Like Kit, Rivet was first introduced in the most recent game: Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart. She acts as Ratchet’s dimensional counterpart. Now, I love a good strong female lead, and Rivet fit the bill right away. With that being the case, I wanted to take this week’s Spotlight Saturday to dive into her story a bit deeper.
Before Rift Apart
Rivet’s past is one that, unfortunately, is still a mystery. During Rift Apart we get some glimpses into that past like her history with the pirate captain Pierre Le Fer, or her affiliation with the resistance group fighting back against Emperor Nefarious, but we don’t get to see much else. At some point during her time with the resistance, she attempted to sneak into Emperor Nefarious’ tower. Unfortunately, a warbot spotted her and attacked her which resulted in her lost arm. Since then, she was wary of robots and rightfully so.
I admire Rivet and her dedication to what she believes in. Even after what she faced at Emperor Nefarious’ tower, she pressed on and still fought for the resistance. Not only that, but she became quite a valuable member of it. When I find myself attached to strong female characters, it is generally when they have to endure a lot and survive. Rivet’s story fits that pattern for me, and she easily became a favorite of mine.
Ratchet’s Dimensional Counterpart
Man, those are big shoes to fill. Any fan of the series knows that Ratchet has saved galaxies over and over again, with the help of Clank of course. In Rivet’s dimension where Ratchet doesn’t exist, it would seem that the role of the hero has been played by her. Even as Ratchet and Clank interrupt, she is in the middle of doing her best to save her dimension.
Now, we don’t know exactly how many times she’s had to save the galaxy. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear it was a numerous amount of times. I don’t think Insomniac would’ve made Ratchet a counterpart without giving her a similar track record, one I wouldn’t mind exploring in later titles I might add. However, while she does have a past, Rift Apart really serves as her debut. This is as much her story as it is Ratchet’s and Insomniac did a wonderful job blending the two together.
It presented the opportunity to both play into a player’s nostalgia, and add a new story altogether. We get to see Rivet and Kit form their beautiful friendship, while also tagging along for Ratchet and Clank’s adventure. This was a real treat for me. Yes, I have always loved Ratchet and Clank as characters but Rivet and Kit were both a breath of fresh air in a franchise that maybe didn’t need it, but certainly benefited from it.
I am hopeful that Insomniac gave birth to Rivet with the intention of expanding both her and Kit’s stories some more. She fills the shoes of Ratchet’s counterpart well, and in some ways really steals the spotlight in a game with Ratchet’s name in the title. It left me wanting to see more of her, whether in her own spin-off title, or future Ratchet and Clank titles.
Not Alone Anymore
Much like Ratchet, Rivet was excited to learn of another Lombax. While she needed to do what she could to help her dimension, Ratchet and the promise of other Lombaxes sure sweetened the deal for her. I’m not sure what Insomniac has planned for that story arc, but I’m excited to find out.
Despite that though, it was wonderful to see the joy in Rivet’s eyes when she learned of Ratchet. It gave her a sense of hope that I think she really needed at the time, given everything with Emperor Nefarious. It was also nice to see Ratchet hopeful again too, especially since he expressed his reservations about finding the Lombaxes a few times during the game.
Time With Clank
I think it is so important that Rivet spends time with Clank before meeting Kit. He was the perfect buffer to help her learn to trust robots again. Of course, she didn’t right away but as the story unfolded and what Clank was saying remained true, she began to believe in him. It was really a beautiful thing to witness. Honestly, how could she have resisted Clank’s charm anyway?
Their time together gave her the tools she needed to both accept Kit, and accept Kit’s past. Clank opened Rivet’s eyes to possibilities and opportunities that she had closed herself off to ever since her accident at Nefarious Tower. I think it also helped her to see Ratchet, a fellow Lombax, trust Clank as much as he did. Their friendship was definitely contagious to both Rivet and Kit.
Kit’s Impact
Here’s where I feel like the storytelling really shined. Throughout Rift Apart, Ratchet is with Kit and Clank is with Rivet for a while. During that time, you get bits and pieces of their past and the events that shaped how they ended up where they are. You have the opportunity to hear about Rivet losing her arm as she tells Clank. You get to hear about why Kit exiled herself and why she doesn’t feel like a good partner.
When you put the two together though, it is much more complex. Kit was the warbot who attacked Rivet at Emperor Nefarious’ tower. As the truth it revealed, Rivet really needs Kit to own up to her mistake and work to make amends. They had the chance to build a friendship before learning about their shared history and I think Rivet just needed to see if that mattered to Kit at all.
Don’t get me wrong, Rivet was angry and felt betrayed, of course. But before Kit said she needed to be alone again, Rivet was willing to work through all of it. That shows a huge amount of character on Rivet’s end, especially considering her distrust of robots in general. She had warmed up to Kit and even considered keeping her around, but she needed to know that Kit had changed and felt remorse for what she had done.
Of course Kit felt bad for the whole situation, but that didn’t change her knee-jerk reaction to run. She was protecting those around her because she still felt unworthy of their friendship. She was also afraid that the mistake with Rivet’s arm would happen again. Through her struggle of self worth, she actually hurt Rivet even more because she ran when all she needed to do was stay.
Reconciliation
When Kit comes back after realizing that the new friendships she made were worth it, things changed for Rivet again. She was able to forgive Kit for both her arm and for leaving. They both formed a bond worth struggling for, and eventually came to that realization. It reminded me a lot of the very first Ratchet and Clank game (not the 2016 remake) where Ratchet and Clank have their disagreement.
It’s in that moment that I realize how beautiful it is that Insomniac was able to invoke that nostalgia within a new story. Rivet and Kit get an origin story similar to Ratchet and Clank’s, and now they too are inseparable. I’d love to see more from this new dynamic duo even if it were away from future Ratchet and Clank games. However I do think they make excellent characters for future Ratchet and Clank games as well.
