Devices are single-use items in Tools of Destruction. They are bought at device vendors, which are available at almost any location. Used in combat, devices offer unique effects separate from the weapons or gadgets of the game.
Devices can be game-changing in their use, capable of turning the tide of battle. However, they have a very limited ammo capacity, cannot be found in ammo crates, cannot upgrade with use, and can cost upwards of 15,000 bolts. Instead of being in ammo crates, they can be found within raritanium chests, which always will contain a random device, but do not respawn as ammo crates do.
The Golden Groovitron only becomes available in challenge mode, and costs 2,000,000 raritanium, but no longer costs ammo upon use.
Devices are unique to Tools of Destruction. Though many devices from Tools of Destruction reappeared as weapons in later titles (such as Groovitron, in the form of the Groovitron Glove, and Mr. Zurkon reappearing in A Crack in Time and other titles), devices themselves did not return as a mechanic. Similarly, devices in Tools of Destruction are often based on existing mechanics of weapons from past games.
Devices[]
| Icon | Device | Inventory description | Price | Ammo | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Groovitron | Mesmerize your enemies with this dance-inducing disco ball! | 500 bolts | 3 | Spaceport, Cobalia |
|
Leech Bomb | Weary from battle? Low on nanotech? Throw one of these, and absorb the health of your enemies! | 1,000 bolts | 2 | Spaceport, Cobalia |
|
Confuzzler Gas | Derived from the seeds of the Cobalian Werm Plant, this psychotropic hallucinogen temporarily causes your opponents to fight each other instead of you! | 1,500 bolts | 2 | Stratus City, Kortog |
|
Mr. Zurkon | This humble yet eloquent synthenoid has been manufactured with only one directive: protect its master! This guy also loves to smash-talk your foes thanks to its unique personality modulator. | 5,000 bolts | 4 | Lava refineries, Rykan V |
|
Mega Leech Bomb | Packing twice the power of a regular leech bomb, the Mega-Leech is the absolute latest in health transferral technology! | 6,000 bolts | 1 | Zordoom Prison, Viceron |
|
Visi-Copter | This radio-controlled assault weapon allows you to take out your enemies across moderate distances. A favorite of lazy adventurers across the galaxy. | 10,000 bolts | 3 | Zordoom Prison, Viceron |
|
Transmorpher | Transform your enemies into loveable penguins with the latest in molecular reconfiguration! | 8,000 bolts | 3 | Kerchu City, Jasindu |
|
Death Springs | These mortal coils pack a nasty isokinetic punch! Releasing one cluster will send them gravitating towards enemies, where they will explode on impact! | 15,000 bolts | 3 | Meridian City, Igliak |
|
|
Golden Groovitron | Mesmerize your enemies with this dance-inducing disco ball! | 2,000,000 raritanium | ∞ | Challenge mode |
Behind the scenes[]
In previous games, weapon ideas such as the Groovitron were cut partly because they would have broken the game. Introducing the devices allowed Insomniac Games to still use these ideas but as rare items in-game, balancing them to keep the game fun.[1] The Groovitron had been proposed for since Ratchet & Clank, but was never included due to lack of memory in the PlayStation 2 to store the custom animations, and due to requiring too much work for developers.[2][3][4]
Fans voted on which animal they wanted the Transmorpher to transform enemies into on Insomniac Games' Full Moon Show.[5] This was done because Insomniac internally could not decide which animal to use for a morph weapon. Prior to penguins, a running idea was to use platypuses.[6]
Citations[]
- ↑ NZ Herland 2007
- ↑ The Art of Ratchet & Clank, p. 17
- ↑ Stout, Garcia 2011 9:09
- ↑ Heir 2019, 5:50
- ↑ Gamereactor 2007, 2:40
- ↑ Heir 2019, 6:40
References[]
- (2007, September 19). "Ratchet and Clank developer interview (exclusive)". From The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on August 6, 2023.
- Stout, Mike; Garcia, Tony [@uselesspodcasts] (2011, July 6). Ratchet & Clank 2 Dev Commentary: 9B - Notak 2 [Video]. YouTube.
- Sony Interactive Entertainment (2018). The Art of Ratchet & Clank [Book]. Dark Horse Comics. ISBN 978-1506705729.
- Heir, Janmeja (2019, October 17). "Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction Interview 3". From GameSpot. Archived from the original on August 6, 2023.