Ratchet & Clank makes New Game Plus better than anyone else

Since Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando – the sequel to the original game on PlayStation 2 – I’ve played every game in the series with one goal: to improve all weapons. It’s a noble goal and a lot of fun, but difficult to accomplish in a single pass. This is where New Game Plus comes in.

Ratchet & Clank didn’t invent New Game Plus, but it’s the first time I’ve seen that language as a kid. It was a chance not only to play a game I loved a second time and accomplish my mission, but also to move forward and unlock new things. Ratchet & Clank’s New Game Plus modes have always been the best and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart continues the tradition.

The many weapon upgrades from Ratchet & Clank

Ratchet & Clank is a series about weapons. And since Commander go

, Players have been able to upgrade Ratchet’s arsenal by using these weapons against enemies. At first, guns only had a single layer, and then they turned into something different and more powerful. For example, the Blitz Gun is in a shotgun Commander go, and if used enough it will evolve into a lightning cannon, a bit like a Pokémon.

Over the years this system has been expanded. in the Rift Apart, Players can upgrade each weapon five times during their first playthrough. The fifth upgrade turns it into something new. The first weapon that Ratchet picks up in his 2021 adventure is the Burst Pistol; Players can pull the trigger halfway to shoot slower for more accuracy, or pull the trigger all the way down for fully automatic fire. At level 5, the Burst Pistol transforms, gets three barrels, and works like the Spreader Pistol from Against.

Rift Apart also continues the age-old tradition of adding Omega versions of these weapons in New Game Plus. On subsequent playthroughs, players will receive a bolt multiplier (Ratchet & Clanks currency) for each enemy they defeat without being hit. Players can then take their stacks of money to the store to purchase super-expensive versions of weapons that they have fully upgraded – Omega weapons.

Once players have their new Omega weapons in hand, the upgrade quest begins again. in the Rift Apart

who have favourited Omega version of the Burst Pistol can go from level 5 to level 10. And while there isn’t a major weapon transformation in the end, there is still something for players to do in this second run other than just relive the story.

A new game plus just for me

I’m usually not a New Game Plus person. I like to experience games more than once, but usually as the developer originally intended, without all of my fancy upgrades. I play Ratchet & Clank games with one mission – to fully upgrade my entire arsenal – and I can’t fully achieve that without New Game Plus.

Part of what Ratchet & Clanks New Game Plus works for me is that it’s expanded. I’ve always enjoyed the stories on the show, but the exploration and the shooting is what really attracts me. My mission to improve any tool is in both practicality and discovery. Not only do I want to see every crazy gun transform after use, I also want to have them in my back pocket the next time I stand with my back against a wall.

The best thing about New Game Plus in Ratchet & Clank is that I can use these super powerful weapons. Since I view every enemy as a potential experience, I put a weapon away the moment I maximize and transform it. Outside of a boss fight, or when I run out of ammo in non-upgraded weapons, I can barely use these fantastic tools of destruction at level 5. I’m upgrading and moving on to my next project.

The reintroduction of the weapons with Omega variants not only motivates me by allowing me to further improve my tools, but also enables me to play with the overpowering weapons. These Omega weapons are starting with an upgrade, and now I’m just trying to make their effectiveness more by leveling them up further. I get my explosive cake and I eat it too.

At some point I will also buy and upgrade all of my Omega weapons. And while I could just sign out and say it was well done, I’ll keep playing until the end of the game so I can bask in the glory of a fully updated arsenal until I’ve finished my playthrough. It’s the perfect reward after playing the same game twice in a row.