The Blaster, also referred to as the ion blaster,[1] is a weapon manufactured by Gadgetron featured in Ratchet & Clank. It is a medium-ranged pistol with a high rate-of-fire which automatically targets enemies and deals minimal damage. It can be upgraded to the Gold Blaster.
History[]
Ratchet uses his Blaster in the comic series.
Gadgetron sold the Blaster at vendors, and later the Gold Blaster. Ratchet used it during his first adventure in Ratchet & Clank.
Later, Ratchet kept the Blaster in his home on Veldin. During Ears of War, Ratchet used it paired with his hoverboots to help defend Veldin from Artemis Zogg's robot mechs. After running out of ammo, Ratchet threw it at a robot in a futile attempt to inflict some harm.[2] When Cronk and Zephyr broke Ratchet out of the Vartax Detention Facility in Friends with Benefits, they brought Ratchet's Blaster and hoverboots, and he used them to escape.[3]
Characteristics[]
Ammo in Ratchet & Clank (2002).
The Blaster used by Ratchet is a large, black pistol with orange and red trim. It has a large, circular muzzle due to the large blasts fired. The ammunition fired is yellow, and appears to have similar particle effects to flames. Blaster ammunition is blue and cylindrical with a large black target icon on the front.
In the comic series, the Blaster has a near-identical design, but is smaller and fires red blasts of energy, rather than the yellow balls as seen in the original game.
Gameplay[]
Ratchet firing the Blaster.
The Blaster becomes available from a vendor as soon as Ratchet reaches planet Kerwan, and costs 2,500 bolts. It can later be upgraded to the Gold Blaster for 4 gold bolts and 20,000 bolts.
The Blaster's nature allows it to be fired rapidly, at the expense of its ammunition, which is depleted very fast. Its damage is minimal, although this is often enough to easily defeat the weaker enemies in the game. Its high rate of fire also allows it to be more powerful and more cost-efficient against larger enemies. However, due to a lack of strafing in Ratchet & Clank, the Blaster is susceptible to missing the mark, and the player should make sure that an enemy is targeted. When upgraded to the Gold Blaster, the projectiles can ricochet off walls to hit enemies.
Though the Blaster is useful when it is acquired, it can be very quickly outclassed. The Pyrocitor, and later, the Tesla Claw, can easily outperform it at defeating smaller enemies quickly, while weapons such as the Devastator are always far more useful against larger enemies. This means that the Blaster has only a small window within the game's story in which it is the optimal weapon for its job, although it is still useful when other weapons run out of ammo.
When upgraded to the Gold Blaster, it gains the ability to ricochet multiple times as well as a minor damage boost.
Behind the scenes[]
The Blaster was referred to as the Bolt Blaster during the development of Ratchet & Clank.[4][5] Likewise, in early builds of the game, the bullets fired by the Blaster were bolts.[6]
The Blaster and the Gold Blaster are the only blasters in the series that used auto-targeting, as in the later games, it was mostly replaced by the HUD's targeting.
Other[]
In several Qwark vid-comics, Captain Qwark would use a weapon called the Blaster, which fired powerful energy shots and could hold up to twenty or fifty ammo. In Secret Agent Clank, Qwark also used his Trusty Blaster in his false re-tellings, the first time being his battle against a mechanical monster. When charged, the Blaster temporarily became the Mega Blaster to fire a potent beam of energy.
Citations[]
- ↑ Ratchet & Clank (2016 game) menu § "Blaster"
- ↑ Ears of War, p. 17-19
- ↑ Friends with Benefits, p. 13-16
- ↑ Bellz 2002
- ↑ IGN 2002
- ↑ Ratchet & Clank (2002 game), demo
References[]
- Video games
- Insomniac Games (2002). Ratchet & Clank [Game]. Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation 2.
- Insomniac Games (2016). Ratchet & Clank [Game]. Sony Interactive Entertainment. PlayStation 4.
- Books
- Fixman, TJ (2010). Ratchet & Clank (Issue 1: Ears of War) [Book]. Wild Storm.
- Fixman, TJ (2010). Ratchet & Clank (Issue 2: Friends with Benefits) [Book]. Wild Storm.
- Websites
- Bellz (2002, July 15). "Ratchet & Clank [PS2]". From Gamers Pulse. Accessed July 17, 2018. Archived from the original on August 11 2002.
- IGN Staff (2002, September 27). "Ratchet and Clank". From IGN. Archived from the original on July 17, 2018.