Buccaneers[1] are enemies in Tools of Destruction and Quest for Booty, with an appearance in the comic series. They are space pirates that make use of melee weapons. Hardy buccaneers[1] carry large shields, making them more difficult to battle. Later in the game, both types of buccaneers were replaced with elite variants, stronger enemies with red instead of brown coloration as well as three yellow lights across their shoulders.
In Quest for Booty, both buccaneers and hardy buccaneers have an undead variant.
In Rift Apart, alternate dimension counterparts to these enemies appear: the robot space pirates and shield pirates.
History[]
In Tools of Destruction, buccaneers fought under Captain Slag's crew. Ratchet and Clank fought buccaneers in the pirate base, Ardolis, and then on the Kreeli Comet. In Kerchu City, Jasindu, during their attack on the city, a more elite variant, who were more powerful and had stronger red and yellow armor, fought Ratchet. These later fought him in the Ublik Passage, and during "Defeat Captain Slag", Slag summoned buccaneers to his defense.
An undead buccaneer.
In Quest for Booty, Ratchet fought buccaneers first at the Azorean Sea of Merdegraw during "Fight the Pirates". Later, under the joint crew of the resurrected captains Slag and Darkwater, Ratchet fought both the undead buccaneers around the planet, beginning with their resurrection in Morrow Caverns in "Escape Morrow Caverns".
During Friends with Benefits, a buccaneer was held in the Vartax Detention Facility cell next to Clank's. He advised Clank against trying to escape at first, but after working with Clank and escaping successfully, he organized the other inmates to riot, keeping the guards busy while Ratchet and Clank escaped.[2]
Characteristics[]
Buccaneers are decadroid pirates with a very humanoid appearance. Though they tend to wear different clothing and have different facial appearance, all buccaneers have melee weaponry. Different types included axe, sword, cutlass, and club buccaneers.
Buccaneers are quite chatty. If for example Ratchet attacked a buccaneer with the OmniWrench, they would swear "Watch where you're swinging that thing; almost took me bloody head off!".[3] They can also be regularly seen chatting about various past and current events.
Combat[]
Buccaneers attempt to get within range for a melee strike upon spotting Ratchet. Although they need to get close in order to inflict damage, their massive swords can take a major chunk from Ratchet's nanotech if they connect. It is recommended to attack from a distance with more ranged firepower, such as from the Combuster and Predator Launcher, or later the Shard Reaper and Buzz Blades, in order to prevent them from advancing on Ratchet. When clustered together, the Tornado Launcher and Negotiator become more effective.
For hardy buccaneers, a solid crack of the Shock Ravager can make their protective shield useless, along with most other explosive weapons. The Tornado Launcher is also effective both against them and other types of buccaneers, due to its range and ability to disrupt their shield.
Behind the scenes[]
Buccaneers and corsairs appeared in the announcement trailer for Rift Apart,[4] however in the final version of the game they were replaced by their dimensional counterparts: robot space pirates and pirate corsairs respectively.
Buccaneers appeared as enemies in PlayStation Move Heroes, where they had several unique variants; each were colored differently and had a special attack, for example, grey buccaneers wielded axes and could perform a special swipe attack, while red buccaneers wielded two swords.
Citations[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 BradyGames 2007, p. 192
- ↑ Friends with Benefits, p. 11-21
- ↑ Tools of Destruction script § "Pirates"
- ↑ Insomniac Games 2020
References[]
- Video games
- Insomniac Games (2007). Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction [Game]. Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation 3.
- Insomniac Games (2008). Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty [Game]. Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation 3.
- Insomniac Games (2021). Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart [Game]. Sony Interactive Entertainment. PlayStation 5.
- Books
- BradyGames (2007). Ratchet & Clank Future Tools of Destruction Official Strategy Guide [Book]. BradyGames. ISBN 0744009774.
- Fixman, TJ (2010). Ratchet & Clank (Issue 2: Friends with Benefits) [Book]. Wild Storm.
- Videos
- Insomniac Games [@PlayStation] (2020, June 11). Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart - Announcement Trailer | PS5 [Video]. YouTube.