Barney (short for Biography Analysis Robot Neo Eight Yellow[1]) is a minor character in Secret Agent Clank. He is a small cyclophic humanoid ETD-3 writer-bot[2] with glasses, a suit and tie, and a moving sphere for legs. Barney also has the ability to transform into an Ultra-Mech form (similar to Giant Clank). Barney worked as a biographer taking notes while writing Captain Qwark's autobiography, something other autobiographers had given up on doing due to the stress of writing for Qwark's false tales.[2]
In reality, Barney had been hired by Klunk. Klunk sent Qwark a huge sum from an anonymous source to write an autobiography and have Barney as his biographer, in the hopes that Qwark would use his tracking device to follow Clank, thus keeping tabs on him.[3] Qwark did this successfully and told several stories to Barney, including fighting a mechanical monstrosity in Asyanica,[4] fighting the Jack of All Trades on Rionosis,[5] several false stories of saving a town in Venantonio (sung in opera format),[6] saving space nuns around the spaceship graveyard,[7] and fighting cactus pirates to save local fish-men on Hydrano.[8]
Barney in his Ultra-Mech form.
Throughout these stories, Barney endured Qwark's abuse[9] and only quietly expressed frustration at the ridiculousness,[10] while covering up from Qwark his real reason for being there and sending transmissions to Klunk,[11] calling the publisher "Marvin Kingpan" to cover up the Kingpin (Klunk's operating name).[12] After Klunk was defeated, Barney told Qwark the entire plan. Enraged, Qwark tried to strangle Barney in response, causing Barney to transform into his Ultra-Mech form. Qwark cowered in fear, but Clank used a single Tie-A-Rang to defeat Barney.[3]
Behind the scenes[]
Concept art for Barney's Ultra-Mech form revealed that he possessed a cannon on his right arm, a saw blade on his left arm, and two cannons that came out the top of his back. The concept art suggests that Barney was intended to be fought at some point.
Citations[]
- ↑ Secret Agent Clank script § "Qwark Tales: Larger Than Life"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 PlayStation Blog (2008, July 1). The super secret good guy bio. Accessed October 21, 2022. Archived from the original on December 26, 2008.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Secret Agent Clank script § "Sucks to be Klunk"
- ↑ Secret Agent Clank script § "Qwark Tales: Larger Than Life"
- ↑ Secret Agent Clank script § "Qwark Tales: Suck and Jive"
- ↑ Secret Agent Clank script § "Qwark Tales: Madam Butterqwark"
- ↑ Secret Agent Clank script § "Qwark Tales: Saint Qwark"
- ↑ Secret Agent Clank script § "Qwark Tales: A Fictionful of Dollars!"
- ↑ Secret Agent Clank script § "Qwark Tales: Larger Than Life"
- ↑ Secret Agent Clank script § "Editorial Control"
- ↑ Secret Agent Clank script § "Barney's Agenda"
- ↑ Secret Agent Clank script § "Lots of Hot Air"