Hoven is a planet in the Solana Galaxy featured in Ratchet & Clank and the multiplayer mode of Up Your Arsenal. It is a desolate world of ice and snow, home to numerous mining facilities that were repurposed by the blarg. Chairman Drek used a bomb factory on the planet to produce the PlanetBuster Maximus, a planet-destroying missile.
Hoven is absent from the 2016 re-imagined game; its role as a snowy planet is instead filled by Batalia.
History[]
Ratchet and Clank traveled to Hoven after viewing an infobot on Orxon revealing the PlanetBuster Maximus. In "Destroy the Planetbuster", the duo fought through blarg forces and used a turret to destroy the ship carrying the massive bomb before it could launch. Afterward, they acquired an infobot detailing Drek's plans to attack planet Oltanis from the Gemlik Base. Ratchet wanted to go to search for Captain Qwark, while Clank wanted to go to stop Drek; after a brief argument, they agreed their motivations didn't matter as long as they both went.
Ratchet and Clank meet Edwina.
During their exploration of Hoven, the two met a Miner and Edwina, a RoboShack owner. After Ratchet fixed his drill, the Miner gave them a piece of raritanium. Meanwhile, Edwina offered to sell them a black market[1] Hydro-Pack upgrade, which they purchased for 2,000 bolts.
Geography[]
Hoven is a desolate planet perpetually covered in ice and snow, featuring water that freezes on contact. Its surface is dominated by rocky mountains and dotted with industrial ice mining facilities. The planet's only vegetation consists of sparse pine trees and patches of grass amidst the arctic terrain.
Bomb factory[]
The PlanetBuster Maximus docked at the factory.
The blargian bomb factory is a sprawling industrial complex built into and between the icy cliffs. The facility is comprised of three main interconnected areas.
The central area contains the primary path from the landing site to the PlanetBuster docking bay. This path is lined with small buildings, conveyor belts, and floating platforms that traverse the frozen landscape. The docking bay itself is a large structure built into the mountainside where the missile-carrying ship is stationed.
The "icy wastes" is a large region accessible west of the landing pad. It features treacherous ice slopes, frozen rivers, and a series of towers and tunnels. Navigating this area leads to a secluded mountaintop where the Miner is found.
A separate hidden canyon contains Edwina's RoboShack. This area is a network of bridges and conveyor belts connecting various buildings embedded in the cliff faces. Reaching it requires navigating a massive cavernous shaft filled with water puzzles that utilize the Insta-Faucet and Insta-Drain mechanics.
Multiplayer[]
The Hoven Gorge multiplayer map.
Map layout of Hoven Gorge.
Hoven Gorge is a multiplayer map made for Up Your Arsenal. It is set in an abandoned gorge, surrounded by icy cliffs and large industrial structures. It supports Siege, Capture the Flag, and Deathmatch, with the turboslider as the only available vehicle.
The zig-zag map has bases on opposite ends, each containing a Morph-o-Ray, drone bots, while protected by a small canyon. This canyon can be crossed by a destructible bridge or versa-targets. Destroying the bridge is a common tactic to create a defensible bottleneck. The first node past the bridge provides a turboslider, a Lava Gun, and Charge Boots.
Jump pads lead up a cliff to a high-ground path. This path enters large circular rooms on the north and south, each with a node. The rooms exit onto platforms with powerful turrets overlooking the map. A bridge, holding another pair of Charge Boots, connects these platforms. Atop a tunnel connecting the cliff paths is another node which spawns two Flux Rifle crates for sniping.
On the gorge floor, a central node activates an anti-vehicle missile turret and provides two Holoshield Gloves.
Behind the scenes[]
From space, Hoven uses the same planet texture as Aridia, but with a different color palette.
The original concept for the planet was that its inhabitants mined and shipped ice off-world. This was later changed to the blarg having invaded and converted the processing plants into munitions factories.[2]
