Ratchet and Clank Review





Back in my youth, as was the case for many gamers, my gaming was limited to what I could scrounge up from my parents with chores, Christmas, birthdays and just sheer luck.  I needed to prioritize what consoles were essential for me to obtain and which I could sacrifice, at least for the time being.  The PS2, unfortunately, didn’t make the cut.  I was more than aware that there were plenty of great games for it at the time, but I wasn’t exactly in any position to bitch about any games that came my way.  That being said, thanks primarily to the PS2 Collection games available on the PS3, I’ve been able to try out these gems from console generations past, leading to plenty of memorable experiences that showed me just what I was missing out on all this time.  And Ratchet and Clank is absolutely not an exception by any means.  The first in a long series of cartoonish sci-fi action adventure games, Ratchet and Clank feels special from the first moment that you start playing, gloriously melding together freedom and variety; combat and platforming; comedy and personality.  Even if it does have some glaring issues from time to time, Ratchet and Clank contains so many great elements that any gamer, from casual to veteran, can appreciate.

                The setting and plot of Ratchet and Clank alone will remind you that this is not the type of game that will be taking itself very seriously.  In a highly futuristic alternate universe, the alien civilization known as the Blarg, led by Ultimate Supreme Executive Chairman Drek (Can you tell that he’s in charge?), is attempting to create a new, pristine planet out of other planets by conquering and stealing portions of them , as their planet has become highly polluted and uninhabitable.  While on the war path, a robot manufacturing station run by Drek accidentally produces a miniature version of their usual product, who manages to view an Infobot, small hovering robots that produce TV screens to deliver short messages, which reveals Drek’s plans and motivates him to escape the plant by hijacking a space ship in order to stop Drek.  He doesn’t get far, however, as he is soon shot down by Drek’s minions over a desert planet which is inhabited by our other protagonist, Ratchet.

                Ratchet is working on his own ship as he witnesses the small robot’s ship crash-land near his garage.  Upon rescuing the robot, which Ratchet soon names Clank, Clank informs Ratchet of the impending threat to galactic life and, with a bit of persuasion and promising to power Ratchet’s ship, Ratchet goes along with their plan, which includes gaining the help of Captain Qwark, a supposed galactic hero, and finding strong enough equipment to take on Drek and end his plans.  The story is nothing to write home about, but this is all forgivable because of the tounge-in-cheek nature of the game.  And sure, the plot is fine and dandy, keeping things short and simple, but the real allure comes from the characters and Ratchet and Clank’s sense of humor. 

The writing manages to come off as both quick and clever, never wanting to keep you too long from the action, but still getting a couple of chuckles out of the player, even if some of the cutscenes are a tad long-winded.  But, the characters are what really allow the comedy to flourish.  Each character, both primary and secondary, is full of personality, bolstered by stereotypes, but never defined by them.  They feel like real people (or aliens, whatever), but still have a note of silliness behind them to really take jokes home, while never reaching for a laugh and coming off as obnoxious.  On top of that, Ratchet and Clank make quite the duo, as Ratchet is the brash, strong-willed type that encompasses many of the tropes of that of a 90’s cartoon character, while Clank is quite polite and articulate, if not somewhat naïve.  Together, the two juxtapose each other perfectly, allowing one another’s strengths to make up for the other’s flaws.  Unfortunately, Ratchet can be pretty selfish and a bit of an ass in the middle of the game, but he thankfully overcomes this behavior in the end and his dickishness does little to hinder the loads of laughs that Ratchet and Clank contains.

"Hello.  I'm useless.  And you are?"

However, we’re not dealing with a cartoon here.  There’s a lot more to video games than cracking a few jokes, but the game is more than capable of holding its own in those areas as well.  For starters, the graphics and music perfectly compliment the light-hearted, cartoonish tone of the game.  Ratchet and Clank’s soundtrack is a catchy mix of jazzy, electronic and orchestrated elements; the former two when it comes to beat-‘em-up sequences and platforming and the latter in more dramatic moments.  This helps to create the perfect atmosphere for both types of environments, especially when you’re beating the hell out of mooks and you need something energetic to liven up the mood.  As for the graphics, they liven the world up in a whole different fashion. 

