Magnus is the main setting of All 4 One. It is a planet in the Polaris Galaxy with varied terrain, ranging from rocky cliffs and vast oceans to vast forests and deep canyons. Magnus was populated by a vast amount of differing creatures, but it was known to be inhabited by tharpods, the sentient lifeforms who were in tune with nature and were known to have small critters as pets, before being overrun by Ephemeris. It is now filled with dangerous wildlife, abandoned cities, and deadly robots.
After Ephemeris captured Ratchet, Clank, Captain Qwark, and Dr. Nefarious, it transported them to Magnus. There, the four were forced to team up to escape the planet, and prevent the use of Ephemeris further.
Magnus is orbited by the Phonica Moon.
History[]
Before All 4 One[]
Tharpods on Magnus with their creature companions.
The fragments of the planet Toranux—destroyed by cragmites[1]—found their way to Magnus in the form of a comet that hit in the Gorthon Crater of Terawatt Forest.[2] The loki, malevolent spirits originating from Toranux, embedded themselves in these fragments and possessed Magnus's native creatures.[3] Some time later, the tharpods emigrated to Magnus and established a civilization.[4] For over a hundred years, the tharpods lived in relative peace on Magnus,[a] worshipping nature, forging bonds with the planet's wildlife, and adopting creature companions as a rite of passage.[6]
The plans developed by Croid and Binklemeyer.
Dr. Frumpus Croid and his laboratory partner, Nevo Binklemeyer, sought to understand the tharpods' profound bond with the local fauna.[7] However, Dr. Croid's pet, Mr. Dinkles, became possessed by the Loki Master, compelling Nevo to act on its behalf,[3] which resulted in the vandalism of Dr. Croid's laboratory.[8] Twenty-two years later, Dr. Croid created the small drone Ephemeris to locate Mr. Dinkles,[9] but over the subsequent 28 years, the Loki Master seized control of Ephemeris. Under the Loki Master's coercion, Nevo modified the drone—increasing its size, removing its directive confining it to Magnus, and endowing it with interplanetary travel capabilities.[10]
Spog leading the attack against Uzo City.
For over a century, Ephemeris operated by abducting the most dangerous creatures from other worlds and delivering them to Magnus,[5] thereby providing more and deadlier hosts for the loki to inhabit.[3] Meanwhile, Ephemeris was guarded by Commander Spog, leader of the Loki Master's collector minions forces, who conducted raids on numerous tharpod settlements,[5] and even invaded Uzo City.[11] Consequently, the tharpods were largely displaced—forced into hiding, many becoming orphans and leaving behind abandoned cities and perilous wildlife.[5]
During A Crack in Time, a denizen from Rossa Fields in Magnus' Terawatt Forest named Donald called into a Polaris News segment hosted by Kip Darling and Pepper Fairbanks. The segment took calls from the Polaris public, asking for their opinions on the Battle of Gimlick Valley. Like most other callers, however, Donald was only interested in asking Pepper about her relationship status.[12]
At some point after A Crack in Time and before All 4 One, the Smuggler visited Magnus and sold holo-plans for the RYNO V to Dr. Croid, who later modified it to build the RYNO VI Protosuit.[13]
All 4 One[]
Susie freeing the heroes.
Ephemeris collected the Z'Grute, but in the process also captured Ratchet, Clank, President Qwark, and Dr. Nefarious,[14] dropping them off in the Minion Training Center. After being freed by an orphaned tharpod named Susie,[15] the group initially resolved to ally temporarily to find a way off the planet.[16] Meanwhile, Cronk and Zephyr tracked Qwark's nav-unit but became stranded in an asteroid field above the planet. They resorted to hacking into a spy satellite to support the group remotely until help arrived.[17]
Nefarious repairing Spog.
