At this month’s State of Play, PlayStation went in-depth on gameplay mechanics and story details for the upcoming Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Additionally, Among Us and Subnautica: Below Zero were announced for PlayStation consoles.
PlayStation opened up their State of Play presentation with a quick look into a couple of indie games coming to PS4 and PS5 this year. Starting off with Subnautica: Below Zero, we got a quick trailer showing off the visuals and a story teaser for the upcoming underwater survival title’s full release on May 14th.
For those owning the next-gen PlayStation 5, developer Unknown Worlds announced a free upgrade from the PS4 version to the PS5 that includes 4K graphics and targets 60 FPS when in performance mode. Quite a feat considering the vast world available to players in this aquatic adventure.
Following that announcement, we saw an even quicker announcement for the mobile whodunnit-sensation, Among Us, which is coming to PS4 and PS5 in 2021. A PlayStation-exclusive skin and pet based on Ratchet & Clank will also be available in this version.
After those brief mentions, the presentation jumped right into some of the new mechanics added into the Ratchet & Clank sequel, Rift Apart.
This title is a stand-alone adventure in which Ratchet and Clank have been separated for unknown reasons, with Clank teaming up with newcomer Rivet in her mission to take down this dimension’s version of Dr. Nefarious. In this dimension, Nefarious is emperor, and Ratchet must do whatever he can to regain Clank and get back home.
Between quirky new characters like the weapon vendor, Ms. Zurkon, and the new slate of armor and weapons, Ratchet will be coming to PS5 in even more style than usual. Additionally, mobility was a major focus for the development team, so new traversal mechanics like a dash and wall-running have been added to the game.
Haptic feedback from the PS5’s DualSense controller allows for multi-stage usage on the triggers, allowing for a slight press to do one thing, while a full press does another, much like 2001’s Nintendo GameCube. For example, one of the weapons on display in the demo fired single-shot attacks from the single-stage press, while entering full-auto when fully pressed down.
For those fans of the series, you’ll get to experience classic planets from the series in an all-new way through the alternate dimensions visited in Rift Apart. Also, the amount of content available sounds enormous, with Gold Bolts, Glitch Challenges, Arena Challenges, Pocket Dimensions, and much more waiting for gamers to discover.
One interesting piece of news in terms of the technical ability of the PS5 had the developers mention that with the power of the SSD in this system, they are able to fully load entire levels mid-combat, allowing for more seamless transitions between areas. Accessibility options appear to be a main focus for development as well, with a slew of gameplay options available in this title as well.
After checking in with some additional gameplay from new protagonist Rivet, the presentation wrapped up for the time being, while accomplishing getting all of us extremely stoked for this newest iteration in the Ratchet & Clank universe.
