Qwark bots,[1] or Qwarkbots,[2] are robot replicas of Captain Qwark featured in Ratchet & Clank, Up Your Arsenal, and the 2016 re-imagined game. In Ratchet & Clank, they are immobile robots with springs for legs, featured in the Captain Qwark fitness course in Metropolis on planet Kerwan. In Up Your Arsenal, the same Qwark bots[1] with a sphere in place of legs appear as security for Qwark's hideout in the Thran Asteroid Belt, able to fire deadly weaponry.
In the original Ratchet & Clank, a skill point, Qwarktastic, can be earned by destroying it.
History[]
Ratchet & Clank[]
A Qwark bot was used outside Captain Qwark's fitness course in Metropolis, advertising the course. Ratchet and Clank encountered it in "Complete fitness course" before competing in the fitness course themselves. Clank mistook the robot for the real Captain Qwark, before Ratchet corrected him.[3] This Qwark bot was destructible when hit with heavy weapons such as the Devastator.
Re-imagined[]
In Qwark's version of events, the Qwark bot appeared twice. It first appeared in the Kyzil Plateau on Veldin, greeting those outside the Galactic Ranger fairgrounds during the Galactic Ranger tryouts in "Head to the fairgrounds". Later, Qwark bots appeared in the Captain Qwark fitness challenge in "Complete fitness course", one on each island of the course, giving commentary throughout and serving as a coach. These Qwark bots were indestructible, and hitting them would cause them to complain.
Up Your Arsenal[]
Qwark bots defended Qwark's hideout on the Thran Asteroid Belt. These were the same Qwark bots as featured in his fitness course on Kerwan,[1] but had a sphere for legs, were mobile, and fired rapid blasts of deadly lasers at enemies. Ratchet and Clank fought them during "Find Captain Qwark" while trying to reach Qwark's hideout.
Characteristics[]
Qwark bots are replicas of Captain Qwark, having his same proportions and attire, and retaining the Qwark logo. The main difference is in their metallic skin, the speaker on top of the smiling mouth, and their lack of legs. Below the yellow utility belt, springs are seen in place of legs in Ratchet & Clank, and in Up Your Arsenal, a long metal stick connected to a green sphere is used for movement instead. Qwark bots have stiff movement, and move their arms often to flex similar to Qwark himself. They also have a robotic version of Qwark's voice, and during combat, frequently spout common Qwark phrases, including "Feel the power of the Q!", "Watch it, buddy", and "It's over scum!".[4] In Up Your Arsenal, damaging them revealed a bare robotic skeleton beneath Qwark's uniform, which could crawl with the use of its arms.
Qwark bots used for security guarded the hideout, firing bursts of lasers from their hands at intruders from a distance. When they run out of ammo, they reload up briefly before firing again. After hitting Ratchet, they will hold up one arm after the other to flex and kiss their own lasers, a mannerism similar to Qwark. Upon sustaining heavy damage, they crawl to attack foes, with only the head and skeleton of the upper torso remaining intact. They are also capable of moving on ice without slipping and teleporting into areas when needed.
Combat[]
In Up Your Arsenal, Qwark bots pose a significant threat, due to their durability, armor, high numbers, and the strength of their lasers. They attack in groups and fire bursts of lasers, before reloading briefly to fire again. Many of them are often fought on a dangerous icy surface, making them a greater threat. The Qwark bots warp in from huts, making it hard to predict how many will appear.
The Bouncer is the best weapon against them, as not only can it destroy many of them in clusters as they warp in, but also pierce through their armor. The Annihilator, Disc Blade Gun, and Rift Inducer are also viable substitutes. It is crucial either way to dodge their lasers by side flipping, which is still possible even on the ice.
Behind the scenes[]
Concept art for the original game.
Qwark bots were conceptualized by Mike Stout, the designer of the level, as he felt it would be in-character to order copies of himself to reflect his self-centered nature.[5] They were programmed by Andy Klinzing, who introduced the Qwark bots' crawling with an upper skeleton remaining entirely on his own, inspired by The Terminator, and requested the character designers and animators implement it without Stout knowing. Stout found the idea hilarious and was happy to include it.[6]
In Deadlocked, activating a cheat turns the DZ Strikers into Qwark bots, using the same weapons as the Strikers. These bots had two legs.
A Qwark bot based on Qwark's Nurse Shannon disguise appeared as a skin in the multiplayer of Full Frontal Assault.
In the re-imagined Ratchet & Clank release, the Qwark bot head can be toggled on Ratchet in the Extras menu.
Citations[]
References[]
- Video games
- Insomniac Games (2002). Ratchet & Clank [Game]. Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation 2.
- Insomniac Games (2004). Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal [Game]. PlayStation 2.
- Insomniac Games (2016). Ratchet & Clank [Game]. Sony Interactive Entertainment. PlayStation 4.
- Bibliography
- Greg Off (2004). Ratchet & Clank Up Your Arsenal Official Strategy Guide [Book]. BradyGames. ISBN 0744005000.
- Videos
- Stout, Mike; Garcia, Tony [@uselesspodcasts] (2012, September 24). Ratchet & Clank 3 Dev Commentary: 29 - Qwark's Hideout [Video]. YouTube.