Обзор Ratchet And Clank: Сквозь миры. Одна из самых красивых игр на сегодня
*Ratchet and Clank! What a wonderful surprise!* *See? It's me* *Rivet?* *The dimension are weaken considerably* Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart is definitely a surprise Because no matter how many times I watched the footage of this game on all Sony presentations it left me pretty emotionless Well yes, it's an old Sony franchise And it's obvious that it's targeted to a younger audience And its second goal is to show off that new technologies that PS5 have to offer like instant loading - like there is a portal to another world and new level loading instantaneously *Is it really bad?* So overall that was a typical first year project for a new console But I couldn't even imagine that this first project, well one of the first ones, is gonna surprise me that much First of all, by the graphics and that it really will be able to show that promised next gen When you look at the screen and can't believe that it's a game and not some Pixar animated movie Because in terms of graphics Ratchet and Clank beats almost all of the animated movies that I've seen. In terms of level of details in the first place And two - I couldn't even imagine that it'll be a good adventure game In fact, the reason for this is my long-standing relationship with Ratchet and Clank, because this series originated on Play Station 2 Back then Sony had 2 series of platformers - Jack and Dexter by Naughty Dog and Ratchet and Clank Games looked very similar, but Ratchet and Clank were more for the kids It had very simple plot. On the other hand, Jack and Dexter was for teen audience and it was much darker and interesting - it had gallows humor just like I liked it back then But a lot has changed in the game industry for the past 20 years Games with cartoonish mascots as main characters vanished somewhere Naughty Dog made Uncharted, then Last of Us and became serious guys who we love endlessly And Insomniac Games continued their work on Ratchet and Clank To not lose their mind Insomniac Games released other projects. They released a decent Resistance series and part 3 was awesome But along with that Ratchet and Clank confidently occupied his niche, got various toys, comiс books and became a very strong brand 14 games were released under this brand. Also an animated Ratchet and Clank film was released several years ago which is based on the first game, but it change some key events And after that Insomniac Games made a new Ratchet and Clank which was based on the film and was kinda a remake of the original game *I am Captain Copernicus Qwark, a star of galactic rangers and the most attractive man alive according to Solana magazine* *This pathetic clump of fur, Ratchet, is a real pain in the side, despite its innocent appearance* So if you deep dive into this universe you may lose your mind because there are really a lot of different things But if you like me and for the past 20 years you weren't interested in Ratchet and Clank - it's okay Because Rift Apart is a great independent story The only thing you really need to understand is that Ratchet and Clank is still for kids But it's the case when you do understand that this story is for kids There are cartoonish villains, very clichéd heroes and cuteness all around But the thing is...It's made on such a high level, Insomniac Games became so good in directing and those cartoonish dialogues, that it's working even on adults
So right after you launch this game you're smiling and can't believe what you're seeing, because right in front of you a Pixar movie came to life But, actually, it's better already *I think it's too much to arrange a holiday in honor of us* *We haven't done any feats in ... years* *What if everyone thinks we're out of print? What if we really are?