Ratchet and Clank is one of the most fun games I’ve played all year. It’s not long – about 6-10 hours depending on how much of a perfectionist you are – but it’s chalk full of great gameplay and fun and interesting characters.
The story is built around the origin of Ratchet and Clank, and is a direct tie-in to the movie, which comes out on April 28. It’s got the same plot as the upcoming film, based on elements from the original Ratchet & Clank – battling to save the galaxy from the evil Chairman Drek – but features more than an hour of new cinematics, locations, an entirely updated arsenal, bosses and more.
Ratchet is very much in the spirit of the original trilogy, with excellent and challenging platforming and combat. The difference here from the PS2 version (obviously) is that Insomniac Games had a lot more system power to work with here, and it shows. This game looks really good, though it doesn’t run at 60 fps – which would have been nice. The effects in this game are great, smashing boxes and killing enemies look fantastic and the gun effects are really solid, especially the Pixellizer, which turns your enemies into two-dimensional sprites and then lets you smash the sprites to bits. There’s also a weapon XP system that adds experience to your weapons as you use them, allowing for more powerful attacks. Make sure to swap out weapons once they’re maxed though, or you’re missing XP!
If you played the original PS2 Ratchet & Clank, you may notice many familiar areas. While Novallis, Aridia, Pokitaru and Rilgar all may be similar to the original levels, they’ve been updated with modern controls and updated enemy gameplay. Veldin and Kerwan have been almost completely reworked, and Gaspar has a giant new section featuring the Ratchet & Clank Future: Into the Nexus Jet Pack.
There’s also a collectible card system that allows you to find and collect hidden cards around the levels, granting you bonuses after you collect sets. It’s a fun addition to an already solid game.
All in all, Ratchet and Clank is a great game that I had a LOT of fun with. It’s characters are memorable, the gameplay is really solid, and it looks fantastic. It also is only $49 – which is a good price for a game of this length. Let us know what you think if you’ve played it!
