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Ratchet & Clank, referred to as Ratchet & Clank (PS4) on Insomniac Games' official website,[1] is a remake of the original game released in 2002 that ties in directly with the Ratchet & Clank movie, which retells the events of the original game. It was developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was released in April 2016, shortly before the movie was released in theaters. Insomniac have referred to the game as a "new beginning" for the Ratchet & Clank series, calling it a chance to create "what we imagined when we started was a curated first Ratchet experience".[2]

The game is told from the perspective of Captain Qwark, who retells the story told in the Ratchet & Clank movie, which in turn tells an updated version of the story from the original Ratchet & Clank. However, it is not set to establish a new canon.[3] It follows the adventures of Ratchet, a lombax mechanic from Veldin who wishes to explore the Solana Galaxy. He soon meets a robot named Clank, a warbot defect created in a blarg factory on planet Quartu. After meeting each other, the two aspire to join the Galactic Rangers, commissioned by President Phyronix and led by Captain Qwark, that way they can together stop Chairman Alonzo Drek and his scientist Dr. Nefarious from destroying planets throughout the galaxy. The story is updated from the original game, expanding on the original lore, introducing many characters and elements that did not appear until later games, and merging planets and characters, but otherwise follows roughly the same structure and events. Many featured cutscenes are taken from the movie.

Like the original Ratchet & Clank, this re-imagining is a third-person action-adventure game with elements of platforming, shooting, and puzzle solving, though it features many updates. It features an arsenal of weapons taken from previously released games in the series, along with some new additions. There is also the ability to upgrade weapons with use up to V5, and upgrade nanotech health that was not present in the original. Most gadgets and minigames remain intact from the original, albeit updated slightly. Many planets are updated versions of the original entry, with planets, in some cases, being altered in level structure, merged with a planet that did not appear, or an entirely new addition. Holocards earned throughout the game contain many references to the story and lore of past entries in the series' history.

Gameplay[]

Overview[]

Heli-Pack from R&C (2016) gameplay

Ratchet using the Heli-Pack.

Thruster-Pack from R&C (2016) gameplay

Ratchet using the Thruster-Pack.

Ratchet & Clank is a third-person three-dimensional action-adventure game with elements of platforming, shooting, and puzzle solving in the vein of the original, updated with gameplay elements returning from previous games in the franchise. The player controls Ratchet, a lombax mechanic from Veldin, who carries his friend Clank as a backpack. Ratchet has a core moveset retained from previous entries, with an entirely new control scheme. Plus, he wields his OmniWrench and an arsenal of returning and new upgradeable weapons. Having Clank on his back allows Ratchet to make use of the Heli-Pack and the Thruster-Pack to reach new heights once these items have been obtained. The player has an upgradeable nanotech stat that represents their health. Once depleted, the game returns them to the nearest checkpoint.

Using their ship, Ratchet and Clank travel to various planets, which can be revisited at any time. On these planets, they must complete a set of objectives that lead to finding infobots containing coordinates to new planets, allowing them to advance the story. However, some objectives, on some planets, may require use of a gadget that must be obtained on another planet. Objectives normally require the player to progress through a linear section using gadgets to traverse obstacles and puzzles, or using weapons to defeat enemies. Many of the planets visited follow a near-identical level layout to the original game, with a few minor scenario and layout changes (such as Novalis, Aridia, and Rilgar), while other levels have been changed more significantly while keeping most elements and enemies of the original (such as Veldin, Kerwan, and Quartu). What also has been changed is the order in which objectives are completed and gadgets are obtained. Also, not all planets from the original release return. Unlike the original game, no objectives require the player to pay bolts to proceed.

Win the hoverboard race Rilgar from R&C (2016) gameplay

Hoverboard gameplay on Rilgar.

There are many objectives on planets that are entirely optional. On Rilgar and Kalebo III, hoverboard racing can be played like in the original release, though there are additional rewards earned after completing the storyline races. On planet Gaspar, there is the addition of a new side mission involving the Jetpack, in which players can use it to explore the planet and hunt for telepathopus brains to sell to the Brain Scientist. This mission is largely based on the exploration of planet Thram from Into the Nexus, which involves use of the GrummelNet Jetpack. Despite arena missions appearing in most Ratchet & Clank games since Going Commando, an arena does not appear in the game. These rewards may unlock an optional weapon, a gold bolt, or a holocard. Gold bolts allow the player to unlock extras, while holocards are based on characters, weapons, or locations from past games in the series. When a set of three holocards of a type are obtained, a bonus is unlocked, such as an increase in holocard drop rates, an increase in bolt drop rates, or the ability to purchase an Omega weapon.

