Zurkie's Gastropub and Battleplex, known on the map simply as Zurkie's, is a location featured throughout Rift Apart in Rivet's dimension. It is situated in the Scarstu Debris Field, the remains of the destroyed planet Scarstu.
It is a family business run by the Zurkon family, made up of Zurkie himself; the pacifist non-violent dimensional counterpart of Mr. Zurkon, his partner Ms. Zurkon and their son Zurkon Jr.. The site is also a popular haven for outlaws in both the Resistance and space pirates. Zurkie's strict no weapons or violence rule ensures patrons remain civil. Fights between patrons are ordered to settle conflicts in Zurkon Jr.'s Battleplex.
During the events of Rift Apart, when dimensional chaos ran rampant throughout the universes after the destruction of the Dimensionator, the interior of Zurkie's was transported to a pocket dimension, temporarily becoming an intradimensional Gastropub and Battleplex, with the rift inside located at the establishment's usual entrance. After the dimensional damage was repaired in Rift Apart's conclusion, this was undone.
Three trophies are available at Zurkie's: Victory!, Can't Stop Me, and Hey Lombax DJ. The first two are related to completing battleplex challenges; any arena challenge and any gold cup challenge respectively. The third is obtained for playing any song on the jukebox in the gastropub.
History[]
Before Rift Apart[]
Planet Scarstu.
The planet of Scarstu once stood in this location until it was for unknown reasons destroyed by Emperor Nefarious. Zurkie was once the same as his dimensional counterpart Mr. Zurkon, taking joy in crushing his enemies. Presumably he once worked for the Emperor and brought mass extinction upon the people of Scarstu under his orders, before the planet was finally destroyed. It was after this event that Zurkie had an epiphany and reached the limit to what he believed he could accomplish by killing, feeling that he could kill anything except hunger and thirst. After this he gave up his violent ways and built an establishment where he believed he could slay these feelings on a daily basis.
After the location was built and opened for business, it became a popular ship refuelling station and rest stop for a vast array of galactic travelers. The Zurkon family themselves developed a dislike for the Emperor, leading many visitors to the establishment to include outlaws and criminals wanted by the Nefarious Empire, particularly space pirates and Resistance members. The Emperor himself however was not aware of this fact. The area also became a useful neutral location used by various parties to conduct deals and trade with each other. Rivet herself is a frequent visitor to Zurkie's and uses her contact in the space pirates; Pierre Le Fer, to acquire needed technology for the Resistance here.
Shortly before the events of Rift Apart began, Rivet traveled to Zurkie's and acquired a part from the space pirates needed to complete the final repairs for a Royal Starship on Sargasso.
Rift Apart[]
Locate the part to repair Clank[]
Rivet meets Pierre in the Gastropub to acquire a part needed to fix Clank's communicator.
After Rivet rescues Clank form a Seekerpede and they form a mutual bond on Sargasso, she travels with him to Zurkie's to find a part to fix his broken communicator. Rivet assures Clank that if there is anywhere in the universe they will find a part to fix him, it's here. In the Gastropub, Rivet heads for the bar to ask Zurkie where Pierre is but the pirate quickly makes himself known. Pierre begins playing coy, making flirtatious remarks to Rivet when she requests the needed part. She eventually challenges him to a fight for it, but Zurkie comes between the two, reiterating that his establishment is a violence-free zone and tells them to settle their quarrel outside in the Battleplex. He agrees and Rivet enters the arena.
Pierre feigns a sprained ankle to avoid fighting Rivet in the Battleplex.
Rivet battles and defeats several waves of Pierre's crew until she is set to fight the pirate himself. Despite Pierre's vain boasting, he is in fact rather cowardly and feigns a sprained ankle to avoid fighting Rivet himself and sends a pirate Marauder named François to battle in his stead. After a tense fight, Rivet emerges victorious against François and Pierre bitterly throws the part to her but not before first threatening that he will get his revenge for their defeat.
Rivet and Clank plan with Ratchet to create a new Dimensionator while the Emperor's Assistant eavesdrops.
