Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart is finally here and it’s probably the best PS5 exclusive to date (you can check out my 4000-word spoiler-free review of Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart here.). Just like in previous entries, Insomniac Games have included many easter eggs and references to not only past games in the franchise but also other PlayStation exclusive franchises.

With the theme of the latest game being essentially dimensional shenanigans, it’s no surprise that the easter eggs and references in Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart could go even more meta than ever before. I’ll be listing the easter eggs and references I’ve discovered in the game.

While these won’t spoil much of the game’s story or narrative, you might want to discover these yourselves so now’s the time to back out, if you want to.

1. Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart Sly Cooper

On the planet Savali, there are these optional collectibles called the Lorbs (Lombax orbs, get it?). Each of these Lorbs contains a message from a mysterious person who previously used the Dimensionator to explore other dimensions. In some of these Lorbs, he describes the different dimensions that he visits. What’s fun and interesting is that these other dimensions are clearly from other games.

For instance, he describes the first dimension as featuring colours that are so vivid and a creature that looks like a Lombax (Ratchet’s race), but with smaller ears, a mask, and a cane. He even mentions that creature was pulling some kind of heist. He’s clearly referring to protagonist Sly Cooper from Sucker Punch’s forgotten Sly Cooper franchise.

2. Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart Knack

In another Lorb, the mysterious person describes the creatures populating this dimension as “stranger” with bodies made out of all these old relics, but they could break apart and still be alive. That’s enough to ascertain that he’s referring to protagonist Knack from Japan Studio’s Knack and Knack II. Knack is a living humanoid organism whose body consists of Relics.

3. Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart IQ Intelligent Qube

This one is a bit obscure. I’m still technically unsure about this one, but in this Lorb, the mysterious person only describes the dimension as “cubes, really, really smart cubes”. That’s not much to go on at all, but I’ve consulted several people who have mentioned the same game that best matches the vague description provided by the voice in this Lorb.

There was a puzzle game titled I.Q.: Intelligent Qube, which was a PS1 exclusive released in 1997 and developed by G-Artists. This game received several sequels since then, but was most notably re-released for PlayStation Network and later even included as one of twenty games on Sony’s retro PlayStation Classic console.

4. Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart Jak & Daxter

Naughty Dog and Insomniac Games have had a decades-long good working relationship with each other. Jak & Daxter easter eggs can be found on many previous Ratchet & Clank games, including as far back as 2003’s Ratchet & Clank Going Commando for the PS2. The latest instalment is no exception.

In this Lorb, he described the two creatures inhabiting this dimension. One was firing a gun and spinning himself around every other second, while the other hung out on his shoulder doing live commentary. That matches the description of Jak (who does wield guns and can perform a spinning attack) and his small partner, Daxter (who really did hang out on Jak’s shoulder while commenting on everything around him, since Jak was not a talker).

5. Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart Little Big Planet

The last Lorb in the game with an easter egg is this one. The mysterious person describes all the inhabitants of this dimension as being made out of wool and that they could make anything. He also pointed out that a really pleasant voice followed him around everywhere. This all sounds a lot like the world of the Little Big Planet games by Media Molecule.

6. Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart Kingdom Hearts

This one is a doozy and hidden in the Collectibles tab of the in-game menu. In Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart, players can collect optional collectibles called Gold Bolts, which have been in almost every game in the franchise since the original 2002 game. In this latest title, collecting more Gold Bolts will unlock cosmetics like stickers for Photo Mode, as well as skins for your ship and wrench/hammer. Collecting all 25 Gold Bolts will even unlock Infinite Heath and Infinite Ammo cheats.

Well, one of the weapon skins caught my eye. Most of them were just gag skins like a fish or broom, as well as weapons from enemies in the game like Goon Sword or something. However, one of the weapon skins is just stated as a Key. To my pleasant surprise, this Key melee weapon skin looks just like the iconic Keyblade from Square Enix’s Kingdom Hearts franchise.

Check it out in the video above and tell me that that doesn’t look like a Keyblade. That’s definitely a Keyblade. In a Ratchet & Clank game.

7. Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart Ryno ∞ Infinity (Horizon Zero Dawn‘s Thunderjaw, Sly Cooper, Sly Cooper Van, Jak & Daxter, Sunset Overdrive)

Arguably the biggest easter egg in Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart can only be found when using the game’s most powerful and most expensive weapon, the Ryno 8. That’s right, almost every Ratchet & Clank game has featured a version of this weapon, and unlike the previous Rynos, the Ryno 8 summons dimensional rifts that drop random stuff on enemies before resulting in a massive explosion.

Upgrading the Ryno 8 to level 5 will transform it into the Ryno ∞, or Ryno Infinity. Not only is the Ryno Infinity more powerful and deals more damage, but it also opens bigger dimensional rifts that drop interesting random stuff. What are some of these things?

Well, if you watch the video above, you’ll see a Thunderjaw from Guerilla Games’ Horizon Zero Dawn, Sly Cooper himself, Sly Cooper’s iconic heist van, Jak and Daxter, and Insomniac’s own Sunset Overdrive’s Fizzie. It’s certainly an amusing and smart way of being meta and featuring multiple easter eggs.