After completing the main storyline, the player can either choose to warp back to before the defeat of the final boss in order to collect any missed gold bolts, or to begin a new game plus known as challenge mode and restart the story with all their weapons, upgrades, and holocards carried over. Challenge mode allows Ratchet to fight more powerful enemies and purchase Omega versions of his weapons to upgrade them beyond the maximum (assuming the holocard set of three is unlocked for it). As these weapons are much more expensive, challenge mode has a bolt multiplier that increases as enemies are destroyed but will reset if Ratchet takes a hit.

Equipment[]

Ratchet begins with ten units of nanotech, which can be replenished by breaking nanotech crates. This can be upgraded up to 200 by defeating enemies to earn experience points. As with the original game, Ratchet cannot purchase armor to reduce damage taken, despite it appearing in later installments.

Weapon upgrades screen from R&C (2016)

Weapon upgrades screen.

The game features fifteen weapons, many of which return from previous entries in the series, with updated appearance. The Proton Drum and Pixelizer are entirely new weapons, while the remainder are returning. The Pyrocitor and Agents of Doom return from the original game and Up Your Arsenal, while the Bouncer (available as a preorder bonus or as free optional DLC on the PS Store) and the Sheepinator return from Going Commando. The Combuster, Fusion Grenade, Buzz Blades, Predator Launcher, Plasma Striker, Groovitron, and Mr. Zurkon return from the Future trilogy, while the Warmonger returns from Into the Nexus. The ultimate weapon, the RYNO, is unlocked by finding all R.Y.N.O. holocards. It is based on the design of the RYNO IV from Tools of Destruction rather than the R.Y.N.O. from the original game. Each weapon can be upgraded with use, from V1 to V5, and in challenge mode, the Omega versions can be purchased to upgrade weapons up to the tenth level, VX. Returning from Tools of Destruction and Into the Nexus is the ability to purchase raritanium upgrades for weapons, upgrade a weapon's rate of fire, ammunition, damage, or other feature, and also unlock special upgrades that modify its functionality when purchasing upgrades in all adjacent tiles.

Hydrodisplacer from R&C (2016) gameplay

Gameplay of Ratchet using the hydrodisplacer.

All storyline gadgets from the original game return with their functions intact, though many are unlocked at different stages and do not need to be purchased with bolts. The Swingshot and Hydro-Pack, unlike in the original, are initially available. The Heli-Pack, Thruster Pack, O2 Mask, and Hologuise are unlocked at the same time as in the original game (on planets Kerwan, Pokitaru, and Kalebo III respectively), serving largely the same functions, (though the Thruster Pack unlocks special bolt cranks rather than slamming into buttons, and the Hologuise disguises the user as Qwark rather than a warbot). The Grind Boots are obtained on Gaspar, the Hydrodisplacer is obtained on Aridia, the Magneboots are obtained onboard the Blarg Tactical Research Station in Nebula G34, and the Trespasser is obtained on Rilgar. The only new gadget is the Jetpack, which is found on Gaspar and used at a few points in the story.

Clank gameplay[]

Defeat Victor Von Ion gameplay 2

Clank and Gadge-Bot gameplay.

The player will sometimes take control of just Clank, who has different gameplay from the original. Clank still controls small Gadge-Bots, though unlike the original, Clank does not issue commands to them. Rather, Clank can pick up Gadge-Bots and reprogram their function to one of three: Spring-bots that allow him to jump higher, Bridge-bots that allow him to cross gaps, and Power-bots that can activate machinery (such as to open doors). Puzzles require Clank to use the Gadge-Bots available to give them the right functions in order to bypass an area. Clank can also pick up and throw bombs to defeat enemies or access areas.

Sometimes, rather than completing puzzles, Clank will be required to run from Victor Von Ion, one of Drek's commanding warbots. In these segments, Clank must run towards the camera and dodge Victor's attacks in order to survive.