Rivet and Clank return to the Gastropub where Rivet inserts the part into Clank's chest compartment and is able to get his communicator working again. He contacts Ratchet as he is flying his stolen starship towards Sargasso. The three form a plan together to build a new Dimensionator and fix the damage to the dimensions. Clank recalls a man named Gary he spoke to whilst repairing a dimensional anomaly who studies in the Interdimensional Archives on Savali. Ratchet volunteers to seek his help and acquire the Dimensionator's blueprints, while Clank suggests he and Rivet go to Blizar Prime to acquire the Phase Quartz needed to power the device. Unbeknownst to the three however, the Emperor's Assistant had been eavesdropping on their plans in the Gastropub the entire time. The remaining Bronze Cup challenges are now available to complete.
A public broadcast from Dr. Nefarious plays upon Rivet and Clank returning to their ship.
On the way back to the ship, a Mort contacts Rivet and asks her to return to Sargasso for an optional task to help their friend Trudi. Upon returning to their ship, a public broadcast from the Emperor's office plays where Dr. Nefarious announces he is offering a large bounty for the dead or alive capture of Ratchet and Rivet. The Assistant's spying also informed him that they would be arriving on Savali and Blizar Prime soon, where he has already sent Nefarious Trooper strike teams to intercept their arrivals.
Build the Dimensionator[]
Ratchet and Rivet meet eachother for the first time with Clank and Kit to finally build the Dimensionator.
After Ratchet forges a new Dimensionator with the help of his new ally Kit, and Rivet and Clank procure the Phase Quartz to power it; the four decide to meet up at Zurkie's to build the device and repair the damage done to the dimensions. They all meet each other in the weapons confiscation room for the first time, where Rivet and Kit are introduced to eachother. Dr. Nefarious however had anticipated their return and had his Nefarious Troopers apprehend Zurkie; the establishment's owner and prepared an ambush inside the Gastropub for them. A squadron of troopers train their weapons on the Lombaxes, forcing them to surrender. The Emperor's Assistant takes the Dimensionator and Phase Quartz off of the two and presents them to Dr. Nefarious, who steps out into the open. The Doctor gloats how good this dimension is to him as he loads the Phase Quartz into the Dimensionator. The Lombaxes both nod to eachother and Ratchet surprise attacks the Troopers behind them with his wrench while Rivet runs ahead and tackles Dr. Nefarious through a window into the Battleplex.
Rivet and Kit battle Dr. Nefarious in the Battleplex.
Rivet and Kit then fight the Doctor in the arena whilst Zurkon Jr. commentates for the cheering audience. Soon, the Doctor begins using the new Dimensionator and sends them through rifts to other locations in an attempt to kill them. After fighting on Blizar Prime and Sargasso, Nefarious attempts to send them into a supernova but mistakenly transports them back to the Battleplex again as he frustratedly demands to know why the buttons on the Dimensionator are not labeled. Eventually Rivet and Kit are able to defeat him and he drops the Dimensionator.
The Emperor makes his return and sends members of the arena audience into a rift with the new Dimensionator.
As Rivet and Kit wave to the cheering audience, Ratchet and Clank suddenly yell and are knocked into the arena behind them by an unseen source. Rivet looks towards the broken window of the Gastropub to see their assailant. The real Emperor Nefarious makes his return and descends towards the arena where he picks up the untended Dimensionator. The Emperor readies the device and brandishes it at them, boasting that he is almost finished ridding himself of the last of his rebel enemies with the exceptions of Captain Quantum and Rivet herself. To spite Rivet, he shoots a rift and sucks in the audience who were cheering for the emperor's defeat. After momentarily incapacitating Ratchet and Rivet, the Emperor walks up to the injured Dr. Nefarious and points the Dimensionator at him, where the Doctor pleads for an alliance. The Emperor finds the notion tantalizing and accepts. He opens a rift on the floor to Sargasso and proposes a home game to Rivet before dropping in Dr. Nefarious and entering it himself. Rivet understands this to mean the Emperor is going to Sargasso. Ratchet wishes to go with her too but Clank implores that they get to Captain Quantum first before the Emperor can. Rivet instructs them to go to planet Ardolis and find Pierre as he will lead them to the captain. The two teams then split up and set off to complete their respective missions. Before leaving, Kit suggests that before facing the Emperor they should gather as many resources as they can and compete in the newly unlocked Silver Cup in the Battleplex for new prizes.
