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Rivet

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Rivet is a playable character in Rift Apart. She is a lombax from an alternate dimension, believed to be the dimensional counterpart of Ratchet. Rivet makes her debut in Rift Apart as a member of the Resistance force fighting against the evil Emperor Nefarious and his tyrannical empire.

When Clank gets separated from Ratchet, she takes him with her after finding him in Nefarious City following the Dimensionator's destruction. She later teams up with him and Ratchet to help them stop the dimensional cataclysm. On the way, she meets Kit, the counterpart of Clank, with whom she eventually forms a bond after a rocky start to their relationship.

History[]

Before Rift Apart[]

Rivet was raised by the morts on Sargasso from when she was a kid,[2] working for their gelatonium refineries as a delivery person, and worked long work hours to save up funds to purchase her own residence.[3]

Rivet and the Resistance (The Art of Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart)

Rivet with her comrades in the Resistance.

Rivet came to work for the Resistance movement, alongside others including Captain Quantum, though Quantum eventually left for the space pirates.[4] Her residence on Sargasso became her hidden hideout and base of operations, which she would always return to after a mission,[5] and the morts kept secret from the Emperor's forces.[6] Throughout this time, she had few friends outside of the morts,[a] and no companion, conducting her missions alone.[b]

At some point, Rivet was incarcerated at Zordoom Prison, where she became very familiar with the facility and its layout, and eventually broke out with the help of a fellow inmate named Angela.[14]

Rivet Kit Flash back Rift Apart

Rivet is attacked by a warbot and loses her arm.

One day, Rivet found a secret entrance into the Emperor's tower in Nefarious City and attempted to sneak in alone, only to have warbot KT-7461 (who would later be named "Kit"), while working for Emperor Nefarious, sneak up on her and blast off her right arm before suddenly stopping its attack. Following this, Rivet built herself a robotic arm,[15] but held a deep mistrust of robots.[11]

Rift Apart[]

Rivet Clank Nefarious Memory Rift Apart

Rivet searches Clank's memory banks.

During a Resistance mission to steal an infobot in Nefarious City, Corson V, Rivet came across Clank, damaged from his and Ratchet's dimension-jumping conflict with Dr. Nefarious. Highly suspicious of him, Rivet doubted his stories of how he had come from another dimension,[16] took him to her hideout to scan his brain to validate his stories, before regretting it as they revealed his honesty, eventually resolving to work with him.[11] After obtaining a part to repair Clank's communicator from Pierre Le Fer at Zurkie's, the group agreed they needed to build another Dimensionator, with Rivet and Clank looking for Phase Quartz on Blizar Prime.

Rivet Clank Phase Quartz Torren IV Rift Apart

Rivet and Clank obtain the repaired Phase Quartz.

While searching for Phase Quartz, Rivet appreciated Clank's assistance as she was not accustomed to working with a partner,[17] and expressed confusion that Ratchet was afraid to meet the lombaxes as she would have eagerly embraced the chance.[18] Upon finding Blizar Prime destroyed in Rivet's dimension, they discovered that the mining platform had caused the destruction shortly after activating the mining drill. Dislodging the drill to save the planet, Rivet chose to save Clank from the mining laser, sacrificing the Phase Quartz to the laser. She then suggested they seek out the Fixer on Torren IV to repair it,[19] but upon arriving, found the Fixer in an existential crisis, unable to fix anything as he was broken himself. When the Fixer identified Clank as a "fellow broken one," Rivet assured Clank he was no more broken than she was, referring to her also having lost an arm; this inspired Clank to declare himself "fixed," calming the Fixer, at which point he mended the Phase Quartz.[20]

Zurkie's Ratchet Rivet Clank Rift Apart

Rivet nervously meets Ratchet in person for the first time.

At Zurkie's, Rivet regrouped with Ratchet and Clank and met Kit to build the device, only for Dr. Nefarious to take it from them. Rivet and Kit teamed up to defeat him, but Emperor Nefarious returned and took the Dimensionator, then launched an attack on Sargasso.[21] Rivet and Kit teamed up, but mutually agreed that despite seeing Ratchet and Clank's closeness that their partnership would be temporary as they were both used to working alone.[8] After defending Sargasso, Rivet opened up about her story of losing her arm; Kit realized that she was the warbot responsible but was interrupted before she could confess to Rivet.[15]

Rivet Savali Rift Apart

Rivet learns the truth about Kit.