Minigames[]

All minigames from the original release return. Hoverboard racing returns with mostly the same mechanics, wherein Ratchet must navigate through the track, taking advantage of speed boosts, and perform tricks in the air to increase his boosts further. Unlike the original games, after the storyline Bronze medal is earned, Ratchet can compete further to earn Silver and Gold medals as well, which unlock bolt rewards and holocards.

Trespasser from R&C (2016) gameplay

Trespasser interface.

The Trespasser hacking minigame also returns intact, in which the player must align lasers correctly. However, the puzzles have been changed, and an additional level of challenge is added: the player has the ability to deactivate rings, which then deactivates their lasers and blockers. Sometimes, this must be done to prevent the correct lasers from being blocked. Unlike the original game, all storyline Trespasser minigames can be auto-completed but at the cost of bolt rewards and a trophy, though optional missions must be complete by the player to unlock any hidden items.

Synopsis[]

Setting[]

Ratchet & Clank is told from the perspective of Captain Qwark, who retells the events to a fellow prisoner, Shiv Helix. The game's story is told entirely from Qwark's viewpoint, to the point where even the events after Qwark tells his story to Shiv are in his imagination.[4] Qwark's narration is present throughout the game, which follows the same story structure as the movie but elaborates on it. The story and setting are very similar to the original Ratchet & Clank game, but the lore is elaborated upon, with many inclusions of and references made to elements that appeared in later entries to the series, and there are a few differences.

The story is set in the Solana Galaxy, populated by a variety of alien races and sentient robots. Ratchet lives on planet Veldin, a backwater planet with a garage owned by Grimroth Razz, which receives little attention. Clank was created in a Drek Industries robot factory on Quartu, a world that was once home to the blarg before becoming too polluted to be inhabitable. Solana is home to urban planets with enormous cities such as Kerwan, Rilgar, and Kalebo III, while others such as Gaspar and Aridia are more barren.

The galaxy is home to Drek Industries, a blarg corporation owned by Chairman Alonzo Drek, whose army of warbots created by Dr. Nefarious and led by Victor Von Ion is invading planets and destroying them with a Deplanetizer. Meanwhile, the galactic government, led by President Phyronix, commissions the Galactic Rangers, led by Captain Qwark, to find a new recruit and stop Drek. The galaxy is also home to Gadgetron, a megacorporation who have vendors on every planet to sell weapons and gadgets.

Differences[]

While the story follows the structure of the original, many retcons are made as Qwark retells the events and as the events follow the changes made in the movie. The most notable retcon is the introduction of Dr. Nefarious, who originally did not appear until Up Your Arsenal and had a different origins story explaining his transformation from an organic life form to a robot. Additionally, Qwark's story was changed entirely, where in the original game, he began working for Drek from the beginning, but in the re-imagining, he was instead made to begin as a hero before being persuaded to join Drek out of jealousy for Ratchet. Qwark also never reformed his ways in the original game. The characters, Grimroth Razz and Victor Von Ion, and the Rangers, Cora Veralux, Brax Lectrus, and Elaris, are entirely new, and did not appear in the original.

Several planets from the original game were merged. For instance, Batalia is a merge between the frozen Hoven and war-torn Batalia from the original, and Quartu is a merge between the factory planet Quartu and the polluted blargian homeworld of Orxon (and many of the enemies from Orxon in the original appeared in the new area on Gaspar). Drek's fleet was replaced by a level that involves exploring the Deplanetizer. Planets Eudora and Oltanis were removed without being merged or replaced, while planet Umbris played a part in the story but did not feature in gameplay, though the blargian snagglebeast from Umbris was moved to the Blarg Research Station.

The game also expands on the original lore with minor retcons. One retcon made is that characters that were previously unnamed are given names: the hoverboard girl is named Starlene, Skidd's agent is named Don Wonderstar, and the mayor of Novalis is named Agnogg Buckwash. Some characters were replaced. On Pokitaru, Al's brother, Bob, was simply replaced by Al himself, who reappears on the same planet. Other characters made no appearance at all, such as Helga von Streissenburgen, the HelpDesk Girl, Fred, Edwina, and Clank's mother.

Plot[]

Prisoner Shiv Helix was being escorted to a joint cell with the newly imprisoned Captain Qwark. As he was a huge fan of Qwark, he revealed that a game was being made based on his last adventure. Eager for attention, Qwark agreed to tell Shiv his side of the story.

