Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is the latest and most accessible title in Insomnia’s Ratchet & Clank series. Luckily, for those interested in the game, it’s a standalone entry in the franchise, so newcomers don’t need to worry about playing any prior titles in order to understand the story. In a recent Sony State of Play presentation, a 16-minute gameplay reveal of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart was shown, complete with developer insight into what new mechanics Insomnia has incorporated with the technological advances that come with the PS5.
Advancements in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart come in a multitude of visual improvements, mobility and traversal upgrades, and the added use of haptic feedback triggers. In Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, the haptic triggers will be used to alternate fire-modes with the plethora of new weapons. Mobility is also a huge factor in Rift Apart compared to prior titles, and may require more hand-eye coordination and dexterity that those with disabilities may not have. Thankfully, Insomniac has already thought of workarounds to accommodate those players.
Following in the footsteps of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II, Insomniac is looking to incorporate a massive variety of accessibility options. While The Last of Us Part II may have been one of the most divisive games of 2020 story-wise, there’s no denying that the number of accessibility options was the most in-depth to date; one of The Last of Us 2’s many awards was for the innovation of its accessibility.
How Ratchet & Clank Is Following In TLOU2’s Footsteps
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart looks to mirror The Last of Us Part II, with accessibility options ranging from gameplay & camera changes, toggle & assist modes, and an abundance of visual settings. Within the gameplay & camera settings, players will be allowed to simplify all Rift’s Apart’s traversal methods to be included under one button input, making the Rift Tether, Swingshot, Phantom Dash, and Hoverboots easier to use. Settings to adjust camera sensitivity and camera shake are also located in this section.
The toggle & assist setting in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is to help those with less dexterity, and players will be allowed to adjust things like aim-assist strength, enable auto-aim to snap to the closest available enemy, or lock-on mode – which will hard-lock onto a target and allow players to switch targets using the right joystick. Along with aim-assist settings, this section will also allow for the change of button inputs to be held or toggled. This will make things like Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart’s weapon wheel, aim mode, melee mode, and traversal inputs of the Swingshot or Hoverboots able to be activated and stay up with the push of a button rather than being held down consistently throughout a battle.
Within Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart’s visual menu, gamers will find an abundance of settings including motion blur, film grain, chromatic aberration, and depth of field. For those who are visually impaired, these settings will lessen the strain on the eyes. There are also contrast options for those who are colorblind, or partially blind. These options will allow for the ally and enemy character models to be one solid color, as well as things like collectibles, hazardous objects, and interactable items. These visual changes will help the visually impaired better pick out objects and enemies throughout the game world.
Like The Last of Us Part II, Insomniac is looking to make Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart accessible by as many gamers as possible. The Last of Us Part II has paved the way for more accessibility features that few other games have offered in recent years with over 60 accessibility options. This isn’t even all Rift Apart features, after all, as during the writing of this article a post to the Insomiac blog detailed even more options players can expect when Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart launches later this year.
