If you’ve got a PS5 and haven’t played Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart then you’re doing it wrong. The duo’s latest dimension-hopping adventure is the best game on the console and one of the few truly next-gen titles that couldn’t work on old systems.
And now you can get it for free. Subscribers to PlayStation Plus would have been disappointed to lose free access to a heap of the best games, but those with Premium and Extra tier subscriptions can now play Insomniac’s latest platformer-shooter hybrid.
You would be foolish not to try it, too, as Ratchet & Clank are arguably the closest Sony has to a Mario-style mascot – and it's clear that Insomniac’s first-party status has helped them make the absolute most of the PS5's best features.
For starters, Rift Apart might just be the best-looking game out there. If you’re looking for that game to make your friends jealous of your PS5 or show off one of the best TVs, then this is it.
Noticing the difference between cutscenes and gameplay can genuinely be difficult and every planet you explore has an unbelievable level of detail with ray tracing effects that create beautifully lit environments.
With its performance RT mode enabled, Rift Apart’s unique feature – jumping seamlessly between different realities – is a genuinely breathtaking experience. Entering a purple portal to a completely different world (with no noticeable frame drops) often several times in seconds, never gets old. This could never work on the PS4.
The adaptive triggers of the Dualsense controller are also used to great effect, with every weapon in the game having an alternate fire when the trigger is just partially held down.
I’ve played every mainline single game in the Ratchet & Clank series and Rift Apart is undoubtedly a high point. The story is much more interesting than previous instalments while retaining the usual humour and the trademark arsenal of weapons is amongst the strongest in the franchise (including a weapon that turns enemies into hedgerows).
If I’m being honest, I’ve only played two titles on PS5 that feel genuinely ‘next-gen’: Deathloop, which is now also on Xbox Series X, and Rift Apart, which you owe it to yourself to play it. Especially as it's now on PS Plus Premium.