* *Fortunately we won't have to be heroic today* *If you don't count forced smiles* I suspect that people who makes an animated films in Hollywood are thinking about optimization as well They are trying to make some kind of art style that would not melt render farms and are doing full detailed only the necessary scenes Game development follows a completely different logic And this new next gen feature, when data is loading very fast, is allowing to flood a picture with a great amount of details Turns Ratchet and Clank into a game that we all been waiting for When at last you're seeing the next gen and thinking: " Wow, how did they did it?" *Oh yes, we prepared a special performance for you* *Starting with me, ha-ha* *And ending with a surprise gift to Ratchet from the Clank* I never stop being surprised by Sony, because I think it's the last company which sets the task to make us wow So that when we buy a game we say something like: "Wow, I've never seen anything like this before" *Welcome to Nefarious City Bazaar* *Don't forget to thank our wonderful Emperor before, during and after the purchase* *Emperor?* *You mean...There are two Nefarious?* *I'll deal with Nefarious later, Clank first. Maybe he's here, on Bazaar?* And it's with the fact that even on previous generation Ratchet and Clank looked like a living cartoon But now the amount of details is insane And actually that's the first time we're seeing actual 4K gaming I said before, that 4K gaming is not 4K resolution It's when you can fill a 4K picture with the details which you could clearly notice in 4K, but couldn't on 1080p display But here it's even better. If you play it on a 4K monitor you simply lack the size of the screen to see all the awesome s**t that developers did
So if you have a big TV or huge projector - you'll be freaking amazed of how this game looks It's impossible not to So forget about YouTube and streams. Those people who are watching this review, people who will watch the streams will not see the full glory of this game at all I rarely speak about graphics in my reviews and if I do - it means that the game surprised me visually And it happens really really rare *Him is you in our dimension...But let's talk about it later* *So I have an opponent* As for the gameplay - Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart probably is not the best adventure game on Earth, but it's definitely a decent one It's a space adventure with a very fast paced start, like an animated film came to life where you taking part in Ratchet and Clank are coming back to their home planet where they are already known as heroes Captain Qwark with other heroes from previous games make a parade in their honor And it looks...I want to say it again - it looks mind blowing. You can't believe that everything is working in real time And you actually run around *And at last the Hall of Heroes is saved* *Hey, I found a lombax!* Of course enemies are attacking right during the parade After that Clank gives a present to Ratchet - a device which allows to travel across different dimensions According to a story, Ratchet is the last lombax. They're an extinct race In previous games he learned that they left to another dimension And now he finally will be able to find them But suddenly doctor Nefarious is intervening He's a long standing villain of this series. Completely unoriginal, but at the same time he's doing what he supposed to do
He has the standard antics, standard jokes. Nevertheless jokes are funny and you break into a smile And I must say that I played with Russian language and I was surprised how our actors worked that out It really feels like a Disney cartoon in terms of quality, though it's obvious that it's even better in English version *Drop the Dimensionator, Nefarious!* *"Drop the Dimensionator, Nefarious!" No way* *Today you'll learn how to lose* *I'll give you a hint - tiresome!* *Just let me deal with those coordinates* And it's very captivating in Ratchet and Clank Dudes are basically doing the same thing for years But you can clearly see how passionate they are, how much work they put into it, how much they try to surprise you every time and bring a game to a new level Although it would seem that if you do not go into details, little has changed Still the same dude with a little robot running around, killing enemies with a wrench and jumping on the rails. So overall - I've seen all of this before But despite all of that, the franchise has been evolving all those years, developers were constantly experimenting. Both in a good way and a bad way Back in times of PlayStation 2 they tried to make a co-op And now Sony clearly gave them a task: "Dudes, you must develop a game that will show that loading times are instantaneous" And everyone was like "Oh, rifts and dimensions. Let's go!"
