It was advertised as a game-revolution for the PS5 and the new generation of consoles. But unfortunately, as much as I love the series from the first game on the PS2 that I played non-stop, the reality is different.
Certainly, it is an entertaining action platformer that keeps the beloved formula of the series intact and as we remember it. The weapons have variety and their combination can lead to fantastic results - half the fun is in that, as always.
However, an equally important part was always the protagonists: Ratchet and Clank. In Rift Apart, to avoid spoilers, let's just say that the two of them are separated and Ratchet goes through the game with another robot, while Clank accompanies the new protagonist, Rivet.
Unfortunately, Rivet doesn't have the necessary time to develop as a character, and this has the impact of affecting the flow of the game - I wasn't as interested in her as I was in Ratchet, and she didn't manage to win me over during the story. Instead, the feeling it left me with is that she "steals" the place of the protagonist we loved and takes the lion's share of missions, while also "stealing" Clank. So, the characteristic humor of the series is not as present, as the dialogues between Ratchet and Clank are few and not as well-written as in previous games. If the game lasted a few more hours (it only took me 12), maybe I would have liked Rivet more, but the end came before I got used to her.
As for the rifts, the mechanism is not by any means a revolution. Practically, they are extensions of each level that load with zero waiting time. They are neither something that exists everywhere and the player activates at will, nor something that lasts long (usually, a negligible part of each level is related to the rifts). So yes, the graphics are beautiful and the ray tracing is implemented exceptionally (lots of effects, shiny surfaces, etc.), but if we remove those, it could easily be a title for the PS4 in terms of gameplay.
Logic says that Insomniac may have "rushed" to release it early after the release of the PS5, for demonstration purposes, so I hope that within this generation, we will get another Ratchet & Clank with real improvements in gameplay, a greater emphasis on the protagonist duo, the return of humor, but also more room to get to know Rivet a little more. Knowing Insomniac, I am sure that the next game in the series will be amazing.