Skyboards are vehicles featured in Size Matters. They are anti-gravity boards, similar to hoverboards, used primarily in dangerous races in the Solana Galaxy. Unlike the hoverboards, skyboards are airborne and capable of flight, with a greater freedom of movement. Ratchet and Clank used a skyboard for a few races to obtain gadgets.
Skyboard races are overseen by a committee, who forbid the use of nano-roids and certain alternafuels. This resulted in the Skyboarder being accused of cheating multiple times.[1] Ratchet and Clank first used a skyboard on Kalidon during "Win the skyboard race", after being challenged by the Skyboarder who wished to prove his innocence.[1] In beating him, they won the Shrink Ray and Grindboots. Later, they used the skyboard once again in a race around the wreckage of the Medical Outpost Omega, in "Rematch - Skyboard racer", winning them the Polarizer when the Skyboarder challenged them to a rematch.
Racing[]
Skyboard races are competed in by interacting with the Skyboarder on Kalidon or the Medical Outpost Omega and selecting an event. The events on which the tracks take place differ in the placement of the objects and availability of boosts. Each race consists of three laps around a map, and is won only by coming in first place.
Ratchet on a Skyboard track.
The skyboard is capable of jumping, and holding down a boost to consume fuel and fly mid-air, either staying airborne or gaining more height. Boosting to fly allows the racer to avoid obstacles more easily in some cases, and in others, regain fuel from high areas to extend flight further.
Along the courses are red tracks that provide a burst of speed when crossed, and blue tracks that slow the skyboard down, red rockets containing fuel refills, and both moving and static obstacles. The obstacles come in the form of mines, moving machinery, and floating rings, some of which contain a forcefield, all of which will cause you to crash if hit head-on. If Ratchet's skyboard is destroyed, he will respawn a distance away, but lose all momentum gained, making it a considerable setback.
Keeping airborne while on a Skyboard.
In order to beat other racers in speed, the player must hit as many boosts and obtain as much fuel as possible. Players should ideally be using the boosts to stay airborne as much as possible, as this lets you avoid the more hazardous lower areas, and gain access to more boosts and freedom in the air. This also often grants access to hidden shortcuts. By doing this and avoiding obstacles, most races can be completed with ease. Fuel used to boost while passing over a red boost is redundant, making these red boosts ideal to conserve fuel for the rest of the track (or in particular when flight is desired).
Subsequent race rewards were always halved compared to the previous reward, up to a maximum of three times, after which they stabilized.