The Spiral of Death is a weapon manufactured by GrummelNet Industries and designed by the fongoids in A Crack in Time, with a cameo appearance in the Ratchet & Clank movie. It charges kinetic energy into a spiral, which it fires at enemies. After being fired, the spiral curves back towards the weapon, allowing it to hit enemies again on its return.
The Spiral of Death can be upgraded to the Spiral of Carnage, which features three spirals at once. In challenge mode, it further upgrades to the Omega Spiral of Carnage.
History[]
Ratchet & Clank movie[]
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In the Ratchet & Clank film, the Spiral of Death made a cameo as a weapon used by the Galactic Rangers. Ratchet used the weapon during training, where it was given a damage rating of three stars, a speed rating of three, and an ammo rating of one. While demonstrating the weapon, Ratchet fired it twice from his platform. However, on the second attempt, he accidentally cut the platform he was standing on in half, causing him to fall. The weapon was later used by Qwark during their battle aboard the Deplanetizer.
Main continuity[]
The Spiral of Death was an ancient fongoid weapon,[1][2] presumably left behind when the fongoids abandoned technology. It became the latest addition to GrummelNet's line of energy-based weapons around the time of A Crack in Time.[1]
Characteristics[]
The Spiral of Death in action.
The Spiral of Death is a blue rifle held with both hands. It features a bright spinning blade—the spiral—on its end. When fired, the spiral flies through the air, targeting enemies on its forward path and again on its return.
The Spiral of Carnage is purple instead of blue and fires three spirals instead of one.
Gameplay[]
The weapon is obtained upon completing the Silver Cup in the Agorian Battleplex. With use, it upgrades to the Spiral of Carnage, which fires three spirals at once. In challenge mode, the Omega Spiral of Carnage can be purchased for 278,000 bolts.
The Spiral of Death will hit enemies on both its forward and return paths. It has relatively low ammunition and a medium rate of fire but can deal significant damage. The weapon is best used against medium to large enemies due to its high damage and low ammunition capacity. Players should aim to maximize efficiency by targeting as many enemies as possible with each shot. While effective against smaller enemies, the weapon's ammunition is often wasted on them unless multiple are hit at once.
The Spiral of Carnage, which fires three spirals, has a lower rate of fire (as all three spirals must return before the weapon can be fired again) but offers tripled damage output. Like the basic Spiral of Death, the Spiral of Carnage is most effective against large enemies or groups of medium-sized enemies, maximizing its ammunition efficiency and damage potential. The presence of three spirals makes it more likely to hit larger groups of enemies on both runs.
Behind the scenes[]
Artwork provided in the competition entry.
The Spiral of Death was the winning weapon design by Ratchet & Clank fan Jackson Finley,[3] in the My Blaster Runs Hot weapon contest. It was one of five finalists selected for a public vote for a chance to appear in A Crack in Time,[4] and was revealed at San Diego Comic-Con on July 23, 2009.[3] Insomniac Games was impressed with the weapon's strategic design, which required skill to use effectively.[5]
Citations[]
References[]
- Stevenson, James (2009, April 17). "Vote now! Insomniac’s Ratchet & Clank Future Weapon Contest is on!". From PlayStation Blog. Archived from the original on July 30, 2024.
- Stevenson, James (2009, July 28). "Ratchet & Clank Comic-Con Recap (with Videos!)". From PlayStation Blog. Archived from the original on July 30, 2024.
- Allgeier, Brian [Games @Insomniac Games] (2011, April 27). Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time - Fan Weapon Contest Winner [Video]. YouTube.
- Insomniac Games (2009). Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time [Game]. Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation 3.
- Kevin Munroe (Director) (2016). Ratchet & Clank [Film]. Rainmaker Entertainment.