Fongoid

General information
Species	Fongoid
Members	Enessa, Poley, Brax, Kaylo, Alpheus, Fongoid Farmer, Fongoid Foreman, Yurik, Zahn Gribnak, Tufur, Enat, Zahn Junior, Grimroth Razz, Felton Razz
Location	A Crack in Time: Molonoth Fields, Torren IV (former homeworld) Zolar Forest, Quantos Tombli Outpost, Zanifar Gimlick Valley, Morklon Ratchet & Clank (2016): Kyzil Plateau, Veldin Aleero City, Kerwan Blackwater City, Rilgar Jowai Resort, Pokitaru Gadgetron Headquarters, Kalebo III

The fongoids are a major species in A Crack in Time, with appearances in Ratchet & Clank (2016 game) and the movie. They are a friendly species native to the Polaris Galaxy, living in tribal communities throughout the galaxy on planets Quantos, Zanifar, and Morklon, while historically living on Torren IV. They have limited technology, though they are capable of traveling between worlds. They are known to worship the Zoni, considering them the keepers of time. At one point, they were allied with Dr. Nefarious.

History

Before Ratchet & Clank

The fongoid homeworld.

The fongoids once had a thriving and advanced civilization and worshipped the Zoni and their leader Orvus. The Zoni were in contact with them and entrusted them with the gift of time travel, hoping it would enrich their lives as it had the Zoni. However, the fongoids misused time travel, causing multiple paradoxes over 3,000 years. The terachnoid geneticist Dr. Vrax Brumar later determined that the fongoids' repeated trips through time caused their vocal tic.

After the 3,000 years passed, their overuse wore the space-time continuum thin and caused a small rip, destroying 83 celestial entities. Orvus as a result created the Great Clock to repair the damage and restore temporal normality, and deemed the fongoids could not be trusted with technology.

The fongoids outlawed all technology aside from occasional supply ships. Their metropolis on Torren IV was abandoned, leading the planet to become a junkyard, while on Quantos, they dismantled most technology they had. However, the Zoni did entrust the fongoids with the Zoni Vessel.

Ten years prior to the events of A Crack in Time, a fongoid tribe once settled on the swamp planet of Morklon, building a settlement in the Gimlick Valley and creating a dam near the swamp, turning it into a farming valley. Agorians led by Commander Lornock Argos attacked, claiming the planet as their own, while fongoid chief Zahn Gribnak led under-equipped and poorly trained warriors to defend the village. They were defeated, and the floodgate was destroyed, wiping out the village. Fongoids constructed a statue for Zahn Gribnak on Quantos nonetheless.

Ratchet & Clank (re-imagined)

The 2016 re-imagined game is primarily an unreliable retelling of events by Qwark.

The re-imagined game primarily describes Captain Qwark's account of events. As Qwark is an unreliable narrator, and contradictory events are in-universe fiction (though those which correspond still apply). Please see Project:Bulletin board/Canon for the wiki's coverage of canon.

Fongoids on Kerwan.

Fongoids in an audience stand.

In Qwark's version of the events of the original game and in the accompanying movie, fongoids appear as civilians in the Solana Galaxy. In these events, fongoids are seen as inhabitants of planets Veldin, Kerwan, and Pokitaru, and on planets Rilgar and Kalebo III as audience members during hoverboard races. Residing on Veldin is Ratchet's mentor, Grimroth Razz, who is himself a fongoid, as well as his brother, Felton Razz, who resides on Pokitaru. Both Grim and Felton moved to Solana from the Polaris Galaxy, suggesting that fongoids seen in Solana are mostly immigrant populations and not native to the galaxy.

Before A Crack in Time

Dr. Nefarious and Lawrence attending anger management classes with the fongoids on Zanifar.

Two years prior to the events of A Crack in Time, Dr. Nefarious and his butler, Lawrence, crashed their asteroid on planet Zanifar and met the fongoid tribe there. The fongoids befriended him and tried to help him overcome his humiliation at the hands of Ratchet by teaching him fongoid meditation, yoga, and anger management classes. Eventually, a spirit walk on Quantos taught Dr. Nefarious about the Great Clock. This revelation caused Dr. Nefarious to develop a new plan; he brainwashed the fongoids to build the Tombli Outpost for him, and his troops then herded them into containment camps when they were finished.

A Crack in Time

The fongoids running from Lord Vorselon's invasion of Quantos.

The fongoid tribe on Quantos, led by Chief Alpheus, encountered Ratchet and Captain Qwark on Quantos while the planet was experiencing time anomalies. Alpheus taught Ratchet more about the Zoni, introduced him to the Temple of Zahn (a temple dedicated to both Chief Zahn Gribnak and to the Zoni), and gave him a Zoni Vessel. Shortly after, Lord Vorselon abducted the fongoids along with Qwark and interrogated them about Alister Azimuth's whereabouts before Ratchet freed them. Qwark stayed with the fongoids as they gave him information, but they eventually insisted Qwark leave and paid agorians to pick him up and take him to the Agorian Battleplex.

An imprisoned fongoid at the Tombli Outpost.

Ratchet later encountered fongoids at the Tombli Outpost in the detainment camp on Zanifar while searching for Orvus. There, he used a time portal to travel back and forth in time to eventually free them in the present, leading them to shut down the outpost and restore their village.

Later, Ratchet and Clank crashed in the Gimlick Valley on Morklon after Dr. Nefarious exiled them there. After learning of the Battle of Gimlick Valley from Yurik, a historian and survivor of the battle, Clank requested Sigmund synthesize a time portal to go back and change the battle's history. They did so successfully, defeating Commander Argos in the past and helping Zahn Gribnak lead his forces to victory. This allowed the fongoid settlement at the Gimlick Valley to exist in the present, with statues constructed for Ratchet and Clank, and for the fongoids in the past to take and repair Argos' ship so that Ratchet could use it in the present.

Characteristics

Biology

Fongoids are small, humanoid aliens, with mostly purple and black skin. They have two round, horn-like blue ears on the backs of their heads, and flat noses.

Fongoid males notably exhibit a vocal tic, which is believed to be a possible hereditary side effect of time travel blunders.

Society

Fongoids are a tribal and peaceful species. They are seen wearing tribal tattoos and basic tribal clothing, often adorned with blue gems. Some are seen carrying large staffs with blue gems, including Chief Alpheus.

Fongoids mostly live in harmony within their tribes, having little contact with the outside world, aside from a few supply ships and a handful of grummels permitted to operate pursuant to Polaris Defense Initiative 1887-Upsilon. Though they do have soldiers, their soldiers are known to be poorly equipped compared to those of other races.

The fongoids worship Orvus and the Zoni as deities, constantly making reference to them, and erecting statues in their honor.

Technology

The fongoids in the present have outlawed technology. Despite this, they have been shown to be good engineers, as they designed the Spiral of Death, an ancient fongoid weapon that blasted kinetic energy, as well as Nefarious' Tombli Outpost, and also repaired Argos' ship.

In combat they relied on their tridents and spears, which are capable of sending forth blasts of energy.

Behind the scenes

An image of a fongoid is used in Full Frontal Assault as an icon for the online multiplayer ranking system.

Concept art

References

• Insomniac Games (2009). Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time [Game]. Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation 3.
• Insomniac Games (2012). Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault [Game]. Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation 3.
• Insomniac Games (2016). Ratchet & Clank [Game]. Sony Interactive Entertainment. PlayStation 4.