And, it would seem, it was possible to make it all not very interesting, but they tried their best to make it interesting *Say bye!* *What have you done?* So Doctor Nefarious captured the Dimensionator and started the armageddon He's opening rifts to other dimensions and various monsters begin to fall out from there And heroes begin a chase after him. Pretty breathtaking chase And the way opening is directed and a whole game overall - it might slow down here and there but overall there are enough epic moments through the story So the opening is made in a way to be jaw dropping even for an adult person Even despite the fact that what's new there, really? What, we haven't seen speed chase through the city in any other story driven game? Nevertheless, the way it's made and the level of it is forces you to say wow *Do you think a crushing defeat can stop me?* *In theory, yes* *No it doesn't!* *A dimension where I win is waiting for us* *Now we'll switch the roles* And of course eventually Nefarious drags everyone into a dimension that benefits him Where he became an Emperor and conquered the universe Plus as a result heroes are divided, alternative lombax from alternative dimension enters the stage This time it's a cute girl named Rivet And Clank also has a girl friend named KT. Let's say, she's a girl with a big secret inside *Let's just say that if it doesn't work out - although it's unlikely - we'll just split up. No questions asked*
*Team?* *Yes! Team* Additionally Dimensionator explodes and causes universe scale cataclysm Rifts begin to form everywhere, through which the universes begin to seep into each other It's used in the game mechanics and it's making an adventure more interesting Heroes are exploring the space, travelling from one planet to another to reassemble the Dimensionator and stop evil Emperor *All right, what is it?* *Spatial pocket? Maybe it's a result of Dimensionator impact* *You're good at telling fairy tales* And here it turns out that Ratchet and Clank is not only a technically outstanding game that gives good emotions but it also a good adventure game as well I would not call it the best in the universe, but the fact that this is an adventure game from the highest category is absolutely certain We have a dozen planets that we travel on, either in the story, or in free roam Sometimes you backtrack to those planet to finish exploration The planets are diverse and have very different types of gameplay Some planets are story-focused - these have a classic moments when Clank jumping on the rails, there's constantly something is happening, collapses or explodes In other words classic platformer You also need to understand what kind of evolution Ratchet and Clank went through, because initially it was platformer which gradually mutated into platformer with guns And later into the shooter with platformer So platformer elements - jumps and travel - over time, they were simplified, while combat mechanics was improving *Careful, guys!* And shooter elements in Ratchet and Clank is pretty good - you have more than 15 types of weapons and each weapon has its own original idea So you have a standard pack of pistol, shotgun, sniper rifle, rocket launcher But besides that there is a lot of weapon with some interesting idea *There are too many of them. Retreat to the Emperor* You can set turrets, you can launch a swarm or fungus spores that will eat the enemies, you can fire the electric gun that will pierce enemies with a lightning There's even a weapon which fire blasts of water at enemies and turns them into topiary There's a freezing gun and underground drills that will suddenly attack the enemies Various grenades, death beams and whatever else you can imagine On top of that there's a skill tree with upgrades and it's done in a pretty interesting way You gather crystals in open world, using this crystals you unlock certain cells and if you, like in Solitaire, surround certain cells in the skill tree your gun upgrades even more *Popular choice* Of course upgrades are not only increase the power, but also gives weapons different additional effects Like grenade may become shrapnel and so on *Is it hard to reach the enemies? Try to reach them with the help of "Ricochet"!* And to match the amount of weapons there's a pretty wide bestiary of various enemies And you need to know that on higher difficulties Ratchet and Clank turns into pretty hardcore action where you need to jump, dodge and juggle guns on the go And more than that, even if you play on Normal you still do all those things, but the hardcore level is lower *She got on board the cruiser!* *Sorry for being uninvited* So you need to understand that shooter elements here for a reason and have a pretty good gameplay mechanics behind it On top of that there's also a platformer mechanics, which are constantly evolving and progressing On one planet you have magnetic boots, on the other - jet boots with which you have to push off from the ground like on skates Almost every time it happens when you travel to a new planet So when you arrive to a new planet you're getting some new mechanics It may be acid swamps, through which you can only ride on beetles Or you arrive on the planet that's have a spirit of the Legend of Zelda where you're getting jet boots and begin to run around the ancient temples and solve puzzles And the puzzles are made just like in the old game When you're playing as Clank you need to gather spheres and build the route so that alternative Clanks won't fall down and die By solving a puzzle you're making a route for them, just like for lemmings *Do you know how to fix dimensions?