Ratchet eventually decided to help the tharpods after the Tharpod Elder told him of their plight.[5] The group followed holo-journals left by Dr. Croid, which led them to believe that Binklemeyer had betrayed Croid and was behind Ephemeris.[11] The group defeated Commander Spog, who in turn directed them to "the architect"[18]. This led to them later finding Dr. Croid on Phonica Moon, only to discover he was senile and unable to help.[19]
In Uzo City, the group entered Ephemeris and confronted the Loki Master, learning it was the true mastermind.[3] They extracted the Loki Master's soul from the creatures it possessed and defeated it. Shortly after, Lawrence retrieved Cronk and Zephyr and asked Dr. Nefarious for his old job back, prompting Nefarious to leave with him. Ratchet, Clank, Qwark, Cronk, and Zephyr departed the world aboard Ephemeris, while Dr. Croid destroyed the Toranux planet fragments.[20]
Geography[]
Overview[]
Magnus features a wildly varied landscape and climate. Due to the Loki Master's actions, much of the planet has been overrun by dangerous robots and creatures, with only sparse tharpod settlements serving as refugee outposts. Some landscapes were damaged to accommodate the new lifeforms brought in by Ephemeris.
The planet is home to various critters, including the cursed snarflap, feathery flurkitten, and spiny groon. Among them is also the grobulus and its multiple breeds: the leafmuncher grobulus, crimson shroom grobulus, and grobulus prime.
Aldaros Plains[]
The Aldaros Plains.
The Aldaros Plains are a landscape torn apart by gravity bots,[21] simulating the gravity of the gravoids' natural habitat, creatures brought by Ephemeris from the black rock moons of Ebaro.[22] Due to the abnormal gravity, mechanical tethers are used to anchor the landscape in place.[23] The remaining landscape appears to mostly resemble rocky plains, although with some vegetation in the form of small trees and some plants.
The plains house a small village of tharpod refugees, who were displaced from their original village to make way for a creature pen and a bowling alley.[24] Within the plains is the Minion Training Center, where Ratchet, Clank, Qwark, and Nefarious were initially held by Ephemeris.
Deadgrove[]
The Deadgrove.
The Deadgrove is a forested canyon leading deep underground, where an abandoned tharpod mining camp is located. It is inhabited by native dreadgrubs and grove beetles, as well as the wigwump. Key locations within the Deadgrove include the Orthani Gorge and Root Cavern.
N.E.S.T[]
The N.E.S.T. region.
The N.E.S.T. (Northern Extraterrestrial Sorting Terminal[25]) is a rocky, mountainous region high above ground level. The facility, located within the Vertigus Cliffs, serves as a sorting center for Ephemeris, processing new creatures before distributing them across Magnus.[26] Nearby is the Elerox Pass, leading to Moktor Outpost, a tharpod village.
Octonok Cay[]
Octonok Cay.
Octonok Cay is a large coastal tharpod fishing village that has become a shipwreck junkyard due to abandonment. The village appears to be built largely over waters and some small islands. The area is powered by solar and wind, features a lighthouse, and the W.A.S.P. (Weather Alteration System Platform[27]), a platform used to generate storm weather for the sepiads.
A notable inhabitant of the area are the tortemoths, large sea turtle-like creatures, whose backs can be ridden to traverse the waters. Other native inhabitants are slorgs, flabberfish, and local fish species. Newly introduced are the sepiads, led by a King Sepiad, which are fed large fish suspended from cranes.[28]
Terawatt Forest[]
Terawatt Forest.
Terawatt Forest is a dense forest filled with vibrant trees, mushrooms, flora, and wildlife. It houses Dr. Croid's Hall of Paradoxology, site of the Frumpus Croid Exploratorium of Scientific Wonderment,[2] and is largely protected by Croid's forces. It is also home to anthropods, shard beasts, razormoths, and carnivorous plants known as venixx.[2]
Key locations within the forest include Kaleero Trail, Rossa Fields, and Gorthon Crater. Kaleero Trail contains several comet fragments from Toranux that emit powerful energy spikes.[29] Rossa Fields houses the Hall of Paradoxology and a small village.[12] Gorthon Crater marks the impact site of the Toranux comet.[2]
The forest features cliffs, waterfalls, and a lake, with flowers and grasses interspersed among massive rocks and fungi-covered branches. The sun filters through the trees, casting an ethereal glow.
