Zoni

"The Zoni! They are little invisible creatures, who travel through time!"

- Clank, describing the Zoni to Ratchet

"Friendly little creatures, they are. Can manipulate time and space to their will!"

- Angstrom Darkwater, writing in his personal journal.

The Zoni were mystical ghost-like beings of energy, who had the ability to manipulate time and space to their will using bio-energy. They were neither robotic nor biological, but pure energy requiring metal suits to survive in other dimensions. The Zoni were a hive-minded race, making them much more powerful when in groups. They helped Ratchet and Clank in Tools of Destruction on their journey for the fabled Lombax Secret. For most of the time, they were only visible to Clank, giving him visions of the present or future as well as the ability to slow down time. They also upgraded him with new gadgets: the Robo-Wings and Geo-Laser. At the end of their adventure, visible to everyone, they took Clank with them to fulfill his destiny. They then played a central role in A Crack in Time, where their purpose was revealed.

In Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time, there were three Zoni were shown to assist in the maintenance of The Great Clock. When Doctor Nefarious tried to access the Orvus Chamber, he betrayed these Zoni and unleashed the Hypersonic Brainwave Scrambler, which chased them out of the room. Their numbers were originally at 117,000; but, realizing they were betrayed, most of them had left the Great Clock to suppress Doctor Nefarius’ plan to access the Orvus Chamber. Ratchet was able to find 40 of the scattered Zoni and returned them to the Great Clock at the end. It could use them in upgrading Aphelion with new parts to her.

In PlayStation Move Heroes, Zoni were summoned by Clank to help him when he collected enough crystals

Zoni was also an unlockable skin for Clank in Secret Agent Clank.

Appearance and abilities
The Zoni were not mechanical nor biological, but rather pure energy. They did not appear in their pure form in Ratchet and Clank's dimension, instead appearing in their casing. Most lacked viible mouths, other than Orvus, due to him being the keeper of time and leader of the Zoni himself.

The Zoni were not native to Ratchet and Clank's dimension, but rather to their own; the Zoni Dimension. The Zoni were also a hive minded race, meaning they operated in groups to think, though it is odd, possibly Orvus didn't seem to need it as he created the Great Clock to keep time balanced across the universe. If a Zoni became separated, then that Zoni become delirious and roamed around mumbling things such as "Zoni" "Wee" or "Weehoo!".

The Zoni were very powerful, able to phase here and there at will as well as being able to meet friends in need or ambush foes out of nowhere. Zoni could fix things, energize objects, lift allies and blast foes with their powers. The Zoni were weak to sonic weapons, and an example of something used against them would have to be the Hypersonic Brainwave Scrambler. When blasted by such sonic weapons, a Zoni could be harmed greatly, possibly even resulting in death. This was believed to have been the fate Orvus suffered, although it's possible that Orvus still lived on in hiding. Zoni were more often forced to retreat, by flying away. During Dr. Nefarious' attack on the Great Clock, the Zoni never seemed to phase out but always ran away. It's possible that Zoni couldn't phase in and out when near sonic weapons, but still had enough power to run away.

Story
Eons ago, the Zoni entrusted the Fongoids with the ability to travel through time. But the Fongoids, who had abused, misused, and overused this privilege, caused time paradoxes that ultimately resulted in a small rip in the space-time continuum which eventually resulted in the destruction of 83 celestial entities. Luckily, Orvus, the most intellegint Zoni in existence (and presumably their leader), constructed The Great Clock at the center of the universe (give or take 50 feet) to repair the damage and maintain the temporal normality of the universe. In A Crack in Time, the Zoni were scattered around the Polaris Galaxy due to Dr. Nefarious' meddling, and Ratchet had to rescue them in order to find Clank. When Ratchet found Clank, the Zoni appeared to have returned to the Great Clock, and repaired most of the damage caused by Dr. Nefarious and Alister Azimuth's attempt at time travel.

PlayStation Move Heroes
The Zoni appear in PlayStation Move Heroes as Clank's special move, they hover above his head and shoot at enemies to aid him.

PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
A Zoni appears as a downloadable Minion for Ratchet and Clank in the game PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.

Orvus


Orvus was presumably the leader of the Zoni, and creator of the Great Clock. He left the Great Clock and everything in it, including the Orvus Chamber for Clank to take care.

Appearance
The Zoni's heads were actually shaped like boom boxes with their eyes looking like the speakers as well as their antennas looking like the ones found on such a device. They also emitted a strange blue energy that covered most of their body.