Return to the garage cutscene 1

Ratchet working to repair Clank.

On planet Veldin, Ratchet, a young Lombax who works as a mechanic for his adopted father, Grimroth Razz, dreamed of joining the Galactic Rangers. While he easily passed the physical exam, his criminal past convinced Qwark to personally reject him. Meanwhile, in a factory on planet Quartu, Chairman Alonzo Drek oversaw the construction of a mechanical army built by Dr. Nefarious, a former Galactic Ranger himself. After the factory's mainframe located a defective warbot trying to escape, Drek sent his lieutenant Victor Von Ion to destroy him. The defect escaped in a stolen ship, but Victor shot out its engine, causing the ship to crash on Veldin. After seeing the crash, Ratchet rushed over and rescued the defect before the ship exploded. The defect explained that he needed to warn the Galactic Rangers of Drek's plans. Ratchet named him "Clank" and offered to take him to the Ranger Headquarters on planet Kerwan.

Complete fitness course from RC16 cutscene 1

Qwark offering Ratchet and Clank a new ship.

While flying over Novalis, the duo was shot down by blarg forces, leaving them stranded on the planet. They eventually rescued the mayor, Agnogg Buckwash, who asked them to rescue his nephew, Skidd McMarx, on Aridia. The two then searched the waterworks and met the Plumber, who offered to fix their ship. Once down, Ratchet and Clank traveled to Kerwan, where they discovered that Drek's invasion has already begun. Using their ship's arsenal, they destroyed the blargian transports and mothership, but narrowly survived a bomb planted on the ship's hull by Victor's men. With help from Big Al, an electronics engineer, they foiled an attempt by the invaders to destroy the Hall of Heroes with a train loaded with explosives. As a reward for their assistance, Qwark reluctantly allowed them to join the Rangers and provided them with a new ship.

Skidd and his agent rescued

Skidd and his agent after being rescued.

Before undertaking their first mission, the two traveled to Aridia and rescued Skidd and his agent from the Blarg. Skidd gave the two his hoverboard, as well as an invitation to a racing tournament on planet Rilgar. Ratchet wanted to participate but learned that the race was canceled due to an outbreak of amoeboids. After Ratchet managed to wipe them out, the race was reopened, allowing Ratchet to compete and win the grand prize.

Find the technician gameplay 1

Ratchet riding on a raft with Felton and Al.

Qwark contacted the duo with an assignment to investigate reports of activity at a remote blarg bio-lab. They destroyed several mutant specimens created by the blarg, including a large snagglebeast. Using intelligence retrieved from the snagglebeast's handler, they traveled to Gaspar to investigate a research facility run by Nefarious. A blargian scientist gave them the task of collecting brain samples from Nefarious's experiments, exchanging them for a jetpack and news that Drek was planning to attack a Ranger outpost on planet Batalia. The two arrived just in time to destroy the fleet with an energy cannon. Ratchet then received an update from Grim that the blarg were draining planet Pokitaru of its fresh water, threatening a nearby resort run by Grim's brother, Felton Razz. Upon arriving at the resort, Felton escorted the two across the resort so they could get Big Al to upgrade their ship with rockets to destroy the extraction equipment.

Head to the Bridge cutscene 1

Ratchet spotting Qwark working with the blarg.

Soon after, Qwark called a meeting with the Rangers on Kerwan, where he proposed an assault on Quartu. They accessed Drek's files and discovered his real plan: using a Deplanetizer, a weaponized space station created by Nefarious. Drek's intent was to destroy several planets so that he could combine their remains into an artificial world for his people. Learning that his first target was Novalis, Qwark went to negotiate with Drek, while the other Rangers battled his forces outside the station. During the battle, Victor slipped aboard the Ranger's Starship Phoenix and inflicted severe internal damage before Clank disabled him with the ship's sprinkler system. Ratchet entered the Deplanetizer and attempted to shut it down, but Drek managed to incapacitate him. Qwark revealed that he has been spying for Drek out of spite for Ratchet stealing his thunder. Drek then sealed Ratchet in an escape pod and ejected him into space as the Rangers and Qwark witnessed the destruction of Novalis.

Head to the Bridge cutscene 3

Ratchet feeling remorse for the destruction of Novalis.