They’re expectedly stylized and cartoonish, but not something you would expect out of the likes of Uncle Grandpa.  Each level is colorful and vibrant, but conserved, not only relying upon bright distractions to catch our eyes temporarily.  The layout certainly feels animated, but equal time was given to structuring the world to give each level its own personality, whether it’s a city filled to the brim with towering skyscrapers or the Blarg’s hyper-polluted planet, littered with abandoned laboratories and literal ponds of toxic sludge.  It really runs along the same lines as the writing, in that it offers a lot of flare, but never feels obnoxious.  Simply put, the levels are both cartoonish and atmospheric, allowing them to have both an immediate and lasting appeal that, as far as I’m concerned, never outstays its welcome.

But all of these elements only serve as the backdrop for the big star of Ratchet and Clank: the gameplay.  Starting with Ratchet’s controls, they feel smooth enough, but do take some getting used to, as turning while moving can feel somewhat sluggish at times.  The same goes for jumping, due to the double jump that gimps Ratchet’s momentum, but it can actually come in handy when you realize that it can be used for more precision platforming, not to mention that he can cling to the edge of platforms.  Again, it does take some getting used to, but it’ll feel natural with an hour.  Likewise, utilizing weapons is the same deal, at least with long-range weapons.  Melee weapons, such as Ratchet’s wrench, have a good amount of range and speed behind them, but machine guns like the Blaster feel kind of clunky initially.  You can run-and-gun and enemies will be locked on to, if you’re close enough, or Ratchet can enter a first-person mode, disabling movement but allowing for far more precision.  Locking on isn’t always as precise as you’d like it to be, so it really comes down to whether you want to sacrifice accuracy or mobility.  But again, within the first couple of levels, these issues should become a thing of the past, especially since you can always develop your own strategy with the weapons and gadgets the game gives you, and hoe-lee shiiiit do they give you a lot.

Over the course of Ratchet and Clank, you are given access to a total of 15 weapons and 14 gadgets, each with their own purpose and ability to mix up the gameplay.  The weapons are all ridiculously campy in their design, such as a massive boxing glove (The Walloper) and the R.Y.N.O. (Rip You a New One), a heat-seeking rocket launcher, but what is even more glorious is just how much they can accomplish.  You have your traditional short and long-range weapons, including flame throwers and rocket launchers, but you can also use the Suck Cannon to suck up smaller enemies and use them as projectiles, the Decoy Glove to set up a blow-up doll of Ratchet to distract enemies and attack them from behind, the Tesla Claw to electrify enemies with a bolt of lightning that tracks them, the Glove of Doom to shoot out tiny mechs that run up to enemies and blow up on contact…I think you get the picture.

Take your pick, gentlemen.

Because of just how versatile Ratchet’s arsenal is and how effective all his weapons can be, the player is free to tackle groups of enemies in practically any way they see fit.  You can go in guns blazing, keep your distance and pick them off one at a time or, hell, even simply distract them in order to sneak by them, if you so choose; the choice is yours.  Not only does this keep combat fresh and exciting, but it  means that replay value is through the roof.  Furthermore, each level has a number of collectable Gold Bolts which, when spent alongside a certain number of regular bolts (Ratchet and Clank’s currency), can be used to purchase upgraded versions of your weapons, although they’re only available after you’ve beaten the game or in a hidden area near the end of your first playthrough.  Unfortunately, as great as all of this stuff is, the gadgets just don’t have the same amount of versatility.

First off, let’s get one thing straight: the gadgets are all useful in their own right.  Their purposes vary from transportation to solving puzzles to just easing the player’s journey.  The Heli-Pack and Thruster-Pack, which allow Clank to levitate Ratchet and help him cover more distance, and the Hydro-Pack, which allows Ratchet to rocket through underwater segments, are all massive helps when it comes to traversing the levels, but they’re pretty much the only ones in the game that don’t feel completely situational.  Any other gadget can only be used when a special circumstance calls for it.  You’re given Grind Boots to grind on rails, but you’re only given rails to grind during special level sequences made up of nothing but rails.  You get a hover board, but can only use it for a whopping two racing minigames. 