Defending the Dimensional Map on Savali from Emperor Nefarious, Kit revealed her warbot form to confront him. Rivet was frightened by Kit[22] and felt betrayed,[23] while Kit, Ratchet, and Clank were sent to Zordoom, leading Rivet to follow. There, she broke out Clank, Captain Quantum, Phantom, and the Resistance. Clank urged Rivet to forgive Kit; though she was uncertain she could, she vowed to save Kit regardless.[24] After rescuing Ratchet and Kit, Rivet attempted to forgive Kit, but the latter chose to isolate herself on Savali. Rivet scolded Kit for cowardice and not attempting to be a good partner.[7] Ratchet voiced his disapproval, leading to a brief argument which they quickly resolved, moving forward without Kit.[25]

Megalopolis Kit Rivet Rift Apart

Rivet and Kit reconcile after the Emperor's defeat.

After Emperor Nefarious announced his plans to invade Ratchet's dimension, the Resistance decided to travel to Ratchet's Corson V to stop him. Ratchet defeated the Emperor's Imperial Power Suit, and Rivet confronted the Emperor directly. The Emperor summoned all his followers against her, while Kit returned in her warbot form to defend her, telling Rivet she was right in that she could run no longer.[26] Rivet defeated Emperor Nefarious, and after Clank fixed the dimensions, she apologized to Kit, considering her a friend. They decided to become a team, and Ratchet offered to take Rivet to the lombax dimension. The celebration in Ratchet's dimension included Ratchet, Clank, Rivet, and Kit.[27]

Characteristics[]

Appearance[]

Rift Apart promo 5

Rivet is a lombax with white fur with pigeon blue stripes, thin dark eyebrows, a small light pink nose, and light blue eyes. The fur on her forehead resembles a tuft of hair. She wears a pair of black goggles with blue lenses on her head, silver hoop earrings in each ear (two on the right and one on the left), a black and gray jumpsuit with a silver belt, an orange scarf, a black left glove with two orange stripes almost at the end, and black boots with an orange detail. She also has a yellow bionic right arm which she used to replace her real right arm that she had lost from Kit. Her official height is 150cm (4'11") and she weighs 40kg (88lb).

Unlike the only other known female lombax, Angela Cross, she has a bushy tail similar to that of a raccoon or a fox and noticeably different from those of Ratchet and Alister Azimuth, who both have tufted tails similar to that of a lion. This may be because Rivet is from a different dimension, giving her anatomical differences.

Personality[]

Rivet:

Your Nefarious— he looks a lot like mine. Evil like him, too. And that lombax... I know it might sound crazy, but...

Clank:

...you think he is your dimensional counterpart.

Rivet:

Or something! (sighs) Look, whatever's going on here, we're gonna fix it.

Clank:

We? I thought robots are "not your thing"?

Rivet:

Not all of them, just... most. You know, like the Emperor, his stupid followers, pirates— ...yeah. I see the irony, too.

Rift Apart § "Head to the Hideout"

Rivet is heroic, sassy, quick to act, and light-hearted, making witty jokes in tense situations. She often sacrifices her safety and comfort to protect others.[c] Rivet has an unbroken spirit, continuing to stand up to Nefarious despite always losing.[29][d] Because most people Rivet encounters work for Emperor Nefarious,[30] she has few friends;[a] this leads her to become somewhat socially awkward,[28][31] but also means that she is very protective of the few friends she has, including the morts,[32] and Clank after befriending him.[33] Rivet attempts to cheer others up when they are down;[20] however, her aforementioned awkwardness means this can be ineffective.[34]

Rivet is a secret softie,[29] and has an affection for animals, even if it is sometimes misplaced in her enemies, such as lava puffoids and robomutts, which she comments are "Kinda cute."[17] She is a pragmatic thinker, believing that "Specific goals are achievable goals"; a mindset that drove her lifelong dream to operate a drill a hundred times bigger than herself.[35] Some of her favorite foods include; Deep fried zanky, toads in a blanket, and flame-broiled sharkigator with a dash of zurp.[36]

