Hoverboots are a gadget in the Ratchet & Clank series, first appearing in A Crack in Time and later in Full Frontal Assault, Into the Nexus, and Rift Apart. They enable quicker movement, utilizing accelerators and jump pads for rapid traversal across several planets.
Ratchet first received his pair of hoverboots from Alister Azimuth in A Crack in Time. These originally belonged to his father, Kaden. Ratchet continues to use them in subsequent entries. In Rift Apart, both Ratchet and Rivet utilize hoverboots.
The introduction of hoverboots rendered the Charge Boots obsolete.
History[]
Early history[]
Hoverboots are considered archaic by terachnoids.[1]
Kaden's hoverboots were engineered by the Lombax Praetorian Guard during the early days of the Great War.[2][a] Kaden mastered his hoverboots rapidly, outracing lombax elders at nineteen, and became the captain of his hoverball team on Fastoon.[4]
A Crack in Time[]
Azimuth giving Ratchet the hoverboots.
In A Crack in Time, after "Chase down Alister Azimuth", Azimuth gave Kaden's hoverboots to Ratchet, which he found in his hideouts in Molonoth Fields, Torren IV. In "Master the Hoverboots", Azimuth taught Ratchet to use them through a practice course and was delighted to see Ratchet was a natural with them, akin to his father. When Ratchet succeeded, Azimuth allowed him to keep them.[4]
Ratchet used the hoverboots throughout the rest of his adventure, including to glide in the air before reuniting with Clank, in place of Clank's Heli-Pack.
Comic series[]
During Ears of War, Ratchet used his hoverboots and Blaster when defending Veldin from Artemis Zogg's robot mechs.[5] When Cronk and Zephyr broke Ratchet out of the Vartax Detention Facility in Friends with Benefits, they brought Ratchet's hoverboots and Blaster, and he used them to escape.[6]
Full Frontal Assault[]
Hoverboots were used by Ratchet, Clank, and Captain Qwark as Q-Force members throughout their adventure.
Before the Nexus[]
In Before the Nexus, 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 was destroyed. The Smuggler later returned them on planet Thram in exchange for gargathon horns.
Rift Apart[]
In Rift Apart, Ratchet obtained hoverboots in Rivet's dimension, refurbished from lombax technology,[7] in Urfdah Mesa, Savali, during "Find the Dimensionator Blueprints". Rivet also made use of them, and used them in hoverboot courses at Zurkie's.
The hoverboots were particularly used on Savali by Ratchet, and extensively by Rivet in Molonoth Gulch, Torren IV, and when fleeing gas in Zordoom Prison, Viceron.
Characteristics[]
Hoverboots are a pair of shoes that come in various forms. The boots used by Ratchet in A Crack in Time and Into the Nexus have ion coils by the heels. The boots in Rift Apart heavily resemble the Charge Boots from Tools of Destruction.
Kaden's hoverboots use a combination of zero-g pulse stabilizers and ion propulsion coils to lift and propel the wearer.[2] The ion coils can become rusty and harm propulsion.[4] It is unclear if all hoverboots use this form of lombax technology.[a]
Hoverboots require skill to use. The user must engage them in the right stance, with a back straight and legs slightly bent at the knee, and then shift their weight to turn. Momentum is important for maintaining speed.[4]
Gameplay[]
Ratchet using the hoverboots to latch onto a bolt crank.
Overview[]
Hoverboot wearers can jump off ramps using the hoverboots' accelerator, jump off kick pads, and speed using boost pads. They can latch onto bolt cranks by pressing 
, then use the left analog stick to steer, and press 
to let go, propelling forward at great speeds. Weapons cannot typically be used while using hoverboots.
A Crack in Time[]
Hoverboots are obtained early in the game by completing the mission "Master the Hoverboots". They are prominently used in many missions and on space moons around the Breegus System.
After obtaining them, hoverboots are equipped by pressing 
. Holding the accelerator button (
) and moving will boost speed. Because this button is also used to throw the OmniWrench, the player can throw the wrench while using hoverboots, but nothing else.
Ratchet also uses the hoverboots to glide in A Crack in Time, both before and after reuniting with Clank. When reunited with Clank, hoverboots are used in addition to the Heli-Pack for gliding, though this is purely an aesthetic difference as it does not improve gliding.
Subsequent appearances[]
In releases after A Crack in Time, hoverboots can be activated at any point using the accelerator button ( in Full Frontal Assault and Into the Nexus, or 
in Rift Apart) and holding it down. No weapons can be used while using the hoverboots.
Behind the scenes[]
For A Crack in Time, there were plans to include hoverboot racetracks in the Agorian Battleplex, as Insomniac Games had not included race tracks in Ratchet & Clank for some time and wished to attempt them again. When it became clear the races would be too resource-intensive to develop, they were removed and unfinished tracks were added to the Insomniac Museum.[8] Hoverboot courses would later be added to the arena at Zurkie's for Rift Apart.
Hoverboots were reintroduced in Full Frontal Assault as the development team was inspired by the Krell Canyon level from Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time, necessitating hoverboots for traversing the large level.[9]
Hoverboots also appeared in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.
Notes[]
Annotations[]
- ā 1.0 1.1 Kaden's hoverboots were noted as being engineered during the Great War by the Lombax Praetorian Guard.[2] The hoverboots found on Savali in Rivet's dimension were noted as refurbished lombax technology.[3] However, given other species' participation in hoverball and terachnoids noting it as old technology,[1] it is possible that the technology was not solely Lombax.
Citations[]
- ā 1.0 1.1 A Crack in Time script § "Rendezvous at Neurox Plaza (gameplay)"
- ā 2.0 2.1 2.2 A Crack in Time menu § "Hoverboots"
- ā Rift Apart menu § "Hover Boots"
- ā 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 A Crack in Time script § "Master the Hoverboots (gameplay)"
- ā Ears of War, p. 17
- ā Friends with Benefits, p. 13-16
- ā Rift Apart menu § "Hover Boots"
- ā A Crack in Time, Insomniac Museum § Hoverboot Track
- ā Clements, Ryan [@IGN] (2012, September 1). Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault Developer Commentary - PAX 2012 [Video]. YouTube.
References[]
- Games
- 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.
- (2013). Ratchet & Clank: Before the Nexus [Game].
- Insomniac Games (2013). Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus [Game]. Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation 3.
- Insomniac Games (2021). Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart [Game]. Sony Interactive Entertainment. PlayStation 5.
- Books
- Fixman, TJ (2010). Ratchet & Clank (Issue 1: Ears of War) [Book]. Wild Storm.
- Fixman, TJ (2010). Ratchet & Clank (Issue 2: Friends with Benefits) [Book]. Wild Storm.