But the worst offender is the Hydrodisplacer, which is basically a glorified Super Soaker that can suck up massive amounts of water from flooded areas so that you can explore them.  Literally all you do with it is walk up to a vent specified for the gadget, stick it in there to either suck up or deposit water and THAT’S IT.  Now, I understand that sometimes gadgets are only needed for one specific purpose, but what I’m getting at is this: why couldn’t more gadgets be given more versatile functions?  Wouldn’t it be awesome to grind around levels and shoot at enemies a la Infamous?  What about using the magnetic boots you receive to walk up any wall you choose, instead of one specific twisting ramp way?  How about allowing us to use the Sonic Summoner, a helmet that summons a small spaceship that can assist you with eliminating enemies, whenever we want, at the cost of some bolts, instead of only at specified stations?  The gadgets may share the same levels of goofy charm as the weapons, but damned if they don’t reek of unrealized potential.

Thankfully, the same can’t be said for Ratchet and Clank’s level design.  Aside from looking vibrant and full of energy, what so alluring about the level design is that each world is never the same as the last.  Granted, you’ll have your minigames, your combat sections and your platforming sections, but the way they are all spread out is never even remotely similar to any level before or after it.  Some levels may be entirely linear, while others have a hub area with paths to smaller sections that contain various mission objectives.  Some levels have multiple pathways to the same objective and it’s up to the player to decide which to take, while other are seemingly linear, but have small side routes that give an added sense of depth to the levels.  And that’s just getting into their general structure.

Every one just has so many nuances that break up the gameplay and really give each one its own identity, making it more than just another stage that they needed to fill a quota.  The enemy variety is simply fantastic, as it doesn’t just throw the same old groups of quick, little creatures that distract you while trying to deal with the bigger, gun-toting enemies.  Each world features a new type of enemy, constantly evolving their strategies at a gradual pace to make each encounter more difficult, forcing the player to rethink their strategies and utilize all the weapons at their disposal.  The platforming sequences are structured nicely as well, always feeling perilous and exhilarating, yet still giving you moments to get your bearings and plan your next move.  There’s always a steady variety of side missions where you control Clank or a vehicle (which control perfectly, I might add) to break up the jumping and gunning.  Even the bosses are fantastic, although they tend to be few and far between, with their strategies constantly changing throughout the battle, making things far more intense than simply fighting some super huge mook.  Honestly, it’s pretty hard to articulate just how much these levels have to offer.  The best way to truly appreciate them is to play them first hand. 

That’s not to say that I don’t have a few problems with their overall setup.  I do find that the checkpoints can feel relatively scarce at times and the use of the breakable crate trope can make the game a tiny bit tedious at times.  The difficulty can also be somewhat inconsistent (I’m lookin’ at you, Planet Orxon!), as some levels will throw a ridiculous amount of enemies at you, all for the sake of begetting an artificial sense of challenge, but only coming off as cheap garbage.  However, my biggest problem comes from bolt collection, specifically concerning my ability to afford new weapons that are made available in the store. 

All right, are you f**king kidding me!?

For the first half of the game, they are given out at a fair pace, as long as you’re willing to earn them.  But as time goes on, weapons become a lot more expensive, but not only are enough bolts not made available from either breaking crates or killing enemies, but there is no realistic, practical way to grind for them, save moving on to the next level or killing the same groups of enemies over and over for the same measly amount of bolts.  In this case, you’re forced to either forgo the new weapons or actually sacrifice buying ammo and rely upon that which you can find throughout the level.  As you can imagine, this becomes a HUGE source of frustration in the later levels, as you’re going to need as much ammunition as humanly possible, so having to deny myself that for a weapon that may or may not be useful can drive me pretty close to wanting to smash a controller or two.  Maybe I just got unlucky for some reason, but this is exactly what we have testers for.  When you’re basing your gameplay heavily around gunplay and I’m unable to use these guns when I really need them, we’ve got ourselves quite the issue.

But even with a couple of bumps in the road, Ratchet and Clank serves as a reminder that a little bit of variety and freedom can go a long way.  Along with the quick-witted writing style and beautiful graphics, the amount of possibilities given to the player in combat and each level having its own unique style make this game an instant classic, even 13 years after its release.  I do get the sense that some portions feel experimental, as if the developers were simply trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t for this series, what with the underutilized gadgets and several pace-breaking moments caused by the inconsistent bolt collection, but these do little to hamper the fun factor that can be felt so many times during the game.  If you haven’t played this already, do yourself a favor and get your hands on it immediately.  God only knows I’m already pumped to start the sequel.