The PS5 has hardware and applications that will allow Insomniac Games to do things with the Ratchet and Clank series that it hasn't before. As a result, the next-generation console has inspired many of the new features present in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, the upcoming 2016 Ratchet and Clank sequel.
Insomniac's Creative Director Marcus Smith discusses some of these new features in a YouTube video hosted on the official PlayStation channel. He talks about how the PlayStation 5's SSD, audio, and Dualshock controller allow Insomniac to improve on Ratchet and Clank's formula and take it to a whole new level.
The PlayStation 5's SSD provides the world-hopping gameplay seen in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart. The SSD eliminates load times, which allows for seamless transitions from world to world at a moment's notice. Because of the SSD, Insomniac can show off the worlds of Ratchet and Clank in a way its never done before.
The PS5's DualShock controller makes Rift Apart's gameplay that much more immersive. The controller offers feedback that makes the weapons feel powerful and lets the player gauge their behavior. As they press the button to fire their weapon, they'll feel tension throughout, which makes the shoulder button feel like a real trigger.
Insomniac is trying to make the game's sounds feel as real as possible too. Ratchet and Clank will take full advantage of the PlayStation 5's 3D spatial audio, which allows sounds to feel like they come from all directions rather than from just the tv screen in front of the player. It's like surround sound, but if the noises came from above and below as well.
Smith claims that the game will be the culmination of the nearly twenty years of experience that Insomniac has had with the Ratchet and Clank series, which sounds pretty exciting. It'll be interesting how all of the PlayStations 5's new advancements make Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart a cut above the rest of the franchise.
The insight video didn't show any new footage, so it's still unclear as to how the female Lombax from the Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart trailer will play into all of this. Said character will be playable in the game, so how she fits in with the planet-hopping narrative will be fun to learn.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is in development for the PlayStation 5, and will release on an undisclosed date.