The High Impact Games Treehouse in Secret Agent Clank is the second of two High Impact Games Treehouse locations. It is a secret location in the style of the Insomniac Museum that contains developer commentary on unused content from Secret Agent Clank.
The High Impact Games Treehouse is accessed by spotting all alien codes using the Therm-Optic Shades, obtained upon the start of challenge mode. There are three in every Clank level, except for the final confrontation with Klunk. Once they are all obtained, the Treehouse appears last on the Case Files list in "Special Missions".
Exhibits[]
First building[]
The Treehouse entrance.
The first building mimics the developers' studio. There are several cubicles with work desks around the edges, and in the center are cafeteria tables and chairs. Exhibits are mostly contained within the desk cubicles, with some exceptions. Of these desks, one desk has a computer wrapped in bubble wrap, one desk has vinyls attached to it, and one near the Rutherford exhibit has two portraits: one with Courtney Gears in a heart shape and "xoxo cg" written on it, and the other with the Sexy Robot from Secret Agent Clank.
Concept art[]
Concept art appears throughout the treehouse with an option to view each piece. A signpost to the right of the front entrance explains:
Although designers make the layout of levels, the look and colors of the levels are decided by art. Concept art plays a huge role in helping to visualize these decisions. Check out the various pictures hanging around the Treehouse.
Signpost
Robot Finds Kitten[]
Throughout the treehouse are several gift boxes where, once opened, a random item will appear. If the item that appears is a kitten, the text "Robot finds Kitten" will appear, with an option to replay the game (but no reward for doing so). An info message in the first room of the treehouse, next to a gift box, from Gerard Green explains the exhibit:
Hi, I'm Gerard Green, a Gameplay Programmer. How about a nice game of Robot Finds Kitten? All you have to do is hit presents like this one.
Info message commentary
Tools of Destruction Convict skin plaque[]
The plaque.
In the first room of the treehouse is a portrait of Ratchet in prison uniform. Viewing the plaque will reveal the code needed to use the Convict skin in Tools of Destruction:
In "Ratchet & Clank® Future: Tools Of Destruction¤" enter this code: Square Circle Square Circle Up Up Triangle Down Up. Let Ratchet show Cragmites that life on the inside hasn't changed him.
Plaque
Desk lamps[]
An info message by Travis Sanchez, a gameplay programmer, next to a desk lamp appearing on one of the desks in the first building reads:
Inspiration for effects can come from anywhere. What makes a walloper or lightning gun? Obviously our desk lamps!
Info message commentary
This suggests the desk lamp inspired the effects for the Walloper and the Thunderstorm Umbrella.
Fuzzy[]
In the first building, next to a cubicle with desks is an enlarged canine-bot named "Fuzzy" by the developer, which fires harmless missiles that stun Clank on impact. The info message reads:
Hi! I'm Alex Hampton, a Gameplay Programmer here at High Impact Games. Please ignore Fuzzy here, he's harmless. But, the Death Missiles on the other hand...
Info message commentary
Rutherford[]
Next to Fuzzy in the first building, a piece of concept art for a small robot with a giant mustache appears. This is concept art for Rutherford, a character who was supposed to be a sidekick for Clank, that did not make it past pre-production. An info message by Matt Gilgenbach reads:
I'm Matt Gilgenbach, lead gameplay programmer at High Impact Games. I hope you're enjoying the game. I thought you'd enjoy it more if we gave Clank a wise-cracking mustache name Rutherford for a sidekick, but my idea was shot down in preproduction.
Info message commentary
Qwark opera full video[]
A full video of the Qwark opera from Venantonio can be viewed in the first building. This full video includes the cut verse explained in the full section for Qwark's opera in the building on the right.
Left building[]
The left building is visited by taking a bridge to the left from the first building. This building does not contain developer desks, and has several ledges around it. The highest one in the center contains a table for table tennis.
Programmer art[]
Several concept sketches done by programmers appear around this building, and were used to illustrate ideas programmers had. A signpost appears, with the message:
The artists aren't the only people who conceptualize their ideas through illustration.... Here's a selection of programmer art for you to enjoy (and mock) starting with examples from the programmer Gopher Test to sketches for creatures and effects and even see some of our white board doodles!
Signpost
Ratchet challenges[]
Several extra Ratchet arena challenges can be played from the treehouse, taking place in the various Prison Planet arenas, although they do not award bolts. An info message near the levels reads:
Hi, I'm Travis Sanchez, one of the newest gameplay programmer recruits here at High Impact. Hope you enjoy some extra Ratchet arenas!