* *And why are my copies walking around?* *It's your abilities! A key to fix Anomalies* *But first - pick up that sphere* On other location you're in the underwater laboratory switching between different states in different dimensions In one dimension it's destroyed, in another it's brand new and you're getting two parallel story lines Here this game says "Hi" to Singularity and Titanfall 2 You are constantly switching between dimensions. In one dimension you can't get through the door, in another you can. And so you plot your own route And of course there is an unkillable monster running around the base in a dimension where everything is destroyed, from which you must run and hide from What, of course, adds the emotions *What is this?* *This is...Pep. My buddy* *Sometimes he tries to kill me, but overall he's a nice guy* So overall every new level and every new planet is some change in the mechanics When you're getting on a Junkyard planet - here's the new travel mechanics - a hero instead of jumping start to twist on a bungee and launch himself far away The density of events and the density of the story is very impressive Even when you're getting to a giant open world planet you're not just traveling listening to a boring relaxing music and thinking about puzzles No, you're flying on the jet pack, and either your characters constantly communicating Or you constantly stumble upon enemies who is discussing something and tell you some small things about the world or joking or threatening some NPC in the name of Emperor *The Emperor demands that you beg for forgiveness* *Hmmm...Nope!* When I reached the biggest territory, that Zelda-like planet, I thought that I couldn't make it through and stop playing right here But when you make your first steps in this huge world, you learn that there's a lot of things to do It's either a trampoline you should jump to get a secret, or a hidden cave or a platform going nuts and randomly start to run away from you and you chase it across the level Overall the adventure element is pretty decent. Not the best, but in the list of the most worthy
*Lair of sand sharks!* *What's that "Cla"?* *Clank. Always ready to cover my back* *Where is he now?* *Helping me fight Nefarious. But we split up* The only thing I didn't like is that when you're getting on some big planets often the story ends, but you're seeing that you can go here or there You start to climbing and face some problems like invisible walls Then you find a detour, after all getting in and turns out that in those corners of the map where you shouldn't be is not very interesting But later it turns out that you're getting back on that planet during the story and those parts of the map suddenly coming to life *But...There's no way to get there* *Ha. We'll improvise* At the same time, there are maps on which developers are expect you to explore and find some secret after you finish the story line And this dissonance is slightly frustrating So on one hand platformer elements are there and you can reach some inaccessible places, but on some maps you don't need to do this, and on others you do And often you don't know what you supposed to do And when you get to a place where you shouldn't it seems that those moments are unfinished, but later turns out that it's fine, but you came there too soon Overall, they didn't think it through *Welcome to Zurka's interdimensional gastropub and coliseum* *I will accept your clothing and all your weapons* Also heroes are stopping at the space pub to discuss business, but more often to spend time on the arena Again, nothing original, nothing supernatural, yes, this game have arena with a bunch of challenges And all the challenges are interesting I've done 'em all, which is a rare for me *My weird fan is offering help? Tempting* *What should I do? Maybe a home match?* So overall Ratchet and Clank is like this...Nothing new, but that "nothing new" is executed on such a level, that it not only invokes respect, but it also wows Because of that "wow" we're still playing games even after 20 years I'm playing games for 30 years and I always want to say thanks to Sony because they're one of the few left who tries to make that wow for us And it's impossible not to appreciate The story is simple, gameplay is familiar, just very well technically implemented But all of it together works excellently It creates amazing and cozy atmosphere where you're feeling good And yes, all the characters are standard, villain is cartoonish, there's nothing special in the story But you can't stop playing until the very final And If I was a kid and someone gave me this game I think my mind would've blown up And that's why Ratchet and Clank is great - it's a game for kids which could easily captivate an adult, which has great co-op Recently there was a platformer It Takes Two for family co-op playthrough And I can say that in term of positive emotions Ratchet and Clank beats it I really liked It Takes Two, I enjoyed playing it, but in some places it was boring and relaxed Sometimes it made me yawn With all my respect to this game Ratchet and Clank, on the other hand, captivates you by this uncompromised blockbuster drive When you look at it it's something unreal, with an unreal technological level And you are being bombarded by the story, cutscenes and explosions so it's impossible to stop playing it I give it 9/10
2021-06-14 02:48