However, Orvus looked noticeably different from the other Zoni. He had a more "regular" face, and had a mouth (unlike his fellow Zoni).

Collectibles


In Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time, Ratchet would need to find as many Zoni as he could on each planet to lead him to Clank. Finding the Zoni was very similar to finding gold bolts. The more Zoni Ratchet found, the better he could upgrade his ship and weapons. There were 40 Zoni in A Crack in Time that Ratchet needed to collect. Zoni were found a lot on spherical worlds. When he collected all 40 Zoni, Ratchet is challenged to defeat Lord Vorselon. When Ratchet defeated the Vorselon, the player was given access to the Insomniac Moon. The collectible Zoni were placed in a Zoni Vessel. When Zoni were found, Ratchet gained nanotech experience. There were 40 Zoni among the 5 space sectors in the Breegus System. The Zoni could be collected by grabbing one in mid-air via Ratchet's wrench. The collected Zoni also helped Ratchet live through another crash of his ship, Clank appeared to have an angry face about him collecting the Zoni. Ratchet told Clank that he'd put them back, he was true to his word as the Zoni appeared at the end of the game.



Quotes



 * "His past is inside."
 * "Do not be afraid... We are here to help you destroy it."
 * "We have a lot to show you."
 * "Don't worry sire, the doctor will be able to repair you."
 * "Zoni!"
 * "This door poses no threat to you, sire. Bend time to your will, and you shall pass."
 * "Remember your training sire!"
 * "No Orvus Chamber! Chamber is for sire only!!"
 * "Sire does not remember. You must fix."
 * "She will perish in Zordoom."
 * "Need more Zoni!"
 * "Yay!"
 * "Fix!"
 * "Use our energy to open this door..."
 * "Energize!"
 * "We can guide you, sire."
 * "We needed to make sure you survived..."
 * "He will need you on Fastoon. "
 * "They will return."
 * "Wheee!"
 * "He must not reach the clock."
 * "We must fix the ship!"
 * "Escape! Leave the clock!"
 * "Weehoo!!!"

Cheat
This is the cheat to unlock the Zoni skin in Secret Agent Clank:
 * Left, Left, Right, Up, Down, Down, X

Enter the cheat at the pause menu.

Trivia

 * According to Fongoid lore, the Zoni were the guardians of time. They, along with Orvus, were seen as some sort of religious icon due to the way the Fongoids erected temples and statues based on them. Also, the Fongoids were known to use phrases such as "Praise Orvus!".
 * The Zoni were greatly affected by sonic weaponry, as they were powerless against the Hypersonic Brainwave Scrambler, and many of them were possibly killed by it and the Nefarious troopers during Nefarious' attack on the Great Clock. Even the Zoni leader, Orvus, may have been killed by the blast of the Hypersonic Brainwave Scrambler, however it is more likely he escaped.
 * Contrary to popular belief, the Zoni were neither organic life forms nor robots, but pure energy. They used their metallic bodies when they traveled around the universe, but when they were in their own dimension, they could live in their real forms.
 * In A Crack in Time, Zoni can be captured in a special capsule, and are used to fix and upgrade the Aphelion.
 * It seems they got bigger in A Crack in Time; because if you use the Razor Claws glitch in the caves of Fastoon in Tools of Destruction, you can see that they are about the size of Ratchet's foot. In A Crack in Time, they are about half the size of Ratchet himself. Their appearance may be altered to be seen easier as they were too small in Tools of Destruction.
 * The common Zoni had boombox-shaped heads with no mouths, and usually spoke with simple speech. Orvus was remarkably different from the other Zoni; he had a more "regular" face with a mouth, and was capable of more advanced speech.
 * According to Fongoid Chief Alpheus, zoni bio-energy is the most powerful resource in the omniverse.
 * If you collect all the Zoni in A Crack in Time, you can battle and destroy? Lord Vorselon.
 * When you play as Clank and fall to death, the Zoni will still follow him, at Fastoon, IRIS and Reepor. This also happens with the Plasma Stalkers.
 * When an enemy attacks a Zoni, it will lie on the ground and stand up after a few seconds.
 * When Clank slows down the time while Zoni are following him, the Zoni wil be affected by time, although Orvus is not affected by Time Bombs.

Appearances

 * Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
 * Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty
 * Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time
 * Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One

Non-canon

 * Secret Agent Clank
 * PlayStation Move Heroes
 * PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale