WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, available now on PlayStation 5.

The classic PlayStation series Ratchet & Clank has always caught the eyes of gamers with its bombastic adventures through outer space, but what keeps players coming back is the series' lovable cast of characters. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is no different, with the character drama being just as compelling as the world-ending threat of Emperor Nefarious. Throughout the story, Insomniac Games tells a thoughtful and touching story of forgiveness, and the new characters are sure to be remembered for years to come.

Released to widespread critical acclaimRift Apart follows the iconic duo on their biggest adventure yet, seeing them transported to an alternate dimension on a quest to save the multiverse from total collapse. The game marks is the sixteenth installment in the series, and Insomniac Games keeps things fresh with the introduction of Rivet and Kit, the parallel universe's equivalent to Ratchet and Clank. Using all four characters, Insomniac gives players a heartfelt journey of forgiveness amid the cosmic chaos.

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Rivet and Clank working together in Rift Apart

The opening minutes of Rift Apart show a celebration of the titular duo, and as a gift, Clank has repaired a powerful tool from previous games: the Dimensionator. Ratchet is the last of the Lombaxes, having never known any others like him, and Clank repaired the Dimensionator so his friend might finally find other of his kind. Ratchet is hesitant, but thanks to interference from Doctor Nefarious, the Dimensionator falls into the wrong hands, and the two are blasted into an alternate reality and separated.

Players then take on the role of Rivet, the new dimension's version of Ratchet, and find Clank. Although Rivet feels she works best alone, she brings Clank along on her quest. As Rivet, players will hear Clank lament about his mistakes. Clank struggles with the guilt of putting the universe in peril, regretting ever rebuilding the Dimensionator. Despite Rivet's reassurances, Clank continues to worry that the damaged he has caused -- both to the multiverse and his friendship with Ratchet -- is irreparable. Having not considered Ratchet's feelings or whether he even wanted to seek out the Lombaxes, Clank stews in dread as he and Rivet battle from planet to planet.

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Meanwhile, Ratchet comes across the new dimension's equivalent to Clank in Kit, a robot who has banished herself to a sparsely populated planet rarely touched by the outside world. Kit is at war with herself, stuck in a pit of self-loathing, unable to escape the actions of her past and convinced that she is of no use. She tells Ratchet that she was a Warbot built by the evil Emperor Nefarious solely for the purpose of destruction. Kit is haunted by the cruel orders she carried out before escaping to isolation. Ratchet helps her onto the path towards self-forgiveness, assuring Kit that her past does not define her present. While Kit agrees to help Ratchet, she struggles to truly move on.

All four later regroup, and Rift Apart's theme of forgiveness shows through in Ratchet and Clank's reunion. Together again, Clank apologizes wholeheartedly to Ratchet, who forgives him for his missteps. While two best friends can easily patch things up, though, Kit has a much longer path to redemption.

Of course, forgiveness is not always a smooth road. Kit feels she can only forgive herself once she has reconciled with her wrongs. After mustering up the courage to do so, Kit reveals that she (acting under the Emperor's orders) is the reason Rivet lost her arm. Rivet pushes her away, the trauma of her injury bubbling to the surface, which leaves both hurting. Kit's anxiety about being a danger to those around her is affirmed, and she retreats back into herself, leaving the group to return to the far reaches of space. As for Rivet, she is convinced that she's best working alone and feels foolish for ever thinking otherwise.

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After this, the fight against Emperor Nefarious comes to a head, and Ratchet, Clank and Rivet need all the allies they can get to assist. For a moment, it appears that Rivet is about to meet her end, until Kit makes her triumphant return, armed and ready to fight using her Warbot weaponry. Kit has finally made peace with herself, and realized that she must first come to terms with her own guilt if she wants to atone for her crimes and help those she has wronged move on.

Kit decides to be proactive in healing Rivet's pain, and Rivet sees the strength it takes for Kit to come to this conclusion. Rivet, in turn, realizes that she also has a major role to play in help Kit move on, and that both are hurting. Together, Kit and Rivet defeat Emperor Nefarious, and the dimensions are saved.

Insomniac Games created a compelling arc for Kit and Rivet through their shared pain and road to forgiveness. By contrasting their journeys with Ratchet and Clank's far easier path to forgiveness, players are able to emphasize with the characters and their struggles. Given their histories, it makes sense that Kit and Rivet would have doubts before finding solace in the closing moments of the game -- but the fact that their road to forgiveness is so long makes their success so much more powerful in the end. Ultimately, Rift Apart proves that it is possible to move on from the darkest of circumstances.

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