Regroup at Zurkie's[]
Ratchet and Clank use Quantum's helmet to spy on the Emperor's discussions.
Once Rivet and Kit have thwarted the Emperor's invasion of Sargasso and Ratchet and Clank recover a spy device from Quantum on Ardolis, the two teams begin heading back to Zurkie's again to regroup and plan their next move. On the way there however, the Emperor makes a public broadcast announcing his now complete control of the galaxy after having sent Quantum to Zordoom and believing he had trapped Rivet in a pocket dimension, although he was not aware she had the means to escape again with her Rift Tether. Using Quantum's spy helmet, Ratchet listens in to the Emperor's discussions and learn that he plans to steal the Dimensional Map from the Interdimensional Archives on Savali so he can invade all dimensions in existence. Upon learning this, both Ratchet and Rivet change their ship's flight paths towards Zurkie's and begin heading to Savali instead to stop the Emperor.
Plan the Final Assault[]
Ratchet, Clank and Rivet's allies gather in the Gastropub for the final assault on the Emperor.
Later, Rivet performs a major jailbreak at Zordoom Prison to save Ratchet, Clank and Kit. In the process, she ends up freeing many members of the Resistance, Space Pirates, Goons-4-Less and patrons from Zurkie's who were captured by the Emperor's forces. The prison escapees as well as Ratchet, Clank, Rivet and Phantom meet back up at Zurkie's after escaping Viceron, where they intend to launch a counterattack against the Emperor to stop him before the dimensions are destroyed. The Gold Cup becomes available for Rivet to partake in at this point and is the final Cup. Whilst planning this final assault in the Gastropub, the Emperor makes another public broadcast to the universe and declares his intention to conquer every dimension in existence starting with Ratchet and Clank's. The escapees all allied to the Lombaxes decide to immediately leave in their ships and follow the Emperor's armies to Megalopolis.
Credits[]
Ratchet, Clank, Rivet and Kit celebrate in Zurkie's Gastropub after the events of Rift Apart.
In the ending credits sequence of Rift Apart; Ratchet, Clank, Rivet and Kit return to the Gastropub in Zurkie's after the Emperor's defeat and finally replace Clank's missing arm with a new one resembling Rivet's. Zurkie, Ms. Zurkon and Zurkon Jr. are seen together at their Battleplex, amongst the wreckage of a large pile of destroyed Nefarious Troopers. All three of them are seen brandishing their arm mounted blasters implying they destroyed the Troopers together. Later after helping in repairs to damages done by the Emperor; Ratchet, Clank, Rivet and Kit return to Zurkie's again and are seen partaking in the festivities in the crowded Gastropub whilst Quantum and Pierre drink together at the bar.
Layout[]
Overview[]
Zurkie's.
Zurkie's level map.
Floating in the debris field of what was once planet Scarstu, Zurkie's maintains its steady elevation via a series of thrusters under its main platforms so the station does not drift off uncontrollably. Several of its main structures are also built directly into large chunks of the planetary debris. The establishment appears to have an artificial atmosphere encasing it so organic patrons do not require the use of a breathing apparatus upon parking and exiting their ships. Patrons seen visiting Zurkie's include; both organic and robotic Nefarious City citizens, the Blarg, Morts, Vullards, Space Pirates, Resistance members, Fendersax Wasps, Mr. Fungi and Ms. Fungal. Later in Rift Apart, the Goons-4-Less from Ratchet's dimension visit the establishment. Undead Goons can also be later seen in the spectator stands in the Battleplex. The most regular patron of Zurkie's however is the sheepinated Drek. The tunnel leading to the weapons confiscation room is rather disheveled and unkempt with garbage, graffiti and damage left from fighting patrons. Anyone entering the Gastropub must first leave their weapons outside and have them confiscated before they are permitted entrance as it is a violence-free zone.
Locations[]
- Just before Zurkie's is a large, eye-catching Neon Sign embedded into an asteroid directing travelers towards its landing pads.