Rivet suffers from PTSD as a result of losing her arm and her past failures. Her experiences have left her to become suspicious of everyone she meets as a potential threat,[30] with an additional prejudice toward robots, especially due to the pirates and the Emperor's followers.[11] This led her to dismiss Clank's story as preposterous until she scanned his brain to confirm it was true. She later was grateful for being able to work with Clank,[17] leading her to trust Kit at first to the point of opening up about her past.[15] Although her friendship with Kit fell apart after learning how Kit was responsible for her arm, she eventually grew past her mistrust and resolved to become teammates with her.[27]

Rivet has many similarities with Ratchet in being heroic, headstrong, and light-hearted, and their similarities lead them to at times say the same words as one another.[25][37] Rivet's trust issues are a trait she does not share with Ratchet, who did not have the same experience as Kit.[b] Because of this, while Ratchet was hesitant to find the lombaxes and nervous about giving up his life in his dimension,[38] Rivet had no such skepticism and was confused by Ratchet's, eager at the idea[18] as she had fewer close family to give up. Despite this, she was also nervous about meeting Ratchet initially.[31]

Abilities[]

Rivet is a capable mechanic,[29] and rivals Ratchet in terms of combat and athletic skills. She built and maintains her own robotic arm,[39] as well as multiple replacements, which she is able to use seamlessly in place of her original arm. Like other lombaxes, she possesses great physical strength disproportionate to her size, as shown in her many fights using her hammer against creatures and robots much larger than herself, and when she held back the Fixer's finger from crushing her. She is also very durable, demonstrated when she fell face-first to the ground from a height of several stories and suffered no evident injuries.

She is proficient in espionage and reconnaissance work from her years in the Resistance, partaking in numerous solo missions over several years. For stealth missions, she designed and built a robot disguise suit.

Equipment[]

Rivet's primary weapon is a hammer made of ultra-light teratannium with a hyper grip handle,[40] (the same as Ratchet's OmniWrench Millennium 12) which can also be used to turn hammercranks to operate machinery.[11] She possesses an arsenal of powerful offensive weapons, including a Burst Pistol, Negatron Collider, Warmonger, and the RYNO 8. She also uses deployed tactical weapons to immobilize enemies such as the Topiary Sprinkler and Cold Snap, and weapons that summon aid in combat such as the Glove of Doom and Mr. Fungi.

Her robotic arm features a fully rotational shoulder joint, and has a built-in Omniglove, which includes a Swingshot, Phantom Dash, Rift Tether, and later a Hurlshot. Amongst her gadgets are Grind Boots for grinding at speed along rails, Glide Boots with deceleration pads for gliding across gaps, Magneboots for walking on magnetic surfaces, Hoverboots for traveling at speed across terrain, and an O2 Filtrator mask for breathing in environments devoid of oxygen.

At her hideout, Rivet has a large amount of computer equipment she uses in her Resistance work, as well as engineering tools. She owns a one-size-fits-all robot disguise suit, which she uses to blend in with the robotic denizens of Nefarious City, and possesses a stolen Royal Starship for interstellar travel.

Behind the scenes[]

Development[]

Rivet's story was inspired by the 1946 movie It's a Wonderful Life, as Insomniac Games imagined what Ratchet's life would be like without Clank. Though an early idea would involve two Ratchets, creative director Marcus Smith felt this would lead to a "cheap soap opera where somebody's got an eye patch and you know that one's evil". Insomniac also wished to avoid counterparts being polar opposites of the characters, feeling diametric forces were difficult to do with more complex characters as opposed to one-dimensional ones. This led to designing characters that were true to their core character but shaped by different circumstances.[41]

Lead writer Lauren Mee and lead animator Lindsay Thompson described Rivet as a character "shaped by tough efforts to survive in a dark dimension who hasn't let those experiences rob her of her optimism and compassion". When passing her to different animators, they made sure never to make her cynical, dark, or cruel, and to make her socially awkward but not shy.[41]

When casting voice actors, the team sent out a character description and listened to submissions without knowing who the actors were. Jennifer Hale was cast based on her audition, as it stood out due to embodying the toughness, vulnerability, and charm desired for Rivet. Though the intention was not to hire an industry veteran, it helped in recording sessions as the team would sometimes schedule four hour recording sessions which Hale would wrap up with over an hour to spare due to nailing her lines.[41]

Before being named Rivet, her name was also the same as Ratchet, as they are technically dimensional counterparts, and Ratchet is a non-gendered name. This, however, soon became very confusing when referring to one or the other. Other names for Rivet included Ratchette, but the team decided this was "too diminutive", and it only "reduced her existence to a gender-swapped Ratchet". For a period of time, the codename of Gadget was used, with the character Gadget from the cartoon series Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers being cited as an inspiration, but the name was ultimately decided against for its multiple usages in other media. The name Rivet was eventually suggested and stuck.

