Ratchet And Clank - The Story So Far

The dynamic duo is back in action, and no, we don't mean Batman and Robin. The loveable Lombax, known as Ratchet and the rocking robot called Clank return for Insomniac Games' Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Charting a new era, Ratchet and Clank find themselves separated, the villainous Doctor Nefarious dashing through dimensions with new tech, and the addition of a female Lombax called Rivet.

As a truly next-gen addition to the PlayStation 5's growing catalogue of games, the follow-up to 2016's Ratchet & Clank could serve as both a full sequel and spiritual successor to the games that came before. With Ratchet and Clank becoming a staple of Sony's systems since 2002, players are ready to tear open the multiverse and hop through dimensions for a dose of retro gaming. If you need to catch up on what you've missed, here's the Ratchet and Clank story so far. 

Ratchet and Clank story pre-2016

There's a lot of lore to dive into with Ratchet and Clank, but to be honest, most of it was retconned with Insomniac's 2016 reboot. Back in 2002, the original Ratchet & Clank saw the two unlikely heroes join forces and take on a planet-consuming real estate mogul called Chairman Alonzo Drek. There doesn't seem to be much relevance to Rift Apart in the 2003 sequel (Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando). However, 2004's Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal could be worth a revisit because it's where we first met Doctor Nefarious.

The next few games can probably be skimmed over, but heading into Insomniac's "Future Saga" games that started with Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction in 2007, there are a couple of plot points that could be revisited. Namely, 2013's Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus appears to have its arc felt during Rift in Time. The last entry before the reboot saw Vendra Prog use a device known as the "Dimensionator". It was previously introduced by long-term Lombax enemy Emperor Percival Tachyon in Tools of Destruction. 

Although the Future Saga fleshed out the origins of both our heroes, the main focus was on Ratchet's species and how the Cragmites tried to wipe Lombaxes out of existence. Nefarious is the latest baddie to pick up a Dimensionator to try and rule the galaxy. Tachyon was banished to dimension A2-66, while Prog was imprisoned. The complex nature of timelines, reboots, and dimensions mean either of them could return. 

Ratchet and Clank story - what happened in the 2016 reboot?

Even though 2016's Ratchet & Clank was supposed to serve as just a loose reboot of the series, it completely reinvented the franchise we thought we know. Series staples like Qwark and the Galactic Rangers were given new roles, while even Ratchet and Clank had their backstories being refreshed.

Here, the story was told from the point of view of a disgraced Captain Qwark, who found himself imprisoned and recounting the story of how Ratchet and Clank met. Clank was a defective warbot that escaped Drek and crash-landed on the planet Veldin. Teaming up with the Galactic Rangers, the heroes tried to stop Drek and his Deplanitiser from taking over the galaxy.

Combining what we already knew, the revamped story pitched Ratchet and Clank against Drek and Nefarious, while making Qwark a betrayer of the Galactic Rangers. Nefarious was revealed as the big bad, and despite an explosive ending in a supernova, Rift Apart makes it clear this might've just been one of many Nefariouses dotted around the multiverse. The 2016 adventure ended with a potential cliffhanger of the pair going after prisoner Shiv Helix alongside a reformed Qwark, but it remains to be seen if Rift in Time revisits that arc.

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart story

Rift Apart features Nefarious fixing a Dimensionator and attacking the city of Megalopolis. With Ratchet and Clank temporarily bested, they're sent to an alternate dimension that's ruled over by Emperor Nefarious - a more successful version of the Doc. The best friends are separated, and while Ratchet tries to reach Clank, the little robot joins forces with Rivet. 

The PS5's impressive punch means you'll jump into new realities in an instant. Aside from Ratchet's dimension-hopping abilities, Clank is promised his own "interdimensional mechanics". Rivet also brings something new to the table, meaning all of the controllable characters will have their own unique playstyle. 

In terms of where Rift Apart sits in the timelines, Insomniac remains tight-lipped on its exact place. Thanks to the "death" of Nefarious in 2016's game, most hardcore fans think Rift Apart will take place in the original timeline as a long-awaited sequel to Into the Nexus. The clever timeline trickery of the Dimensionator means Insomniac can bridge the gap between both eras and bring the whole sci-fi saga together in a big way. 

Now that you're all caught up, get ready to leap into Lombax action, and hold onto your bolts with Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. 

Images via Insomniac Games