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Hoverboots, occasionally spelled Hover Boots, are a lombax-engineered gadget in the Ratchet & Clank series that first appear in A Crack in Time and appear in subsequent releases; Full Frontal Assault, Into the Nexus and Rift Apart. They are used by Ratchet to move more quickly through an area, particularly making use of speed boosts and jump pads throughout several planets for quick traversal.

Ratchet was first granted his pair of hoverboots by Alister Azimuth in A Crack in Time, which originally belonged to his father, Kaden (who was taught by Azimuth to use them). The introduction of the Hoverboots to the series rendered the Charge Boots obsolete.

Both Ratchet and Rivet made use of the Hoverboots during Rift Apart. The design for the Hoverboots in Rift Apart heavily resemble the Charge Boots from Tools of Destruction.

History[]

Early history[]

Double-ended wrench

Alister Azimuth hovering in the air with his Hoverboots

Hoverboots were invented by the Lombax Praetorian Guard during the early days of the Great War, and use zero-g pulse stabilizers and ion propulsion cells to allow the wearer to move rapidly across areas. The wearer would shift their body weight to steer with the boots, as the boots adjust their flight path accordingly. Rusting ion coils can cause a pair to shut off unexpectedly.[1]

A Crack in Time[]

In A Crack in Time, Ratchet obtained the hoverboots from Alister Azimuth on Torren IV. Azimuth taught Ratchet to use them, giving him a training course which he had to collect a total of 23 flares around the Monoloth Fields before being able to use the gadget permanently. Both Ratchet and Azimuth used the hoverboots throughout their adventure, especially in Krell Canyon, Lumos, allowing them to traverse the large area. Ratchet also used the hoverboots to glide in the air before he reunited with Clank.

Full Frontal Assault[]

20854QForce Balkai Hoverboots 1

Ratchet using the Hoverboots in Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault

Hoverboots were used by Ratchet, as well as Clank and Qwark as Q-Force members, throughout their adventure.

Before the Nexus[]

In Before the Nexus, the hoverboots were used as an alternative to the Grind Boots. Ratchet used them whenever he left the grind rail.

Into the Nexus[]

In Into the Nexus, Ratchet lost his hoverboots when the Nebulox Seven Prison Ship is destroyed. The Smuggler later returned them to him on planet Thram in exchange for gargathon horns.

Rift Apart[]

In Rift Apart, Ratchet obtained hoverboots, refurbished from lombax technology,[2] in Urfdah Mesa, Savali, during "Find the Dimensionator Blueprints". After Ratchet obtained them, Rivet made use of them also. The hoverboots saw particular use on Savali by Ratchet, though Rivet made extensive use of them in the Molonoth Gulch, Torren IV, and when fleeing gas in Zordoom Prison, Viceron.

Gameplay[]

Hoverboot bouncing

Ratchet using Kick Pads mid-air

Ratchet and Rivet can use the hoverboots to jump off ramps using the hoverboots' accelerator, jump off kick pads, and speed using boost pads. Additionally, he can latch onto bolt cranks by pressing Square, then use the left analog stick to steer, and press X to let go, propelling him forward at great speeds.

In most releases, the hoverboots can be activated at any point using the accelerator button (R2 in Full Frontal Assault and Into the Nexus, or R1 in Rift Apart) and holding it down. In A Crack in Time, they must be equipped with Right. Ratchet also uses the hoverboots to glide in A Crack in Time, both after and with Clank.

Behind the scenes[]

We brought back the Hoverboots because the levels are big and you need to be able to move around quickly.

Shaun McCabe, explaining the Hoverboots's appearance in Full Frontal Assault

The Hoverboots were reintroduced in Full Frontal Assault as during development the team were inspired by the Krell Canyon level from Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time and the Hoverboots were needed to traverse the large level.[3]

The Hoverboots appeared in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.

Ratchet continues using the Hoverboots in conjunction with the Heli-Pack.

Citations[]

  1. ā†‘ A Crack in Time
  2. ā†‘ Rift Apart menu § "Hover Boots"
  3. ā†‘ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v578tRv-tng Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault Developer Commentary - PAX 2012 (IGN)]. YouTube. Accessed February 11, 2018.
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