It’s been just over six months since the PS5 released, and each and every time a new game releases, fans are eager to find out exactly which of the console’s unique features will be utilized to elevate the immersion to dizzying new heights. This time, it’s Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, the PS5 exclusive from developer Insomniac Games, and the team behind Spider-Man PS4 and last year’s standalone experience, Miles Morales.
The good news is that Rift Apart makes solid use of all the features of the PS5 and then some. So, let’s get right into the reason you came to this article.
Adaptive Triggers for Aiming, Locking-On & Firing
First off, the DualSense’s adaptive triggers. Insomniac Games has ensured that Rift Apart takes advantage of the tech that makes each weapon feel distinctly different. When using the Enforcer, the amount of pressure you apply to the trigger will determine whether you fire one barrel or two, for example. The Drillhound, on the other hand, locks on at half pressure and fires at full.
It’s a similar story to the way in which Returnal cleverly used the adaptive triggers for its various weapons’ Alt-Fire modes.
We’re big fans of the DualSense’s adaptive triggers here, as it really ups the immersion and makes you really feel like you’re pulling the trigger. The use of the half-press to access different inputs is a clever way to put even more options at your fingertips without having to take your fingers off the analog sticks. That’s sure to come in clutch during an intense boss battle.
Haptic Feedback for Traversal and Weapons
Another of the PS5’s big unique selling points is the DualSense’s haptic motors that provide more accurate vibration and feedback in your controller than ever before. In Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Insomniac has taken some inspiration from the likes of Astro’s Playground and Returnal by ensuring each different surface you walk on, and the weight of your footsteps all feel distinctly different in your hand as you traverse the game’s various levels.
You’ll feel the ‘clinking’ of your character’s boots on metal surfaces, and the softer thuds and patters on surfaces like grass and sand. It’s not just footsteps, though. If Ratchet hops through one of these interdimensional rifts, you’ll feel the intense rumbles of the haptics as he’s dragged through.
It doesn’t stop there, either. Each weapon in Ratchet and Rivets’ combined arsenal feels distinctly different in-hand now thanks to the Haptics. The Burst Pistol sends a ripple of haptic rumbles through your hands, while the Enforcer’s hefty booms will reverberate through your DualSense in a fascinating fashion.
It might not sound like a massive deal, but it really does add a little more excitement and novelty to simply making your way through levels. You’ll want to go jumping around on different types of surfaces just so you can see how it feels. And if you say you don’t, we know you’re lying!
3D Audio
If there’s a PS5 feature that doesn’t get as much credit as it probably should, then it’s the 3D Audio feature that can be enabled in some games if you have a compatible PS5 headset.
With 3D Audio enabled, you’ll more accurately hear where sounds are coming from in a particular environment. For example, you may be able to hear the sound of individual raindrops hitting different parts of your surroundings, as was the case in Returnal.
In Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, you’ll hear the clanging of enemies in the distance, the faint hum of Raritanium from that box on your left, or the roars and screams of a monster towering over you coming… well, from right above and in front of you!
It’s a very subtle improvement to the audio in games, but it’s one that really ratchets up the immersion. Developers can design scenes entirely around audio, and create audio algorithms that allow for true-to-life soundscapes of the environments you’re busy exploring. That’s exactly what Insomniac Games has managed here in Rift Apart, and the game is all the better for it.
Non-Existent Load Times
This is one you’ve probably already seen and heard about already. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart makes use of the PS5’s super-speed SSD to more or less eliminate any loading times whatsoever from the moment you begin playing the game.
On Ratchet and Clank’s adventure, you’ll be jumping through various rifts to explore new dimensions and reality’s altogether. Each and every time you do so, you’ll immediately be transported to the next dimension. No black screens. No loading menus with pretty close-ups of in-game artifacts. No slight jitters. You’re just immediately there, ready to see what awaits the duo around that corner.
And if you die? Well, you’ll immediately be respawned in the world in less than a second. It’s seriously impressive and means you’ll be spending more time playing than waiting, and that’s something we can all agree is a big winner. Twitter is a big ol’ depressing cesspit anyway!
It Looks Absolutely Incredible
Once you load up Rift Apart, one thing that will be immediately clear is just how stunning the game looks. Running an OLED TV at 4K 60FPS, Rift Apart looks and feels like you’re playing some sort of interactive Pixar movie. The individual hairs of Ratchet and Rivet’s fur can be seen, and particle effects fill the screen when using some of the whacky weaponry at your disposal.
You can see signs of wear and tear on metallic objects, with their glossy paint jobs chipped and dented, and thanks to HDR, the various colors of the sci-fi scenery really pop and brings the world to life. Different materials look distinctly different, too. Metals are glossy, Ratchet’s leather gloves almost look coarse to the touch, and leafy, grassy environments look like a perfect spot to lay back and catch some of those intergalactic rays.
There’s an absolute ton of tiny details we could share here, but we’ll save those for a little later, and while these individual details are impressive on their own, its the culmination of them all coming together, in HDR, at 4K and running at the silky smooth 60 FPS that really takes things to another level.
If you though Ratchet and Clank on PS4 looked good, just wait until you load up Rift Apart.
Will you be picking up Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart when it releases on June 11? Let us know down in the comments below.
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