- The establishment features several Refuelling Ports for traveling ships to park and refuel at the site's Gelatonium stations. Space travelers will also meet at these platforms with eachother and conduct deals to trade or purchase resources.
- The Entrance to the main establishment is at the base of a large effigy of Zurkie himself, as well as his son Zurkon Jr..
- This entrance leads to a short winding tunnel that reaches the Weapons Confiscation Room just before the Gastropub. The robotic citizen whose job it is to confiscate weapons here, keeps a Burst Pistol just under his desk in the event a patron becomes violent or does not disarm themselves.
- Inside is a full-service restaurant and bar with all food and drinks prepared by Zurkie himself. Next to the bar is a Jukebox featuring a large suite of music tracks. At the center of the Gastropub is a mechanical bucking machine that is based on the Savali plains beasts. Patrons often ride on it and challenge eachother's best times before being thrown off. At the far end of the room is a large, wall-sized viewing window displaying the fights in Zurkon Jr.'s Battleplex.
- The Battleplex arena can have its layout changed depending on the challenge contestants take part in. The arena platforms are surrounded by a large series of dangerous energy beams. Zurkon Jr. surveys the fights from a flying platform above the arena and commentates for the audiences in the floating spectator stands surrounding the perimeter.
Jukebox[]
Zurkie's Jukebox.
In Zurkie's Gastropub, a music jukebox sits next to the bar and will play a total of 31 music tracks. Less are initially available but the rest will become unlocked upon collecting Gold Bolts. Collecting 9 Gold Bolts will unlock Music Pack 1 and 17 unlocks Music Pack 2. Rivet can interact with the jukebox with 
and pick a track to play from the playlist. The first default option will play tracks at random. Rivet can also dance to the music being played with along with two patrons in front of the machine and perform 6 different dance moves.
Playlist[]
- "Segment Fault" by Lawrence & Z'Grutes
- "Groovitron Trance" by Alien Report
- "Jiggle the Lock" by Sir Chainblade
- "Starboy" by Fancy Motherboards
- "The Booty Wobbler" by The Raw Sockets
- "TerrorBites of Disrepair" by Bladed Justice
- "Initialise: Fun" by Hot & The Doggies
- "Supercoolant" by Spacejunk Cemetery
- "Zanifar Beat" by The Yeah Buts
- "Blargs Gonna Blarg" by Keysmashers
- "Six Left Feet" by Pickle Dinner
- "Megapede Bass Alert" by The Atomic Family
- "Classy Method" by D.Y.N.O. - Dance You a New One
- "Paladrone Slide" by Lloyd and the Droids
- "Bad Sector" by The Molotov Milkshakes
- "Highest Privileges" by The Yachtbottoms
- "Screams in Robot" by SküllPünt
- "First in Last Out" by Tinfoil Hat Gang
- "De:Struct" by Lungus
- "System Authority" by Bolt Brigade
- "News at Eleven" by Eyes of Zoni
- "Metro Dash" by Lumenoid
- "Viral Infestation" by The Amoeboiz
- "Hyper Time Trials, Extreme!" by Jam Pyro Regime
- "Interdimensional Drift" by Robot Cohort
- "Anomaly Swelling" by Hypersonic Brainwave Scramblers
- "Industry Jeopardy" by The Nidbots
- "Hunter Becomes Hunted" by Dune Crawlers
- "Viceron Breakout" by Fongoid Vengeance
- "Skull Mountain Suite" by Robot Pirate Grannies
- "Join Me at the Top" by Emperor Nefarious & Doctor Nefarious
Battleplex[]
Zurkon Jr.'s Battleplex/Slaughterplex is a major entertainment attraction at Zurkie's where contestants can enter to compete for various prizes and violent pub patrons are sent to settle their quarrels. Prizes include; Bolts, Raritanium, Gold Bolts, a Spybot, the Box Breaker and Armor Pods. Zurkon Jr. himself hosts each match and provides running commentary as the arena announcer. Ms. Zurkon sponsors the arena with her vendor services, and in turn Zurkon Jr. provides preview demonstrations for her weapons. An addition to the Battleplex is the deadly Mangler that Zurkon Jr. raided from the remains of the Destructapalooza on the planet Kragg of this dimension. He made both repairs and enhancements to the machine, allowing it to propel itself around the arena with jet boosters.
