Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart’s Weapon Arsenal Keeps Getting Bigger
We’re only a measly three weeks away from another true current-gen experience, this time in the world of Lombaxes and Nefarious villains, Ratchet & Clank return within a visually stunning game called Rift Apart, the first new storyline since Into the Nexus debuted eight years ago. Rift Apart takes place after both Into the Nexus and the 2016 reimagining of the original Ratchet & Clank and features a brand new plot that anyone, including new players, can enjoy.
Along with this new story that, of course, involves Dr. Nefarious as the main villain once again, we are also getting a slew of shiny, off-the-wall weapons that the series is known for having. After the main gameplay trailer dropped three weeks ago, and a few subsequent smaller showcases more recently, we now have seen a possible total of 19 weapons we’ll be able to spend our hard earned bolts on, let’s talk about them. Obviously, spoilers ahead if you consider the earnable weapons as spoilers.
The Burst Pistol is akin to an original Ratchet & Clank weapon called the Blaster. This pistol is your run-of-the-mill standard gun and usually what you start out with at the beginning of the game. It utilizes the Adaptive Triggers in the PS5’s DualSense controller, as you’ll find most of these weapons do. Pull the trigger halfway to fire slow and stable shots or press it all the way for rapid fire spraying.
The Glove of Doom is returning once again, another classic and player favorite. The Glove of Doom lets you throw out little robots called Agents of Doom that run around and explode enemies.
The Pixelizer is a shotgun-like weapon obtainable in the 2016 Ratchet & Clank reimagination, and is back again this time around. It does what you think it does. Shooting an enemy morphs them into pixelated versions of themselves and deals damage. This was one of my favorite weapons in the 2016 game, because not only is it visually satisfying, but enemies killed with it break apart into pixels on the ground. If you pre-order Rift Apart you also get this weapon unlocked early.
The Shatterbomb is a grenade that explodes in dazzling purple goodness and does insane amounts of damage in a large radius. The more enemies you explode, the more rumble you feel via the DualSense’s haptic feedback.
The Topiary Sprinkler is a brand new addition to the series and one of my personal favorites so far. This weapon lets you throw out a turret that sprays water on enemies, eventually covering them in plants and reducing their movement. This provides a strategic way to flank heavy enemies with shields and gain easy access to weak points. It also just looks incredibly fun to use and is a super unique addition to the series.
Mr. Fungi gives you the ability to throw little mushroom creatures that float and shoot enemies with the small pistols they hold. Not much else is known about this weapon as we have very limited gameplay of it. Here’s to hoping they poison enemies with spores or the like, that would be cool.
The Enforcer is a double barrel shotgun that fires orange electrical charges in a wide spread. Hold the trigger halfway down to shoot one barrel and reduce reload time, or press through the tension for a full double barrel shot for more damage but an extended reload.
My favorite weapon shown off so far, Cold Snap, resembles a grenade launcher and encases foes in blocks of ice. I’m a sucker for ice related weaponry in games so I can’t wait to get my hands on this one.
The Drillhound is a very unique weapon that I originally thought was going to be strictly a melee weapon but is instead still a gun even though it looks like it’s… well not a gun. It looks like a drill. When you fire, the front of the drill spirals off and explodes on enemies. It’s hard to tell in the gameplay available but it looks like there’s an animal holding onto the drill as it’s flying through the air, this would explain the “hound” part of the name. Also, if you shoot the drill low or it doesn’t reach your target, the drill will dig into the earth in a straight path and sprout up into enemies.
The Lightning Rod resembles something like a submachine gun and fires orbs of electricity that can stun targets. Repeated hits on a single target can chain lightning between surrounding enemies stunning more than one at once.
Ricochet fires a single metal ball projectile that bounces off enemies multiple times before returning to the gun. It hits heavily and stops the enemy from attacking you as it’s ricocheting.
The Void Repulsor looks like a shotgun that comes equipped with a hologram barrier. This barrier might deploy when you pull the trigger down slightly and disappear when you fire, but the limited gameplay of this weapon makes it tough to tell exactly what’s going on.
The Buzz Blades are returning, marking their sixth appearance in Ratchet & Clank. It fires multiple saw blades that bounce between enemies and surfaces multiple times.
The Blackhole Storm is a mini-gun that shoots purple, space-like rounds. Other than that, there’s not enough information out there as to why it gets its name.
The Negatron Collider fires a constant blast of light energy that can penetrate through multiple targets.
The Headhunter might be an obtainable weapon as it’s a part of one of the trophies for the game as well as The Void Reactor which may be the upgraded version of The Void Repulsor.
That brings us to a known total of 17 weapons if the trophy related ones are indeed weapons. You can’t forget the famous RYNO which is in almost every game, and the super wacky morphing weapon that always makes an appearance. Will we be turning our enemies into chickens or sheep this time? Who knows. This brings the total to a possible 19 weapons to obtain, as well as upgrade into their stronger versions. This is pretty on par with how many weapons are available in the previous games but I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s more that Insomniac are keeping hidden. Personally, I’m still holding out hope that my precious Bouncer will return as it’s my all-time favorite Ratchet & Clank weapon. Either way, this arsenal looks like it’s packed with enough robot-smashing and creature-eliminating punch, to please any previous fans of the series or newcomers alike. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart releases on June 11th exclusively on PlayStation 5.
If only we could start saving up bolts now.
If you want to see videos going over most of these weapons, as well as the obtainable armor, feel free to check out my videos right here:
