TheRatchet and Clankseries first debuted in 2002 for the PlayStation 2, even spawning a reimagined game for PlayStation 4 in 2016. After about five years of no newRatchet and Clankgames,Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apartwas released, much to the delight of the franchise’s fans. Having been met with positive reviews,Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apartshowcases the best parts of the franchise alongside stunning visuals on the PlayStation 5. The game brings back the familiarity of Ratchet and Clank, but introduces players to new characters in the alternate dimension; namely, Rivet and Ms. Zurkon.
Rivet is essentially the alternate version of Ratchet, and Ms. Zurkon is unsurprisingly the alternate dimension version of Mr. Zurkon. Despite how Rivet and Ms. Zurkon are both supposed to be alternative versions of their predecessor characters, they both stand apart in their own way without relying on Ratchet or Mr. Zurkon. In an interview with Game Rant,the voice actors behind Rivetand Ms. Zurkon, Jennifer Hale and Courtenay Taylor, discussed the parallels between their characters and their counterparts.
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How Rivet Compares to Ratchet in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
Jennifer Halewas incredibly excited to voice Rivet, so much so that it was one of the hardest NDAs she’s ever had to keep. As a character, Rivet is fun and endearing without being too downtrodden or upset about the things that have happened to her. She’s had some dark times, but they never took away her power to be optimistic, and that’s something Hale adores about Rivet.
One of the things I’ve really enjoyed about Rivet is that she’s a departure from so much of what I have been playing in terms of what’s traditionally been defined as a strong female character. Someone with a really deep voice and a heavy history and a heavy heart, and that’s the trick about Rivet is she’s definitely got a heavy history and a heavy heart, but she doesn’t live there.
As for comparisons to Ratchet, Rivet really stands apart in her own way. While she may be analternate dimension version of the male Lombax, they both handle situations in completely different ways. Their personalities really stand on their own, which is why they work so well together and don’t read like carbon copies of each other.
Hale was also given a lot of creative liberty to explore Rivet’s voice, but really “went purely on instinct” because she connected to Rivet so easily and the writing kind of jumped off the page. So, despite Rivet being an alternate dimension version of Ratchet, voiced by James Arnold Taylor, the two did not work together to make sure thatRivet wasn’t too similar to Ratchet, as they both stood as separate characters.
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How Ms. Zurkon Compares to Mr. Zurkon in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
Ms. Zurkon, voiced by Courtenay Taylor, shouldn’t be confused with Mrs. Zurkon, a character featured in 2016’sRatchet and Clank. Ms. Zurkon also functions a bit differently than Mr. Zurkon, as the latter was only a weapon and Ms. Zurkon is actually a weapons merchant. Ms. Zurkon, according to Taylor, is alsospecificallya “Ms.” meaning she isn’t married. Seeing how much Ms. Zurkon changed in comparison to Mrs. Zurkon and Mr. Zurkon, it’s not surprising that Ms. Zurkon stands on her own in a funny, endearing, “bull in a china shop” kind of way.
I imagine her with, like, big boobs and her big voice and bringing everybody in for a big hug and she’s sort of that, like, grandma/auntie character that isn’t heavy. She’s just got this really strong personality and she’s having a really good time doing something that she hasn’t done before. I love that she’s super loud but is talking about being a spy.
Taylor also noted that Mark Graue, who voiced Mr. Zurkon, did not factor into her portrayal of Ms. Zurkon. Instead, the writers were actually keen to let her throw in “folksy sayings” she’d picked up through the years while visiting family on the coast of Texas. She says she had a lot of fun voicing Ms. Zurkon, and that this character in particular was “kind of waiting to bust out of [her] for a long time.”
Those who have already playedRatchet and Clank: Rift Aparthave seen firsthand how Rivet and Ms. Zurkonstand on their own, especially in comparison to Ratchet and Mr. Zurkon. Rivet may be Ratchet’s alternate dimension counterpart and Ms. Zurkon may be the same to Mr. Zurkon, but comparing the two is kind of like comparing apples to oranges—they’re all delicious fruit and should be enjoyed as they are.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apartis available now for PS5.
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