Zurkon Jr. took advantage of the recent dimensional mayhem running rampant across the universe during the events of Rift Apart and utilized it into his Battleplex, using the rifts to bring enemy hordes into the arena for contestants to fight. Undead skeletal creatures from a nightmare dimension also began breaking into Rivet's universe due to the weakened walls between the dimensions, amongst them being Undead Sandsharks and Undead Goons. Zurkon Jr. used one of these creatures; a powerful, Undead Grunthor that he named Sue and made it a major combatant in his arena. He also managed to bring a Seekerpede to the Battleplex as another major combatant named Scolo, who Zurkon Jr. claims is the biomechanical father of the Seekerpede Rivet had fought on Sargasso.
Whilst playing on Challenge Mode, the bolt multiplier will also multiply the bolt rewards received upon completing a challenge. The multiplier can reach as high as 20, but will reset to 1 again if Rivet takes any damage. Payouts for challenges with bolt rewards have the potential to be considerably large here, so they should be finished with as high of a multiplier as possible.
| Cup | Challenge | Description | Reward | Repeat Reward | Challenge Mode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reward | Repeat Reward | |||||
| Bronze | Welcoming Committee | Battle Pierre's Crew | Robot pirate boots | 500 bolts | Repeat item pickup (random bonus bolts) | 5,000 bolts |
| Monsieur François | Defeat François | Signal Booster for Clank | Signal Booster for Clank | |||
| Boomstick Blast | Defeat 25 Goons Using Only the Enforcer | 5,000 bolts | 20,000 bolts | |||
| Awesome Bugtrax Done Quick | Time Trial: Finish the Speetle Course! Quickly! | 1 gold bolt | Repeat item pickup (random bonus bolts) | |||
| A Grunthor Named Sue | Defeat the Undead Grunthor | Carbonox Advanced boots | 2 raritanium | Repeat item pickup (random bonus bolts) 10 raritanium |
10 raritanium | |
| Sliver | The Mangling | Survive 5 Waves Against the Mangler | 4,000 bolts | 1,000 bolts | 20,000 bolts | 10,000 bolts |
| Ka-Boomstick Blast | Defeat 4 Waves of Enemies Using the Warmonger | 5,000 bolts | 25,000 bolts | |||
| Pest Control | Defeat 50 Pests Before the Poison Gas Kills You | 1 gold bolt | Repeat item pickup (random bonus bolts) | |||
| Freeze Pop | Defeat 25 Frozen Amoeboids | Box Breaker | ||||
| Revenge of the Seekerpede | Defeat Scolo the Seekerpede | Carbonox Advanced chest | 4 raritanium | Repeat item pickup (random bonus bolts) 20 raritanium |
20 raritanium | |
| Gold | Manglers Are Forever | Survive the Resurrected Mangler | 10,000 bolts | 1,500 bolts | 100,000 bolts | 15,000 bolts |
| LOL, That's Random | Fight with Randomized Weapons | 15,000 bolts | ||||
| A Good Time to Zoom | Defeat Three Waves Using the Headhunter | 20,000 bolts | 150,000 bolts | |||
| Vroom Around | Defeat Vroom Goons in Low Gravity | 1 Spybot | Repeat item pickup (random bonus bolts) | |||
| Twice as Nice | Defeat the Returning Foes | Carbonox Advanced helmet | 6 raritanium | Repeat item pickup (random bonus bolts) 30 raritanium |
30 raritanium | |
Bronze[]
Welcoming Committee[]
Monsieur François[]
Boomstick Blast[]
This challenge is limited to the Enforcer, though there are no ammo limits. 25 Goons-4-Less must be defeated to win. Most use lasers, while some use lasers and grenade launchers. The arena is spread over four disparate platforms on each corner and one in the center, with Rift Tethers, wall runs, and springs used to traverse between them. Though the platforms also have cover, it will be destroyed quickly by the Goons. Before attempting this, it is best to upgrade the Enforcer with raritanium as much as possible, especially with regards to its max range.
