Looking back 14 years from the original release of Ratchet & Clank, we see something today that we don’t usually see… a remake that isn’t just a HD remake, but a full reboot of the beloved series! Yes there is content that was brought over from the original release just polished up to meet today’s gaming standards but they added in plenty of new and exciting content.
Ratchet & Clank begins with an extended introduction whereby the eponymous duo is brought together. Ratchet is a Lombax — an odd catlike creature who works as a mechanic on a backwater planet, dreaming of exploring the galaxy. Clank is a defective robot accidentally created in a factory meant to pump out murderous warbots. When Clank crash-lands on Ratchet’s planet, the two team up to warn the galaxy about the impending warbot threat and the boisterous bad guys behind it.
That quest will lead these two on a journey to about a dozen different planets, where the majority of their time will be spent running, jumping and blasting enemies with a colourful arsenal of weapons. The game includes weapons from the previous titles but also includes the creation of new and exciting weapons to face off against the warbots. The most memorable weapon being the Pixilizer, an all purpose shotgun which can turn any enemy into a retro pixel version of themselves. Not only could small enemies be changed back into pixels, but large enemies such as tanks and even some bosses can be effected by this weapon! This gun brought in some fun and new visual effects and it only gets better when you turn an entire room of enemies to nothing but tiny pixels!
Technically, the remake has a slightly smaller number of combat options than the original, but it does more with what’s there. As in later entries in the franchise, each gun can be levelled up multiple times from use, and can be further differentiated by unlocking upgrades using a limited resource called raritanium. I found that this was a reasonable trade-off for the lack of weapons due to the fact that I would focus on levelling up each individual weapon just to see what could be unlocked with the next level. By the time I upgraded each weapon to it’s full potential, there was no enemy who could stand in my way!
So how does the game look?
To give you a quick summary, it’s a Pixar movie that you can play! The level of detail that they put into the environments is breathtaking. Even looking back to the original PS2 release, you can tell the love and care that they put into their original game and they did not disappoint on this reboot! The developers went so much into detail that you can find in game jokes, easter eggs and so much more in the environment around you.
I did however find one small flaw in the design of their cut scenes. While the main story beats progress via scenes drawn directly from the movie, which look very nice, any scenes original to this game tend to be very flat, even lifeless at points. For whatever reason, most of the original scenes for the game feature very little animation; dialogue cuts back and forth between two static figures, Ratchet shifts his eyes up and down for emphasis, but no one really moves or shows much emotion.
Tiny robot Clank can fit into small places that Ratchet himself would not be able to get into. Clank cant take much damage and has no secret weapons at his disposal, creating mediocre combat as he can only fight small amounts of enemies and only with his fists. With this, one would think that the puzzles that you encounter would have a bit of depth and challenge. While some of the puzzles were clever and did take me some time to figure out, they lacked a bit of depth and focused a lot on backtracking to solve each puzzle. I also found that playing as clank got really repetitive real quick. Other than puzzles you repeat the same sequence of running away multiple times from Victor Von Ion, dodging his onslaught of weapons at his disposal. While I still found it entertaining, i feel that there could have been a better way to optimize the use of Clank on his own.
Coming to a conclusion, this game may have not been the game everyone was looking for in a Ratchet & Clank game but I would be wrong if I was to say I did not enjoy myself while playing it. While there may be less weapons and less planets to explore, the attention to detail and just the trip back to my childhood was enough to keep me satisfied. While I feel this game may satisfy most existing Ratchet & Clank fans, this is a great foothold for new fans to get into the beloved series.
With the game review done, be sure to check out the movie which just hit theatres yesterday! We will be reviewing it in the near future!
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