Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

The sequel to Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is the sixteenth entry in the Ratchet & Clank series. In addition to being one of the first games released on the PlayStation 5, it was the first game in the series to get a PC version.

Years after Into the Nexus, Ratchet and Clank are being honoured at a ceremony on Corson V only for Doctor Nefarious to attack. During the attack, Clank gifts Ratchet with the repaired Dimensionator, hoping they can use it to find the Lombaxes before Nefarious steals it, hoping to find a dimension where he always wins.

With the Dimensionator being damaged in the fighting, Ratchet, Clank and Nefarious are sent to Another Dimension, a Villain World where Nefarious rules all. While Nefarious takes his counterpart's throne, Ratchet and Clank run across the other's counterparts, teaming up to fix an impending dimensional collapse.

Tropes used in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart include:

• Aborted Arc: Nefarious' Heel Face Turn feelings from Ratchet and Clank All 4 One are not given any follow-up, though the doctor does give off an "Being Evil Sucks" vibe.
• Actor Allusion: Jennifer Hale voices her third galactic hero.
• Affectionate Nickname: Rivet calls Clank "bolts".
• Alternate Self:
  • Rivet to Ratchet. Though the Lombax lorbs muddle it a bit, by establishing that the Lombaxes were at one point exploring many realities and some of them might not have made it to the Lombax dimension, suggesting that Rivet may just be another Lombax.
  • Kit to Clank. Though she has many shades of Klunk.
  • Emperor Nefarious to Dr. Nefarious.
  • The Phantom to Skidd McMarx.
  • Pierre LeFer to Rusty Pete. Clank is shocked by the differences.
  • Captain Quantum to Captain Qwark. Just as Qwark is a Hero with an F In Good who briefly became a competent villain, Quantum is an incompetent villain who finds he's very talented at being a hero.
  • While in Zordoom Prison, Kit mentions an "Angela", suggesting that a version of Angela Cross exists in her dimension. Or since A Crack in Time implied that Angela had already crossed dimensions, it might have been the same Angela from Going Commando.
  • Zurkie to Mr. Zurkon.
  • The Fixer may be one to the Guardian from A Crack in Time. They're both giant robots and on the same planet.
• Alternate Universe Reed Richards Is Awesome: Subverted. Despite his success and larger army, Emperor Nefarious isn't any more competent than Dr. Nefarious. He just had less resistance in conquering his galaxy.
• An Arm and a Leg:
  • Being caught in the Dimensionator's blast, Clank looses his right arm and his legs are rendered unusable. Though he eventually grows to like this new look and is repaired by the end.
  • Rivet lost her right arm to one of the Emperor's warbots. Kit.
• Aw, Look -- They Really Do Love Each Other: Without even a second of hesitation, Ratchet calls Captain Qwark a hero. Though he does list off Qwark's failings, he also notes that, when push comes to shove, Qwark's heart is in the right place and he does the right thing.
• Casual Danger Dialog: It's Ratchet & Clank.
• Changed My Mind, Kid: Too scared of her own power, Kit stays behind in Zordoom prison. Before she makes an epic return in the final fight.
• Color Motif: Orange for Ratchet's dimension and purple for Rivet's. Ironically their respective Nefariouses swap the colors.
• Cutscene Incompetence: While this has been a hallmark since the first game, it really shows here. Justified as Ratchet is somewhat out of practice and Rivet isn't as experienced.
• Demoted to Extra:
  • Since he's on paternity leave, Lawrence only appears in the ending montage.
  • As he wasn't pulled into the other reality, Qwark only appears at the start and end of the game.
• Didn't Think This Through: Doctor Nefarious didn't stop to think that he'd already have a counterpart in the Villain World.
• Distaff Counterpart: Rivet and Kit to Ratchet and Clank. Though the girls aren't exactly the same, neither having undergone their counterpart's Character Development, being more akin to how Ratchet and Clank were in the first game.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Most of the prisoners in Zordoom are the victim of it. It's also mentioned that the Kerchu of Rivet's dimension were wiped out because they misspelled the Emperor's name on their tax returns.
• Drop the Hammer: Rivet's main weapon, contrasting Ratchet's Omni-Wrench.
• Earth-Shattering Kaboom: Blizar Prime in Rivet's dimension.
• Easily Forgiven: Ultimately Rivet with regards to Kit, thanks to some prodding from Clank that Kit already feels bad enough.
• Enemy Mine: Pierre's pirates and Thugs-4-Less team up with the heroes to stop Emperor Nefarious from becoming a Multiversal Conqueror.
• Failed a Spot Check: When Doctor Nefarious showed up, the Nefarious Empire immediately thought he was their master despite him sounding and acting very differently than Emperor Nefarious.
• For Want of a Nail: It's suggested that the main reason that Emperor Nefarious managed to conquer the galaxy is because Rivet and Kit didn't team up when they first crossed paths.
• Gameplay and Story Segregation: Ratchet and Rivet are functionally the same character in gameplay, having the same arsenal, money and gadgets. This can be partially explained by Mrs. Zurkon mistaking Ratchet for Rivet and allowing him access to her account but the game doesn't explain why Rivet suddenly gets hoverboots when Ratchet gets a pair before they meet.
• Harmless Freezing: The Cold Snap. Assuming the Mooks break out in time.