For several weeks, the loss of Qwark's leadership crippled the Rangers, and Drek quickly destroyed five more planets. When Ratchet returned to Veldin, he decided to take the blame and give up. Clank urged him to reconsider, as the blarg were preparing to destroy their final target: Umbris. The destruction of that planet would destroy countless other worlds due to a rare orbital convergence. Ratchet deduced the truth that Nefarious, angered by his defeat at the hands of the Rangers, has been manipulating Drek, using his resources to destroy the galaxy so that he could discredit them. With Ratchet's confidence restored, he and Clank went to Kalebo III, where the blarg have staged an attack on Gadgetron Headquarters to acquire its stockpile of advanced weaponry. The company chairman asked him to drive off the attackers in time for an upcoming race championship, with a Hologuise as the prize. After winning the device, Ratchet conferred with the Rangers before returning to the Deplanetizer.

Stop Captain Qwark cutscene 1

Qwark showing regret for his actions.

An increasingly disillusioned Qwark confronted Drek for breaking his promise not to attack the Rangers any further. Nefarious arrived and mocked Qwark for his treason before sending him away. As Drek commented on how well their alliance has worked out, Nefarious turned him into a sheep and ejected him in a ship headed to the artificial planet. Meanwhile, Ratchet, disguised as Qwark, removed the Deplanetizer's power core, shutting off its firing capabilities. Before they could escape, the real Qwark showed up and attempted to kill them until his jetpack malfunctioned. Realizing the error of his ways, Qwark appointed Ratchet as the new leader of the Rangers so that he could take Nefarious into custody. Instead, Nefarious donned a mech suit and maneuvered the Deplanetizer to crash directly into Umbris. The duo lured Nefarious into the gravitational pull of a dwarf star, causing him and his suit to spontaneously combust.

Ending from R&C (2016) cutscene 1

Qwark and Shiv doing community service in the present.

With the Deplanetizer disintegrating from the heat of Umbris' atmosphere, Ratchet, Clank, and Qwark used a teleporter to escape seconds before the Deplanetizer exploded. In the present, Qwark and Helix were picking up trash near the Hall of Heroes. Ratchet and Clank stopped by and greeted Qwark. Seizing the opportunity, Helix stole Ratchet's ship and escaped. As the duo prepared to go after him, they asked Qwark if he would like to come along, which Qwark accepted.

Development[]

Background[]

The game was announced alongside the theatrical release at E3 2014 to be released together in Spring 2015,[5] but the release date for both was later pushed back to Spring 2016.[6] It was developed by Insomniac Games' California and North Carolina studios simultaneously, working closely with Rainmaker Entertainment, who worked on the film.[7] Long-time design director Brian Allgeier, North Carolina Studio Director Chad Dezern, and game director Shaun McCabe took the responsibility to lead the project. TJ Fixmanā€ā€Ž also announced on his Twitter account that he was writing the story for the game, and wrote the draft.[8] Kevin Munroe later completed the script. Insomniac concept artists Greg Baldwin and Dave Guertin were visual designers for both the game and the film.[7] The game released at a $40 price point rather than the full price, which Community Director James Stevenson claimed they did not regret in spite of strong sales.[9]

Gameplay[]

Some locations, characters, weapons, and parts of the story were taken out of the remake as the team lacked time to implement it, as they had to divide up time. The game was also designed to tie into the movie and less to port the original game, as major gameplay changes would make it a modern Ratchet & Clank game rather than the original game.[10] Insomniac initially only had ten months to ship Ratchet & Clank for PS4, without taking into account the film would have a more fluid release date, and thus, the majority of the production team had moved onto other projects. This left only a small "post-production" team working on the game after it had reached the original Gold (completed) status, with only two programmers and one designer working on the game for the final months of development.[7] During this time, the team polished the game and added the holocard collectibles feature as a late addition, designed for long-time fans.[11]

Creative Designer Chad Dezern at Insomniac said he wanted the game to feel "great on it's own merits and not just because you remember what it was like the first time you played it", also adding that developers "worry that things move so quickly, progress happens so quickly, that your work is invalidated". He also stated that the improved hardware over the original game changed the process to "Let's make the right decision for the game we're making", from "Let's make the only decision we can because of the constraints we're under".[12]