Because of the Enforcer's relatively short range, the main difficulty in the challenge is in avoiding fire when hopping between the platforms to engage the Goons. When traversing between them, using Rift Tethers where possible is best, and Phantom Dashes can help avoid fire. Beyond this, it is best to try to shoot the Goons off the platforms onto the edge, where they will be defeated instantly. Hitting multiple Goons in a single blast is also an efficient way of dealing with them. For the flying Goons, use the spring for jumps to avoid many of their attacks while firing at them from the air. Because the jetpack Goons are more dangerous, they should be prioritized.
Awesome Bugtrax Done Quick/Bugtrax[]
This challenge involves the use of a speetle, in a race track that must be completed before the time runs out. The track passes through several rifts that goes through several planets, including Corson V, Sargasso, and others. Many explosive crates appear along the track, which must be avoided, and a speed boost is needed at all times for speed and to jump over the ramps. Each rift adds extra seconds to the timer. The track is relatively straight forward, though it is important to avoid the explosives at all times.
A Grunthor Named Sue[]
This challenge is a boss battle against Sue, an undead grunthor, on an arena that mostly simulates Sargasso with a pit in the middle. Much like typical grunthors on Sargasso, Sue can throw rocks and charge with deadly attacks. Phantom Dash must be well-timed to evade both. A variety of weapons will be needed, though the Topiary Sprinkler is very helpful at slowing Sue down before charging. Undead sandsharks also appear later in the battle, and must be dispatched to focus on Sue.
Sliver[]
The Mangling[]
This challenge involves five waves where a machine called the Mangler presents hazards throughout. The first two waves: first two are against space pirates that use swords, third against bladeballs, and fourth and fifth against more heavily armored pirates. The Mangler is a hovering robot using buzzsaws, that will follow Rivet throughout the battle by sweeping forward with blades. It telegraphs its movements with a red laser, meaning it can be avoided before it attacks.
Though the Mangler is dangerous, it can also be used to the player's advantage. One tactic is using the Cold Snap or Topiary Sprinkler to freeze enemies in place and luring the Mangler to them. Other than this, simply avoid the Mangler with the Phantom Dash while keeping a distance from the enemies and attacking them at range will best them.
Ka-boomstick Blast[]
This challenge involves four waves using only the Warmonger: if it is not yet purchased, it will be given to Rivet for the duration of the challenge. Nefarious Troopers are fought, coming in all variants, and in the final wave, a Nefarious Juggernaut is fought. The arena is set up with platforms surrounding a pit in the middle, with a Rift Tether towards it and a spring below; staying near the spring generally leaves Rivet vulnerable, meaning it is better to move around the outside.
The Warmonger is most effective at hitting enemies when they are clustered together. The main threat here are the ranged enemies with lasers and Gatling guns. Therefore, move constantly around the battlefield and prioritize these enemies first (especially when the Juggernaut appears, as they arrive once it reaches 50% health). By staying in constant motion and taking out the ranged enemies, it will be more difficult for the enemies to hit Rivet, and easier to pick up nanotech and ammo to refresh in between their attacks. To conserve ammo, the trooper heads can simply be hit with the hammer.
Pest Control[]
This challenge involves a battle against wasps and sandsharks, while poisonous gas tickets down Rivet's health at 5 points at a time. 50 enemies must be defeated in total. Use nanotech often to regain health, and defeat the wasps and sandsharks with either the Enforcer, the Lightning Rod, or the Void Repulser (which can also block the wasps' spitting attacks), with help from the Glove of Doom or Mr. Fungi. Both enemies have low health and can be dispatched easily, meaning the main challenge is avoiding as much damage as possible and always healing up.
Freeze Pop[]
This challenge is a battle against amoeboids, where only the Cold Snap and the hammer can be used to defeat 25. To defeat the amoeboids, freeze them with the Cold Snap and then hit them with the hammer to break and destroy them; hitting them when they are not frozen does not count. When larger amoeboids appear, a single hammer hit when they are frozen will not defeat them, but multiple hits will break them into smaller amoeboids; alternatively, hit them off the side of the arena once to defeat them more easily. The key is in hitting them with the Cold Snap blasts when they are clustered together to make the most out of its ammo.