Polar Sea[]
The Polar Sea.
The Polar Sea is a vast, icy expanse in a harsh frozen climate. It features naturally occurring ice slopes, thin ice sheets, and towering cliffs, as well as natural crystal formations. The area is inhabited by grungoths and flabberfish.
Uzo City[]
Uzo City.
Uzo City is a tharpod city and the apparent capital of Magnus.[b] After being ravaged by Commander Spog's forces,[11] it was abandoned and later repurposed as Ephemeris' charging center in Vilerog Plateau, under the control of the Loki Master's forces.
Other known locations[]
A settlement named Tortem Fi and its meadows are mentioned,[5] as well as the bluffs of Vendros, and fjords of Rank-Arun.[9]
Behind the scenes[]
"Magnus" is Latin for "big".
Many elements of Magnus' Aldaros Plains came from early concept art drawn up by Insomniac Games in the late PlayStation 2 to early PlayStation 3 timeframe, which was not used in the Future trilogy but was reused for All 4 One.[30]
In Rift Apart, posters and tourist pamphlets can be seen at the Megalopolis train station with "Visit Kaleero Trail" (referring to the trail in Magnus' Terawatt Forest) written on them in an alien language.
Notes[]
Annotations[]
Citations[]
- ↑ All 4 One script § "Trek through the Ruins of Uzo City (gameplay)"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 All 4 One script § "Cross Gorthon Crater (gameplay)"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 All 4 One script § "Hello, Nevo"
- ↑ All 4 One script § "Confront Dr. Croid in the Hall of Paradoxology (gameplay, cont.)"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 All 4 One script § "Parades and Groupies"
- ↑ All 4 One script § "Meet up with Susie (gameplay)"
- ↑ All 4 One script § "Happier Times on Magnus"
- ↑ All 4 One script § "The Betrayal of Nevo Binklemeyer"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 All 4 One script § "Poor Mr. Dinkles"
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 All 4 One script § "Nevo Strikes Again"
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 All 4 One script § "The Last Holo-Diary"
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 A Crack in Time script § "Gimlick Valley"
- ↑ All 4 One script § "Croid Lab 6 (City)"
- ↑ All 4 One script § "That's Not One of Mine"
- ↑ All 4 One script § "Stuck Together"
- ↑ All 4 One script § "A Singular Unit"
- ↑ All 4 One script § "Outside Receiving Station, Aldaros Plains"
- ↑ All 4 One script § "Commander Spog"
- ↑ All 4 One script § "The Lombax Whisperer"
- ↑ All 4 One script § "The End of the Loki"
- ↑ All 4 One script § "Defeat the Gravity Bot to Restore Gravity (gameplay)"
- ↑ All 4 One script § "Trek to Susie's Village (gameplay)"
- ↑ The Art of Ratchet & Clank, p. 74-75
- ↑ All 4 One script § "Meet up with Susie (gameplay)"
- ↑ All 4 One script § "Find a Way Inside the N.E.S.T. (gameplay)"
- ↑ All 4 One script § "Infiltrate the Sorting Facility (gameplay)"
- ↑ All 4 One script § "Ask a Tharpod for Directions to Terawatt Forest (gameplay)"
- ↑ The Art of Ratchet & Clank, p. 78
- ↑ All 4 One script § "Explore the Forest (gameplay)"
- ↑ The Art of Ratchet & Clank, p. 65
References[]
- Insomniac Games (2011). Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One [Game]. Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation 3.
- Sony Interactive Entertainment (2018). The Art of Ratchet & Clank [Book]. Dark Horse Comics. ISBN 978-1506705729.