Info message commentary
| Challenges |
|---|
| "Jail House Evolution" takes place in the max-security cells and features a series of five rounds against alternating enemy types. Each round consists of a wave of normal enemies followed by their mega variant, starting with thyrranoids, followed by lizard thugs, gladiators, reapers, and finally spider divers. |
| "Smorgasbord" takes place in the mess hall and features the Pork Bomb Gun and its Tasty Pigs Mod. Ratchet had to use the Pork Bomb Gun and its mods to generate and eat bacon (sixty pieces total) within five minutes. |
| "Overkill" takes place in the exercise yard and features a wrench-only fight against a large respawning group of gladiators and mega tyhrranoids, combined with a continuous onslaught of various attacks by the two main turrets. As weapons are unavailable wrench mods were the only way to reliable attack enemies. |
| "Wet" takes place in the showers and features a friction-less floor, as if it was entirely covered in ice. Only Ratchet is affected by this, and only when he is moving (stopping results in him continuing forwards regardless, although jumping negates the effect entirely). The goal is to kill fifty enemies, which includes tyhrranoids, amoeboids, thugs, and gladiators. |
| "B - Mine?" takes place during the prison breakout and features a timed challenge of 150 seconds to kill 35 enemies with only his wrench, its mods, and the pair of Bee Mine Mk. II mines in the arena center. If Ratchet walked close to them, they released bees around Ratchet to kill enemies nearby. |
Character concept art[]
Concept art for characters and monsters appear in the lowest ledge on the room. A signpost reads:
This is some of the actual concept art that was created for our game. Here you can see variants of what monsters and characters could have been, or what they look like on paper before they are modeled.
Signpost
Vehicle concept art[]
Concept art for some vehicles, including ones made and ones cut, appear on a ledge in the room. A signpost reads:
Concept sketches of some vehicles, not all of which were ultimately made.
Signpost
Skin concept art[]
Concept art for some skins, including ones made and ones cut, appear on a ledge in the room. A signpost reads:
Ratchet & Clank® games always have skins you can unlock with Titanium Bolts. These skins are generated first from concept art, like any other character. Here are some of those concept sketches.
Signpost
Right building[]
The right building is visited by taking a bridge to the right from the first building. This is mostly dominated by the main exhibit in the center of the room, and similarly does not mimic the studio. Clank's ship is visible in the sky by looking up in first-person mode while on the bridge.
Bolt Boss[]
The Bolt Boss.
The Bolt Boss is located at the center of the room. This is a boss that was originally planned for Size Matters with the hopes of being included in Secret Agent Clank, that was never finished for either game. Animations of the boss can be viewed on approach by the player. A signpost reads:
Sigh, two games running and this poor guy never made it in. The "Bolt Boss," as we call him, is a creature made entirely from the currency of the Ratchet & Clank® universe. There were a ton of cool things we were going to do for him, but he never ever got finished. Jump into his pit to check out what he looked like.
Signpost
Qwark opera recordings and cut verse[]
A section in the building contains a cluster of info messages, and one sign post, reading:
We love Qwark's Opera! Here are some outtakes of the High Impact crew trying (and failing) to sing some of it!
Signpost
Most of the info messages contain recordings of the developers singing parts of the opera, with the message in the fight being all developers singing the opening verse at once.
Two info messages appear to the right of this with cut content. One contains a verse that was recorded but cut from the game, in which a lawyer for the villains Qwark had vanquished saving the town served him a civil suit requiring him to pay attorney's fees for their families. In the verse, Qwark pretends to sign the check before snapping the lawyer's neck instead. The second message contains an outro to the song, in which the town shows buyer's remorse for hiring Qwark, only for Qwark to respond by pointing out his contract says "caveat emptor" (buyer beware).
Holo-Monocle data[]
The boss models.
Docile models of Klunk, Robo-Ratchet, Robo-Nefarious, the Kingpin, and Jack of All Trades appear in the back of the building. As the signpost states, the models simply appear to allow the player to use the Holo-Monocle on them to scan them for data that would otherwise be difficult for the player to read in-game.
Secret building[]
The Keycard door.
The last room, behind the point where the player lands at the start of the level, is locked behind a door that can only be opened if the player has all keycards. Once opened the player will need to traverse a series of laser to reach the other side, although it is possible to avoid them all by walking alongside the wall's edge.
Dallas Chalice[]
The Dallas Chalice.
Here, the Dallas Chalise can be found. To activate it, the player can enter: 
, , 
, , 
, 
, , , 
(the main sequence of the Konami Code). When used, it restores the player character's health, but only once per a level until you revisit it.
An info message here from Alex Hampton derides the player for looking up the keycard locations, reading:
Wow! You actually found all of the Keycards?! Impressive...wait. You didn't just look them up on the internet, did you?
Info message commentary