Due to her character's aversion to robots, a gameplay idea for Rivet was for her to be a "survivalist beastmaster" and utilize non-technological methods of transport and armament. However, this was soon scrapped as many felt that the idea of a nature-loving female lead was a bit of a trope. Moreover, constraining the theme of Rivet's weaponry stifled the creativity the franchise was known for, and making her set exclusively nature-based put unnecessary constraints on the developers. Instead, these ideas morphed into some of the game's final weapons, such as Mr. Fungi, and mounts, like Trudi and the speetles.

It was claimed by Rift Apart's former lead writer, Sam Maggs, that Rivet is a lesbian. Maggs, however, ceased her contract employment at Insomniac Games partway through the game's development, with her role replaced by Lauren Mee, who rewrote the plot and Rivet's character. Insomniac Games' official stance on Rivet's sexuality is that it is not relevant to her characterization.

Non-Ratchet & Clank cameos[]

  • During a limited time crossover event in Fall Guys, the Rivet Banner could be obtained by completing both Ratchet's Challenge and Clank's Challenge.
  • In Astro Bot, Rivet appears as a VIP bot called the "Multiversal Rebel", with her description reading: "A Lombax from another dimension? Riveting!". Her special item obtained from the Gatcha Lab is her hammer, named the "Crate Whacker", described as: "As good as any wrench!"
  • In Lego Horizon Adventures, a Rivet costume is included in the game's digital deluxe edition.

Reception[]

Rivet received a very positive reaction following her introduction in Rift Apart, both for her personality and for Jennifer Hale's voice acting performance. Steve Watts, writing for GameSpot, called Rivet the real star of Rift Apart and a strong addition to the series, to the point of wishing she had her own standalone game. He said that Hale's voice acting introduces a "disarming amount of emotional heft", successfully portraying tinges of self-doubt and loneliness even while Rivet maintains heroic determination.[42] Jonathon Dornbush, writing for IGN, concurred, praising Hale's performance and calling Rivet one of Insomniac Games' best-written characters, saying her distinctive personality made her more than simply a gender-swap of Ratchet.[43] Andrew Reiner, writing for Game Informer, said that the game delivered satisfying answers to who Rivet is and what happened to her, saying she energized the story, but felt that her moveset and arsenal in gameplay being a carbon-copy of Ratchet's was a missed opportunity.[44]

Notes[]

Annotations[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Aside from the morts who raised her, Rivet has few close friendships. She has a relationship with the Resistance, but is not seen accompanying them on missions, and admits she prefers to work alone.[7][8] Although she used to work alongside Captain Quantum, he left to join the space pirates, a group she has a weak relationship with,[9] prior to the events of Rift Apart.[10][11]
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Rivet's lack of trust and Kit's decision to isolate herself to protect others around her meant the two would most likely have been unable to team up without Ratchet encouraging Kit to open up to others and Clank convincing Rivet to be less suspicious. In Ratchet and Kit's first meeting, Kit was very reluctant to work with Ratchet[12] and was surprised he still wanted to be her teammate after she revealed her warbot form;[13] Rivet would not have trusted Kit, and learning of Kit's warbot form would have ended their friendship.
  3. ↑ Rivet's self-sacrifices are seen when she endangered herself willingly by giving up her disguise suit to a civilian in Nefarious City, making herself vulnerable to the Emperor's forces.[28] Later on Blizar Prime, she jumped in the way to save Clank, over saving the Phase Quartz.[19]
  4. ↑ Rivet's decision to save Kit at Zordoom after learning Kit was the warbot who destroyed her arm is an illustration of both her unbroken spirit and selflessness, but also shows a moment of growth for her. Kit's revelation led Rivet to feel betrayed by Kit,[23] and angry that Kit had not told her earlier or acted to help Rivet on the day that it happened.[7] Nonetheless, she elected to save Kit even despite the resentment she harbored for her, and listened to Clank when he urged forgiveness.[24]