Insomniac and Rainmaker established four locations for the main story: Veldin, Kerwan, Quartu, and the Deplanetizer. These locations would be shared between the game and the film, and for the game, Insomniac reworked each layout from top to bottom or designed them from scratch. The remaining locations were largely created from perfect 1:1 replicas of the original locations, after PlayStation 2 level data was imported to their engine, speeding up the design process up to scripting encounters and polishing enemy behavior for the new control scheme.[7]

Insomniac designed the levels with as few sharp turns as possible, noting that younger and casual players in usability testing tended to ignore the right analog stick, though they noted that puzzles did not need to be made easier to solve, merely that the messaging needed to be cleared in some cases.[7]

Storytelling[]

Brian Allgeier and TJ Fixman had the idea to tell the story of the game from Captain Qwark's point of view, freeing up the ability to tell the story without being bound to the film, whose story had been so heavily changed by Hollywood writers and executives that it was no longer compatible with the lore of the games. Including Qwark as a narrator allowed for a story that matched game mechanic progression, to be more involved with the action of each setting and make the pacing feel right for the game, and could sidestep inconsistencies without mismatching plot points.[7][13][14] The story is Captain Qwark's opinion on the events based on the holo-film based on his life,[15] and on Novalis, a joke is included about a "brain eating zombie T-Rex" attacking Ratchet, Clank, and the Plumber while repairing the ship, to remind the player that Qwark is an unreliable narrator, and that many of the events that take place in the game are events that Qwark made up.[16]

Insomniac and Rainmaker established four locations for the main story: Kyzil Plateau on Veldin, Aleero City on Kerwan, Drek's warbot factory on Quartu, and Drek's Deplanetizer. These locations would be shared between the game and the film, and as such, Insomniac spent most time on level design for these four locations.[7] The story was written by TJ Fixman, writer for the Future series.

Some changes had to be made to the script of the film that applied to the game. TJ Fixman originally wrote the Biobliterator from Up Your Arsenal into the story, using a surgical machine that would fire a laser that used nanobots to replicate Brax's muscles and bones into a robotic arm after he suffered an injury. The script also contained an extra member of the Galactic Rangers, known as Stig. These were cut after TJ Fixman left.[17]

Insomniac underestimated the time that would be needed to develop cinematic cutscenes when scheduling them, meaning many things were unfinished. Insomniac originally wished for non-player characters in cutscenes to have more fluidity and expression than planned, as well as for Ratchet and Clank to jump seamlessly into their ship, which would fly on a custom path authorized for that specific level.[7] Due to time constraints and a focus on tying the game into the movie, less time was spent developing the story and cinematics of the game, with more focus placed on game mechanics. Much of the humor was changed from the original, due to many developers finding it cringeworthy.[10][18]

Chad Dezern of Insomniac later clarified that the story is Qwark's version of events as he adds commentary to the film's story, and is not set out to rework the canon, calling it "just a cleaner retelling of sorts". He noted that the "big tentpoles" of the story remain intact, such as Ratchet's origin story as a lombax and Clank's origin as a factory defect.[3]

Technology[]

Both Insomniac and Rainmaker shared many assets, including 3D character and environment models, sending them back and forth between the two, to maintain parity, and in many cases, Insomniac attempted to match movie scenes as closely in the game as possible. Insomniac were initially doubtful about this process, with some developers cynically believing the film models could not be used for the game, but the models were close to what was required; aside from some texture work needing UV space allocation, character models needing re-rigging for Insomniac's developer tools, and shading needing to be authored. The models were clean and within Insomniac's density target.[7][19]

Insomniac did not have access to its source code from the PlayStation 2 era, as it used an in-house asset management system that could not be accessed when developing the game, and assets were given poor file naming conventions. Assets from the PlayStation 3 era were more easily accessed, and the libraries from the PlayStation 2 games extracted by Idol Minds for the Ratchet & Clank Collection port allowed Insomniac to access these libraries and convert it to the new engine format.[7]

Due to benefit from global code sharing practices, Insomniac found the production of the game to be among the smoothest in the company's history.[7]

The game engine used to develop Ratchet & Clank was eventually used to develop Insomniac's Marvel's Spider-Man title.[20]

Reception[]

Critical reception[]

Aggregator Score
GameRankings 86.27% (based on 64 reviews)[21]
Metacritic 85 (based on 101 reviews)[22]
Publication Score
Destructoid 8/10[23]
EGM 8.5/10[24]
Game Informer 8.25/10[25]
GameSpot 8/10[26]
IGN 9/10[27]
Polygon 8/10[28]

