One of the earliest challenges you’ll encounter in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is the Clank Meta Terminal puzzle—an inventive sequence that puts players in the digital shoes of Clank as he guides a stream of echo-clones through a series of logic-based obstacle courses. If you’re about an hour into the game and stuck scratching your head, don’t worry. Here’s a step-by-step guide to solving this puzzle and unlocking the associated trophy.
Overview of the Puzzle Mechanics
The core objective is to guide a stream of virtual Clanks safely across a platforming maze to a portal at the end. To do this, you’ll manipulate orbs (often referred to as spheres or balls) that imbue the clones with properties:
- Red Sphere – Lift Orb: Allows the robots to jump higher.
- Green Sphere – Speed Orb: Increases the movement speed of the robots, often helping them break barriers or leap across gaps.
Your task is to experiment with different socket placements of these spheres to create a safe and functional route.
Stage 1: Basic Introduction
This is the warm-up.
- You’ll find a red (Lift) orb.
- Simply place it into the socket by the jump gap.
- The clones will use the increased jump height to cross safely.
This introduces you to the core concept and sets the stage for more complex puzzles.
Stage 2: Speed vs. Height
This level expands the concept.
- Start by collecting the Green (Speed) orb.
- Place it into either of the two sockets near the start.
- You can use it to speed through barriers or maneuver more freely.
- Then retrieve the Red (Lift) orb.
- Place it in the other socket where the Speed orb isn’t.
- Now rearrange:
- Move the Green orb to the rear socket.
- Place the Red orb at the front socket.
This setup gives the clones a speed boost first (to clear barriers) and then allows them to jump higher for the next platform.
Complete this correctly and you’ll unlock the third stage.
Stage 3: Redirecting and Timing
This stage adds new elements like directional pads and crushing pillars.
- After jumping across, stand on the green switch to redirect the path of the clones.
- Make sure their path now heads to the portal.
- Proceed into the next room.
- You’ll see smashing pillars along the route.
- Grab the Red orb on the right.
- Place it in the first socket to halt the first pillar.
- Run left and you’ll face another smashing pillar.
- This one must be avoided by jumping around it (no orb will halt it here).
- Collect the Green (Speed) orb just past it.
- For now, place it in the next socket to hold a nearby pillar in place.
- Head further down to the far end of the course.
- You’ll notice multiple sockets and barriers.
- At this point, return to the start and retrieve the earlier Red and Green orbs.
- Bring them back and do the following:
- Place the Green orb in the rear socket.
- Place the Red orb in the front socket.
- This setup gives the robots the correct sequence of speed, then height.
- Jump across and collect another Red orb at the end.
- This one will help you unlock the final part of the puzzle.
- Take that Red orb and place it back at the start of the puzzle.
- Then stand on the green switch again to redirect traffic to the final portal.
- Now, swap the orbs one last time:
- Green in the back.
- Red in the front.
Once the circuit is complete, your stream of Clank echoes will make it across—and the puzzle is solved.
Reward: Puzzle Completion Trophy
Successfully finishing the Meta Terminal puzzle will reward you with a trophy, so even if it’s a bit of a mental workout, it’s worth it for completionists and platinum chasers.
This early-game puzzle sets the tone for later Clank segments, which gradually increase in complexity. If you found this one tricky, don’t worry—the game’s puzzle design is always intuitive once you get the logic. And if you ever get completely stuck, the game offers a skip option in the pause menu.
Stay tuned for more guides as we dive deeper into Rift Apart’s story and puzzles. Until then—happy tinkering!
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