Revenge of the Seekerpede[]
This challenge is a battle against Scolo, the father of the Seekerpede fought on Sargasso during "Take Clank to Rivet's Hideout". Similar strategies apply as to when it was previously fought: use ranged weapons, and avoid its attacks with jumps or Phantom Dash. When the small Nefarious Troopers spawn in, use the Glove of Doom or Mr. Fungi against them, and prioritize Scolo. Because this Seekerpede is more durable, especially on the hardest difficulty, it is important to use a variety of weapons at Rivet's disposal.
Gold[]
Manglers Are Forever[]
This challenge is a battle against five waves of many undead enemies while the Resurrected Mangler appear as a hazard. The Mangler operates similar to before, but will sometimes throw out a burst of energy that must be jumped over. The strategy of using the Cold Snap or Topiary Sprinklers to freeze enemies and lure the Mangler to them is still effective. The enemies fought here are undead sandsharks and bone goons; because the enemies on the first three waves are melee, the Blackhole Storm, Bombardier, and Glove of Doom are best against them. When the jetpack bone goons arrive later in the fourth wave, the Headhunter or Warmonger are better choices.
LOL, That's Random[]
This challenge comprises waves of Nefarious Trooper attacks in a standard arena set up, in which Rivet's weapons switch to another random weapon every five kills. The weapon that is selected cannot be changed, but has unlimited ammo while in use. As such, for weapons which are weaker or otherwise harder to use against the more durable enemies, it is best to simply hit five small Nefarious Troopers to get the five kill and switch to the next weapon that may be more viable. Other than that, staying in constant motion and using the various weapons effectively as possible is the way forward.
A Good Time to Zoom[]
This challenge involves three waves using the Headhunter only; if not yet purchased, it is given to Rivet automatically for the duration of the challenge. The arena is set up in a wide set of platforms, with large boxes that can be used for cover. These should be used often, occasionally running out to aim and fire the Headhunter, before running back to them. All waves are against mostly ranged enemies: the first wave is against Nefarious Sniperbots, the second against Blitztroopers with gatling guns, and the third against both. The strategies are the same in both cases: make use of the cover in between shots, and aim out and fire when safe.
Vroom Around[]
This challenge is fought against vroom goons while in low gravity, meaning Rivet's jumps are higher and last longer. The arena is set up in connected sets of long platforms, meaning the Vroom Goons' fired electric blasts will likely extend over the entire length of them to hit Rivet. Jump over these, and use ranged weapons such as the Headhunter, Warmonger, or Buzz Blades. Aside from the Vroom Goons, robomutts appear in wave 2, and jetpack Goons-4-Less also appear in wave 3.
Twice as Nice[]
This challenge is fought against two returning bosses from previous challenges: Scolo (from "Revenge of the Seekerpede"), and Sue (from "A Grunthor Named Sue"). Scolo is fought first until it reaches 50% health, after which a few Nefarious Troopers are fought before Sue appears next with some space pirates. After Sue is destroyed, Scolo is fought next. The same strategies apply against both as when they were fought before, though more powerful weapons that have been acquired since should be used. When the pirates and troopers fight alongside Sue, the Topiary Sprinkler, Glove of Doom, and Cold Snap should be used to slow them down and keep them occupied while focusing on Sue.
Behind the scenes[]
Easter eggs[]
All 4 One arcade machine in Zurkie's Gastropub.
In Zurkie's Gastropub, goons and space pirates can be seen playing a multiplayer game together on two arcade cabinets. The game shown being played on the screens is All 4 One. The sides of one arcade machine also feature artwork from All 4 One of Ratchet, Clank, Qwark, and Dr. Nefarious. The other machine features artwork of Qwark from the "My Blaster Runs Hot" arcade game cabinet in A Crack in Time found at the Agorian Battleplex. Behind Zurkie's bar, a copy of Qwarks book "Body by Qwark" can be seen. It is noted that these appearances of Ratchet, Clank, Qwark, and Dr. Nefarious on media material in Rivet's dimension are merely visual easter eggs.
Miniature animatronics of Sasquatch and Friends from Sunset Overdrive in Zurkie's Jukebox.