Ratchet & Clank received positive critical reception. Reviewers praised the visuals, gameplay, nostalgic elements, and control scheme, while they were divided on the story.[23][25][26][27][28]

Reviewers broadly praised the graphics as a positive, with many comparing them to Pixar. Andrew Reiner of Game Informer praised the visuals for how much occurred onscreen at once.[25] Cassidee Moser of GameSpot called the game "visually spectacular", praising the particle effects, "vibrant" environments, "beautiful" animations, and "cartoony and fluid" characters.[26] Marty Sliva of IGN called the lighting, character models and vistas "among the most impressive I've seen in a game", and said that subtle touches "come together to create a beautiful animated portrait".[27] Philip Kollar of Polygon praised the game for moving further towards fulfilling the promise of "It's a Pixar movie you can play!", and was most impressed by "the level of detail in the environment", however he criticized some cutscenes for being "flat, even lifeless points".[28]

Many reviewers praised the gameplay. Chris Carter of Destructoid praised the gameplay in spite of not being drastically different from the original, and said the currency and XP system "cleverly encourage players to actually get involved and earn rewards constantly".[23] Reiner of Game Informer said that even the sections lifted from the original game "don't come across as retro at any time", as the new content and visuals "dramatically affects the challenges and gameplay flow".[25] Kollar of Polygon praised the weapon upgrade system and enemies, and also particularly praised the Jetpack addition, despite calling it "criminally underutilized", but criticized Clank gameplay as overall tedious despite having "clever enough" puzzles.[28]

However, there was division among reviewers on the story, with reviewers normally praising the characters and pacing but being more critical elsewhere. Moser of GameSpot called the game "delightfully self-aware", praising Qwark's narration as "central to Ratchet & Clank's charm" due to his "endearing" character, despite being a "narcissistic buffoon", and said virtually every character has a "generous amount of quirk poured into their personalities", though later criticized the story for being the "weakest point", believing the characters "outshine" the narrative.[26] Sliva of IGN said the game "finally cashed in" on the promise of delivering "Pixarā€™s magic formula of colorful worlds, expressive characters, and nuanced jokes that could be appreciated differently by fans of all ages", calling the story well-written and energetic due to its character and humor, as well as the expansion of depth compared to the original game's story.[27]

Commercial performance[]

Ratchet & Clank was the fastest selling game in the series.[29][30] It topped the charts on PlayStation Store digital sales in Europe in the month it was released,[31] as well as topping the retail sales charts in both Australia[32] and the United Kingdom.[30][33]

NDP Group analyst Liam Callahan, commenting on charts for the retail sales in North America, noted that the success of Ratchet & Clank was the "big surprise", as it sold just below Dark Souls III, and "had the best launch of any game in the Ratchet & Clank franchise when adjusting for the number of days sold in the data month, with sales recapturing success not seen for the franchise since the height of the PlayStation 2 era".[34]

James Stevenson of Insomniac Games noted that while he cannot release specific sales figures as Sony Interactive Entertainment holds the IP, Insomniac Games were "quite pleased" with the sales success.[9]

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. ā†‘ Ratchet & Clank (PS4). Insomniac Games. Accessed January 18, 2018.
  2. ā†‘ Ratchet & Clank Latest Updates and Reviews: Game Developers Explained the Latest Changes in Ratchet & Clank and Its Connection with Ratchet & Clank the Movie. Crossmap. Accessed January 18, 2018.
  3. ā†‘ 3.0 3.1 Interview: Insomniac Games Discusses the Past, Present, and Future of Ratchet & Clank. Push Square. Accessed February 26, 2018.
  4. ā†‘ Insomniac Games (2022, November 1). RATCHET 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION LIVESTREAM. Archived from the original on November 13, 2022.
  5. ā†‘ Ratchet & Clank Announced for PS4. PlayStation.Blog. Accessed January 18, 2018.
  6. ā†‘ ā€‹Ratchet & Clank for PlayStation 4 now coming spring 2016. Polygon. Accessed January 21, 2018.
  7. ā†‘ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 ā€‹Ratchet & Clank (2016) postmortem. Gamasutra. Accessed January 21, 2018.
  8. ā†‘ Twitter logo Tweet by @TJFixman on Twitter.
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