• Hope Spot: When the new Dimensionator is built, it looks like there'll be a happy ending and Rivet and Kit will become this reality's heroes... then the door opens to reveal Nefarious Troopers everywhere, the heroes having walked right into Doctor Nefarious' trap.
• Hulking Out: Kit's Warbot form.
• Humongous Mecha: The centerpiece of Emperor Nefarious' invasion of Megalopolis.
• It's All About Me: As Rivet lampshades, Emperor Nefarious didn't return to his throne when someone else took his place or when Negative Space Wedgies began showing up. It took him being on the news to get his attention.
• In Spite of a Nail: Emperor Nefarious still tangled with the Blaarg and, like in the 2016 game and movie, turned Chairman Drek into a sheep.
• Interdimensional Travel Device: The Dimensionator of course.
  • The RYNO 8 can open a temporary breach to other realities, summoning debris to drop on an enemy.
  • Phase Quartz can store dimensional energy and striking it can teleport the heroes to another reality. It's why it's the power source of the Dimensionator.
• Internal Reveal: By the time that Rivet learns that Kit is the warbot who took her arm, the flashbacks have already made it obvious to the audience.
• Invincible Villain: Emperor Nefarious views himself as one. Though deconstructed as this means he has no idea how to cope with any kind of defeat and setback, being ready to destroy the Multiverse in a Suicidal Cosmic Temper Tantrum when Ratchet and Clank's universe proves far more resilient than Rivet and Kit's universe.
• Ironic Echo: "What do you know about winning?"
• Knight of Cerebus: Emperor Nefarious has but a few funny moments, being one of the few Ratchet & Clank villains to be played dead seriously instead of Laughably Evil.
• La Résistance: Rivet and the Phantom are part of one against Emperor Nefarious.
• Leaning on the Fourth Wall: In the tutorial level, Ratchet and Clank comment on how long it's been since they've seen their friends, poking fun that it's been eight years since Into the Nexus was released.
• Meaningful Background Event: When Rivet and Clank first go to Zurkie's, the Emperor's Assistant can be seen spying on them in the background. When they return to meet Ratchet and Kit, Dr. Nefarious has set up an ambush.
• Multiversal Conqueror: Emperor Nefarious aspires to be one once he claims the Dimensionator.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Clank repairing the Dimensionator and presenting it to Ratchet in a very public setting allows Nefarious to steal it. Clank lampshades it.
• Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: The last level implies this about Emperor Nefarious. When facing off against Ratchet and Clank's dimension, his forces get mowed down pretty easily and he shows immaturity comparable to Doctor Nefarious. Rivet suggests that this might be because their dimension didn't have a Ratchet and Clank inspiring other heroes.
• Not So Above It All: Emperor Nefarious. He enjoys some of Dr. Nefarious' jokes, had a disco set up for when he conquered the galaxy and recorded "Join Me at the Top".
• Not So Similar: As the game progresses, Doctor and Emperor Nefarious. The key difference is that Dr. Nefarious is a Determinator who knows how to cope with defeat while the Emperor shuts down when faced with a real challenge.
• Other Me Annoys Me: Despite their Villain Team-Up, the Nefariouses don't get along.
• Sequel Hook: The ending suggests that Ratchet, Clank, Rivet and Kit are indeed going to find the Lombaxes.
• Shout-Out:
  • Mags the Lombax charted the realities of many other PlayStation exclusive games such as Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper and Little Big Planet. The Cooper Van is even among the debris from other realities that the RYNO 8 drops on enemies.
  • One of the alternate skins for the hammer/wrench is a Keyblade.
• Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Trailer: No trailer or promo art features Kit.
• Spiritual Successor: Though it's set in the original continuity, the game is described as such to the 2016 reimagining, featuring many weapons and similar gameplay mechanics to it.
• Suicidal Cosmic Temper Tantrum: After being defeated by Ratchet and Clank's dimension, Emperor Nefarious overcharges the Dimensionator and tries to destroy the Multiverse.
• Planet of Steves: The Morts of Sargasso.
• Purple Is Powerful: The Dimensionator. Several weapons also take on a purple paintjob when fully upgraded.
• Relationship Upgrade: A throwaway line on Savali establishes that Ratchet and Talwyn are now a couple.
• Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: Kit's lightbulbs give the appearance of pigtails to denote her as female.
• The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Why Dr. Nefarious is so furious that Emperor Nefarious dares try to conquer Ratchet and Clank's dimension.
• There Is Another: Both Ratchet and Rivet's reaction to meeting another Lombax.
• Truce Zone: Zurkie's.
• Unusually Uninteresting Sight: The dimensional rifts in Rivet's dimension. Aside from the heroes and their allies, everyone else is already treating them as just a fact of life. NPCs are worried off-screen but no one that Ratchet or Rivet interacts with seems too concerned.
• Victory Is Boring: When he squashes the last of the Resistance, Emperor Nefarious feels empty. Dr. Nefarious notes that it's because the Emperor equated happiness with success and now feels that life has no meaning with nothing left to conquer. The Emperor then decides to become a Multiversal Conqueror.
• Villain Team-Up: The Nefariouses team up when they meet, though it's clear that Emperor Nefarious is in charge.
• Wave Motion Gun: The Negatron Collider.
• We Have Become Complacent: Emperor Nefarious. With no meaningful resistance, he handles defeats far worse than Dr. Nefarious.