Ratchet and Clank State of Play Shows Off A Slew of New Features

The Ratchet and Clank State of Play showed off 15 minutes of new footage with commentary from Creative Director Marcus Smith, featuring Rivet the Lombax, plenty of combat and some detailed looks at Rift Apart’s sprawling metropolis, Nefarious City.

Rivet the Lombax is a wanted woman in her dimension with authorities after her at every turn, something Ratchet shouldn’t be too unfamiliar with. It looks like we won’t be playing exclusively as Rivet in her dimension either. The segment Insomniac showed off saw Ratchet exploring the city trying to find Clank, weaving his way through crowds, above dense traffic, and showing off some slick new moves in the process.

Nefarious isn’t the bumbling fool of Ratchet’s dimension. He’s clever and capable, capable enough of conquering the entire world in Rivent’s timeline. He’s not the only one that’s different. NPCs and other helpful characters, such as Miss Zircon the weapons dealer, have to operate underground clandestinely for fear of being arrested by Nefarious’ corrupt forces.

Ratchet and Clank State of Play Shows Off A Slew of New Features

Ratchet has to make his way to Club Nefarious in the ratchet and Clank State of Play segment to find a way off the planet, since only authorized ships are allowed out of the atmosphere.

Fortunately, Ratchet has some new moves up his, well… not sleeves. Ratchet can dash and wall-run to get around, and Smith said the focus is on chaining moves together to get around with ease. It’s also useful in combat, letting Ratchet slip away from foes and confound them to get away.

The Rift Tether Insominac showed back in 2020 gives Ratchet a way behind difficult enemies and opens them up to the full force of his varied arsenal - if you choose to unleash it. Smith highlighted how the DualSense haptic feedback alters how weapons fire depending on how far down you push the shoulder buttons.

He’ll have to use all these tricks and more against some of Rift Apart’s massive, deadly bosses, including the Nefarious Juggernaut shown off during the Ratchet and Clank State of Play. Boss fights in Rift Apart take place not just in different arenas but, thanks to the Rift Tether feature, across entirely different worlds.

Of course, these worlds are playable outside boss fights too. Rift Apart presents multiple riffs on previous worlds, putting new twists on familiar locations. The same goes for Rift Apart’s weapons. Most of them are new, but there’s interdimensional variations on several classic weapons too. One new weapon revealed is the Shatterbomb, a frag grenade that deals massive damage when it detonates.

Finally, Smith introduced an entirely new feature called Pocket Dimensions, smaller environments tucked away in a rift inside larger levels. These can include new items, minigames, vehicles, enemies, and more.

There's much more in store for Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, including aerial combat, photo mode, open arenas, and a wide range of accessibility features. Smith promised more information between now and the game's June 11 launch date.