The Decoy Glove is a weapon manufactured by Gadgetron in Ratchet & Clank and Going Commando. A strategic weapon, the Decoy Glove throws out balloon "decoys" modeled after Ratchet, which lure enemies to attack the Decoy as opposed to Ratchet.
The Decoy Glove can be upgraded to the Gold Decoy Glove in Ratchet & Clank for 10,000 bolts and 4 gold bolts, and the Mega Decoy in Going Commando for 50,000 bolts.
History[]
The Decoy Glove was one of Gadgetron's most entertaining weapons.[1] It was one of the weapons sold on Barlow in the Bogon Galaxy by the Help Matron.
Characteristics[]
The Decoy Glove itself is a purple glove with black fingers, and is presumably metallic. It has three yellow and green canisters close to the palm, which presumably contain the decoys thrown. When the weapon is used, Ratchet throws a decoy on the floor, which latches onto it, and then inflates the decoy.
The decoys are a t-shaped balloon based on Ratchet. They feature him making a big, comedic smile, and have a blue pad at the bottom which is attached to the ground. The decoys, when hit, will bounce around in many directions, and explode when destroyed. In Going Commando, the balloons change in appearance, and are based on his armor from the beginning of the game. They do not change when Ratchet acquires new armor.
The Gold Decoy Glove is a golden version of the weapon with silver canisters. The decoys it drops are, in fact, a black silhouette of Ratchet with red eyes, implying they are an "evil" Ratchet, with a red-tinted balloon and gold pad at the bottom instead of the white and blue ones respectively. These changes are not reflected in the Mega Decoy, which keeps the decoy design of Ratchet in armor.
Gameplay[]
Overview[]
The Decoy Glove does not deal damage, but instead serves as a strategic (and comedic) weapon. When a decoy is thrown, enemies will always prioritize it over Ratchet. This allows the player to escape from enemies, or buys extra time to defeat them. The only disadvantage of this is that it costs bolts to do so, although they are relatively cheap, and in Going Commando, the bolt cost becomes negligible.
The Decoy Glove is a situational weapon, and use of the weapon is mostly down to player choice. It is never a huge requirement to use the Decoy Glove, but players may feel more comfortable throwing out a couple of decoys in situations where the enemies are difficult to deal with. The Decoy Glove may retain its strategic use throughout, but can fall off later (particularly later in Going Commando) when the enemies begin to deal more damage, and the decoys die quicker.
Using the Decoy Glove, it is possible to traverse through some walls by placing yourself between a wall and enough dummies.
Ratchet & Clank[]
In Ratchet & Clank, the Decoy Glove becomes available from a vendor once the player reaches Pokitaru, for 7,500 bolts.
It can be upgraded to the Gold Decoy Glove for 10,000 bolts and 4 gold bolts. This can first be purchased in the gold weapons room on the Gemlik Base, and later accessed in challenge mode in the gold weapons room reached with a teleporter at the Tobruk Crater, Novalis. The Gold Decoy Glove changes the design of the decoys dropped and makes them more resilient.
Going Commando[]
The Decoy Glove is one of many weapons available on planet Barlow from the Gadgetron Help Matron. The decoys were changed in appearance, as they would instead Ratchet in his armor at the beginning of the game. The player can buy the weapon for 5,000 bolts, or gain it for free if they have a Ratchet & Clank save file.
In challenge mode, the Decoy Glove can be upgraded to the Mega Decoy for 50,000 bolts from any Megacorp vendor. The Mega Decoy upgrade in Going Commando increases the capacity to 30, in addition to increasing the resilience of the decoys.
Behind the scenes[]
In an early version of Ratchet & Clank, the Decoy Glove was named the "Inflato-Ratchet Glove".[2]
The Decoy Glove was featured in a weapons testing advertisement. A dummy of a boy named Corey was placed in the middle of the road, while his distressed mother ran out to it as it was run over by a car. The real Corey then fled behind a house. Curiously, in the aforementioned ad, the Decoy Glove is referred to as "The Inflatable Decoy."
The Decoy Glove model was the icon for Going Commando in a PS2 memory card.
In a video for A Crack in Time around the time of the My Blaster Runs Hot weapon contest, Brian Allgeier listed the Decoy Glove as his sixth favorite weapon of the series.[3]
Citations[]
References[]
- Video games
- Insomniac Games (2002). Ratchet & Clank [Game]. Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation 2.
- Insomniac Games (2003). Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando [Game]. Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation 2.
- Videos
- Allgeier, Brian [Games @Insomniac Games] (2011, April 27). Allgeier's Top 10 Ratchet Weapons - Behind the Scenes - RCF: ACIT [Video]. YouTube.