticized for not justifying their price range due to the short runtime, which is understandable since playing a game — regardless of its quality — that gets over quickly is never a good idea.
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