“Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart” is the follow-up to the 2016 reboot of the beloved “Ratchet & Clank” series. Rather than retelling an existing plot, as its predecessor did, this game tells a new story that drastically expands the world of the titular heroes. 

The story begins when Clank, Ratchet’s robot sidekick, provides his companion with a device called “the Dimensionator” that will allow him to travel across the multiverse to search for his dimensionally displaced species, the Lombaxes. Before it can be used, the device is stolen by Ratchet and Clank’s nemesis, Dr. Nefarious, who is fed up with his constant losses at the hands of the heroes. He uses the device to travel to a dimension where he always wins, essentially breaking every other dimension in the process. What follows is a multiverse romp that pairs the two heroes with alternate versions of themselves, Rivet and Kit, to stop Nefarious and fix the dimensional rifts. 

The classic, reliable fun and satisfying gameplay of the “Ratchet & Clank” series is present, albeit largely unchanged. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as the formula here is tried and true. Unlocking and upgrading weapons with widely varying abilities and visually appealing attacks will always be a satisfying experience. New travel mechanics, such as pulling dimensional rifts toward yourself to cover large distances, are flashy, provide brief changes of pace and combined with impressive set pieces. The biggest issue with this game is that it doesn’t feel as if it needed to be played on the PlayStation 5 (PS5). 

“Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart” has been hailed as one of the first and most exciting exclusive games for this console, but its sharp visuals and smooth frame rates could have easily been available on the higher end consoles of the previous generation. This becomes glaringly more obvious when upcoming games that will be far more graphically and mechanically intensive, such as “Horizon: Forbidden West” and “God of War: Ragnarok,” will be released on both the PS4 and the PS5, so it makes little sense why the same couldn’t be done for this game. 

With the increased next generation price tag, it is disappointing that “Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart” couldn’t provide an experience that feels distinct from the previous generations.