Citations[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Insomniac Games 2021
  2. ↑ Rift Apart script § "Collect Zurpstones to exchange for Ranger Boots (gameplay)"
  3. ↑ Rift Apart script § "Collect Zurpstones to exchange for Ranger Boots (gameplay)"
  4. ↑ Rift Apart menu § "Captain Quantum"
  5. ↑ Rift Apart script § "Follow the Phantom (gameplay)"
  6. ↑ Rift Apart script § "The resilient history of Sargasso"
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Rift Apart script § "Survive to Save Ratchet and Kit (gameplay)"
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Rift Apart script § "Outpost L51, Sargasso (revisit)"
  9. ↑ Rift Apart script § "Look for Zurkie in the Gastropub (gameplay)"
  10. ↑ Rift Apart menu § "Captain Quantum"
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 Rift Apart script § "Head to the Hideout (gameplay)"
  12. ↑ Rift Apart script § "Get to the Archives (gameplay)"
  13. ↑ Rift Apart script § "Access the Vault of Knowledge in the Archives (gameplay)"
  14. ↑ Rift Apart script § "Viceron"
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Rift Apart script § "Use Bombs to Destroy the Nefarious Ships (gameplay)"
  16. ↑ Rift Apart script § "Outpost L51, Sargasso"
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Rift Apart script § "Head to the Mining Hub (gameplay)"
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Rift Apart script § "Recover the Hurlshot from the Smelting Pit (gameplay)"
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Rift Apart script § "Stop the Drill! (gameplay)"
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Rift Apart script § "ESCAPE! (gameplay)"
  21. ↑ Rift Apart script § "Defeat Dr. Nefarious (gameplay)"
  22. ↑ Rift Apart script § "Exit through the Meta-Terminal (Puzzle 3, Anomaly 4) (gameplay)"
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Rift Apart script § "Don't Lose Ratchet (gameplay)"
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Rift Apart script § "Shut Down the Reactor (gameplay)"
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Rift Apart script § "Zurkie's, Scarstu Debris Field 3"
  26. ↑ Rift Apart script § "Destroy the Heart (gameplay)"
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Rift Apart script § "Ending"
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Rift Apart script § "Opening"
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 Rift Apart menu § "Rivet"
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Rift Apart script § "Locate the Science Bots (gameplay)"
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Rift Apart script § "Meet Ratchet in Zurkie's (gameplay)"
  32. ↑ Rift Apart script § "Stop the Emperor's Invasion"
  33. ↑ Rift Apart script § "Rescue Clank from the Seekerpede (gameplay)"
  34. ↑ Rift Apart script § "Zurkie's, Scarstu Debris Field 1"
  35. ↑ Rift Apart script § "Grind to the Drill (gameplay)"
  36. ↑ Rift Apart script § "Take the Lift Back (gameplay)"
  37. ↑ Rift Apart script § "Defeat Pierre's Stand-In, François (gameplay)"
  38. ↑ Rift Apart script § "Kedaro Station, Cordelion"
  39. ↑ Get To Know Rivet
  40. ↑ Get To Know Rivet
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 41.2 Stedman 2021
  42. ↑ Watts 2021
  43. ↑ Dornbush 2021
  44. ↑ Reiner 2021

References[]

Characters in Rift Apart
Main characters Clank · Dr. Nefarious · Emperor Nefarious · Kit · Ratchet · Rivet
Other characters Bubbles · Chef Tulio · Chief Engineer · F-44 · Fixer · Gary · Glitch · Juice · Junk Bot · Mags · Master Virus · Mort · Mrs. Zurkon · Ms. Zurkon · Mysterious Stranger · Phantom · Pierre Le Fer · Quantum · Qwark · Rusty Pete · Sheep · Skidd McMarx · Trudi · Zurkie · Zurkon Jr.
Lombaxes
Characters Alister Azimuth · Angela Cross · Kaden · Mags · Ratchet · Rivet
Groups Center for Advanced Lombax Research · Lombax Praetorian Guard · Ratchet clones
Vehicles Aphelion · Gyro-cycle
Weapons and gadgets Alpha Disruptor · CryoMine Glove · Hoverboots · Praetorian OmniWrench
Armor Lombax Praetorian Guard armor · Trillium armor
Miscellaneous technology Dimensional Map · Dimensionator · Interdimensional Archives · Lombax artifact · Lombax flight component · Lorb
Locations Fastoon · Lombax dimension
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