The Jukebox in the Gastropub features a number of music tracks referencing characters and locations from previous games in the Ratchet and Clank series. Inside the transparent casing of the Jukebox is a number of miniature animatronics of the characters Sasquatch and Friends from Sunset Overdrive; a game released by Insomniac Games in 2014. There are multiple references to Sunset Overdrive in Rift Apart, as Marcus Smith served as game director for both. The vinyl records inside the Jukebox also have alien language writing on them, translating to "Clank croons the classics", "RYNO, the lombaxes in stereo", and "Nefarious comes alive!".
Unused Nefarious City NPCs CLAIR, TREBBLE, and HANKX at the entrance to Zurkie's.
Three robotic Nefarious City citizens named in production artwork as CLAIR, TREBBLE and HANKX appear destroyed in the entrance tunnel to Zurkie's before the weapons confiscation room. These citizens however do not appear on Corson V or are ever active anywhere as their destroyed remains here are the only times they are seen in Rift Apart. It appears that these citizens were fully modelled and completed but for unknown reasons were left unused as NPCs and simply left as pieces of the environment outside Zurkie's.
The hidden message found written on the trophy mounts in Zurkie's Gastropub.
On the walls around the Gastropub there are various decorations consisting of weapons, pictures and trophy mounts. These trophies are the heads of numerous creatures and robots, including; Puffoids, Sandsharks, Sharkigators, Savali Spitters, Alien Spitters, Alien Swarmers, Plains Beasts, Thwogs, gladiatorial robots, large fish from Cordelion's oceans, Grunthors, and a Blargian Snagglebeast. Months after Rift Apart's release, it had been teased by Insomniac Games that there was an easter egg in Zurkie's that had been unfound. It was later found that pieces of the unique alien writing on the various trophy mounts translates to "You were not supposed to decipher this language." It was confirmed by Insomniac games that this was the hidden easter egg.
The reason for why unlawful patrons are willing to comply with Zurkie's strict no weapons or violence rule is likely due to his intimidating reputation. Zurkie has a very destructive past and was used as a weapon to wreak havoc among many lifeforms, notably the mass extinction of planet Scarstu. Despite becoming peaceful and renouncing violence, it seems this reputation permeates with many not willing to wrongfully cross him.
It is shown in Zurkie's Gastropub and on the establishment's entrance effigy, that there are in fact multiple Zurkon Jr.'s. This is never acknowledged however and Zurkon Jr. himself is only ever referred to as a singular individual with no mention of him having any siblings. Zurkon Jr. is shown to be very resourceful with his salvaging and enhancements to the Mangler. With this considered, it is possible he had multiple drone-like copies of himself made to act as extra helping hands around the Gastropub.
An Insomniac orb behind the counter of the weapons confiscation room.
Inside each level of Rift Apart are hidden easter eggs in the form of a dark orb with the logo of Insomniac Games marked on them. Some major locations also have more than one. The logo was intended to be a sky blue color the same as the official Insomniac Games' logo, but due to a graphical glitch it appears as a mix of blues and purples. They are not related in anyway to game progression or trophies and are simply placed in out of view locations for players to happen upon as pieces of the level environment. When they are hit by a weapon, a burst of confetti will emit from them and they will freely roll around the area. If the player refreshes the area, they will be reset again. At Zurkie's, an orb can be found behind the counter of the weapons confiscation room in the corner. The orb in here can not normally be hit as Rivet's weapons will be removed upon entering and weapon projectiles can not be shot into the room. The Drillhound is the one exception to this however and can be used to hit the orb from outside.
Tributes[]
Dan Jonhson appears as an action figure behind the bar in Zurkie's Gastropub. The price shown on the box is 1.000.000 bolts and the serial code is "1974-2006".
Throughout Rift Apart, collectibles named CraiggerBears can be found as tribute to developer Craig Goodman, with one in each major location and nine in total. Collecting one earns the Bronze trophy "It's So Fluffy!" and all nine earns the Gold trophy "UnBEARably Awesome". The one at Zurkie's can be found on a crate at the front counter of the weapons confiscation room.
Development art[]
