During the course of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, developer Insomniac Games includes several Easter eggs for players to find that range from references to popular Sony titles to franchises across all platforms, even going so far as to include a discreet nod to Disney. In a game already loaded with personality, these colorful inclusions offer that much more to smile about.
Rift Apart has been out for several weeks now, with fans finally getting to experience the dimension-hopping adventures of the titular duo and new female protagonist Rivet. The group must work together to stop the Dimensional Cataclysm from occurring after Dr. Nefarious destroys the Dimensionator, a device that allows the user to open portals to different dimensions.
Video game developers have a long history of including Easter eggs in games, which serve as a fun treat for players to find. Games like The Last of Us Part 2 include references to other games made by the same developer, while other Easter eggs can be pulled from all types of media, including movies and books. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart has Easter eggs from a number of different sources, with these being the most clever of the bunch.
Rift Apart's Pirates of the Caribbean Reference
During Ratchet's visit to Ardolis, home of the Space Pirates, he encounters a prison cell holding a crew of pirates that are trying to bribe a Robomutt into giving them the keys to escape. This moment is reminiscent of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride found at Disneyland, which depicts something similar, as does the Pirates of the Caribbean film Curse of the Black Pearl. In the film, Jack Sparrow tries to entice the guard dog of his jail cell with a bone, a scene mirrored in jocular sci-fi fashion by the pirates in Rift Apart.
Rift Apart's Kingdom Hearts Reference
Throughout the events of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart's story, both Ratchet and Rivet are able to collect Gold Bolts hidden in the environments they visit that unlock cheats or game mods that can be enabled in the Collectibles menu. One of the rewards gained is a Wrench Swap Pack, which allows Ratchet to transform his trusty wrench into different objects, most notably a key. This is a reference to the many Keyblades found in the Kingdom Hearts series, albeit with its own unique design that fits into the Ratchet & Clank universe. Ratchet even wields the key like Sora does in Kingdom Hearts, performing acrobatic twirls and spins while standing still.
Rift Apart's Sony Title References
Lombax Lorbs are the collectible items that Ratchet is tasked to find on the planet Savali, which contain hidden messages from a Lombax explorer named Mags, who took up the task of mapping every dimension with the aid of the Dimensionator. These messages contain veiled references to other PlayStation franchises, with Mags describing one particular dimension as being the cutest they have ever seen, commenting specifically about a soothing narrator, which draws comparisons to the platforming PS3 series LittleBigPlanet (and the narration provided by Stephen Fry). Mags also mentions a dimension that was inhabited by characters made of relic items that could break down, a reference to the PS4 exclusive Knack.
Rift Apart Has Rupees, Orbs, Coins, And Energy Drinks
Another Easter egg that is unlocked by collecting Gold Bolts is a Bolt Replacement Pack, which allows players to change the appearance of the bolts that act as currency in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. The alternate appearances take inspiration from items in other games, with the blue orbs being found in the God of War franchise and the Overcharge Delirium XT energy drink being from Insomniac's Xbox exclusive title Sunset Overdrive. The other two options are similar to Coins and Rupees, which are collectible items from popular Nintendo franchises Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda.