Heartwarming / Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

What's an elbow bump between new friends?

• The game starts with an awe-inspiring parade organized to honor the bravery and accomplishments of Ratchet and Clank. It is a magnificent display of colors, music, and fanfare that will leave you spellbound. You will witness the streets filled with people cheering and waving to the parade floats that showcase the duo's iconic moments. Overall, it is an unforgettable experience that sets the tone for the rest of the game.
• After so many years, Clank was able to repair the Dimensionator. Now if only Alister Azimuth had lived to see that...
• Though they didn't quite get along initially because of Rivet's fear of robots, it's quite touching to see Rivet getting along with Clank after their initial meeting back on Corson V.
• Ratchet's and Rivet's meeting with each other through Clank after they discover that they're both Lombaxes. It's especially touching to see that neither of them is alone after all after they both spent a considerable amount of time fending for themselves, with Ratchet on Veldin and Rivet on Sargasso.
• The very fact that Rivet, unlike Ratchet, had some company in the Morts on Sargasso (since Sargasso seems to be her equivalent of Veldin) is uplifting since she at least had someone to depend on for much of her life.
• Even though Kit is so terrified of her true purpose that she tells Ratchet to leave her behind, Ratchet, being the All-Loving Hero that he is, refuses to do so and even reminds her of their deal that if their plan to retrieve the plans for the Dimensionator goes well, they'll become a team. Which it did.
  • Ratchet is the one who breaks through Kit's isolation, gently encouraging her and supporting her the entire game - particularly when they first meet on Savali. Ratchet knows that something is up with Kit and when he discovers her Super Mode for the first time, he questions why she’s so defensive about it and praises her for defeating an entire army of attackers at the Archives. Over the course of the level, the two grow to respect each other and are able to survive the decrepit Rubicon Forge in the next level all by themselves. The fuzzball has come a long way since the first time he met Clank...
• Clank successfully redeeming the Fixer on Torren IV all by himself demonstrates both his growth as a character since the beginning of the series and his newfound empathy after having met Orvus and Sigmund at the Great Clock. About to be crushed by the Fixer, Clank tells him that he was physically broken when he first arrived on Corson V, but he overcame that adversity and reminds the Fixer that what he believes is broken can easily be fixed by him.
  • Which is followed by Rivet genuinely thanking Clank for saving her life. After being on uneven terms with each other at first, the two realize they both make a pretty good team, and Rivet realizes working alone might not be the best option.
• True the pirates are trying to kill you as they think you killed Captain Quantum, but Quantum can't help but feel honored with how beloved he was to them that they would do all this to avenge him.
• Captain Quantum performing a Heroic Sacrifice to save Ratchet, though he does come back later on.
  • On that note, Ratchet's description of Qwark.
    Ratchet: Because no matter how many times he screws up, he's always there when it matters most. He never stops trying.
  • Even just Ratchet instinctively calling Qwark a hero when Quantum asks about him. As much as the Captain has annoyed or inconvenienced him in the past, he knows Qwark's heart is in the right place now and is willing to put in a good word for him.
• Dr. Nefarious fawning over Lawrence's kid during the credits. Its pretty much the first time he actually treats Lawrence well instead of his usual Bad Boss tendencies. In fact, the fact that he has Lawrence on paid paternity leave counts as a rare Pet the Dog moment for the doctor, too. Which is an especially nice contrast to Emperor Nefarious, who truly is a Bad Boss in comparison.
• The fact that the organics in Rivet's world haven't fully given up. Even during the game's darkest hour, there are still those who still believe in the Resistance, and many ready to fight the empire, no matter what.
• Despite how things got so out of hand because of Nefarious as a result, Clank gifting a rebuilt Dimentionator to Ratchet at the parade.
  • There’s also Clank’s reasoning for rebuilding the Dimensionator. Even knowing the risks and dangers it would pose and all the trouble the device had caused in past, Clank rebuilt it so that his best friend would finally be able to find the other Lombaxes.
    Clank: I know that finding the Lombaxes has always been important to you. I thought that perhaps we could go together.
    Ratchet: Wow. That’s really thoughtful.
• The fact that Qwark of all people hosts a parade in Ratchet & Clank's honor, without making it about himself aside from hologram statues of himself everywhere, with no ulterior motive shows how much he's grown over the franchise.
• The final lorb entry, promising any Lombaxes that didn't travel to the new dimension that they weren't forgotten and that they will find their way home.
• The game's abundance of Company Cross References to other PlayStation games really show how much Insomniac admires their fellow PlayStation Studios developers:
  • The RYNO 8 has an upgraded solely dedicated to dropping items from Horizon, Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper and Uncharted, with even Sly, Bentley, Jak, and Daxter themselves having a chance of showing up!
  • The Lombax Lorbs have Mags simply gushing over the different PlayStation dimensions he visits. He states thinks Sly looked cool while pulling a heist, wants to hang out with Jak and Daxter, calls Craftworld possibily the cutest dimension he's ever seen, and wishes he could've stayed longer in Knack's dimension (doubly heartwarming seeing as the Knack franchise is a bit of a punching bag in the gaming community). One of the lorbs even has him visit Intelligent Qube of all games! It's also a funny moment as it's the only dimension that Mags has very little to say about, but it's a nice, deep-cut reference regardless.
  • The sheer amount of Shout-Outs to Sly Cooper and Jak and Daxter. There's all of the above examples, plus a bolt replacement clearly modeled after Sly's coins and the Lorbs being an expy of Jak's Precursor Orbs. Ratchet & Clank may have been the biggest success of the three, but it will never forget its PS2 platformer brethren.
• The various Sunset Overdrive easter eggs and the fact that the RYNO 8 can drop the submarine from Song of the Deep are all nice to see, as it shows that the studio still cares about the games despite both having been financial failures.
• The CraiggerBear collectibles were designed to honor Craig Goodman, a long-time Insomniac employee who passed away in 2019. The design of the bear is based off of a real plush bear that Craig and his wife Juilianna found in the hospital and modified to give to their kids.
  Mysterious plush bears that seem to show up on every world. They are said to carry the optimism, kindness, and creativity of a fallen hero missed by his comrades.
  • Upon collecting all the CraiggerBears across both a regular and Challenge Mode playthrough, you will unlock four stickers to use in the Photo Mode commemorating past Insomniac employees Craig Goodman, Dan Johnson, Steven Kirk, and Michael Kuehl, each one being honored with the title of "Legend" in the sticker names. The credits also lists the four as "Eternal Insomniacs."

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