Among the best early PS3 exclusives.
More than two years old at this point, Tools of Destruction still makes a whallop of a first impression. Luscious environments filled with layers of futuristic awesomeness. Excellent character designs loaded with personality. Addicting gunplay with frequent rewards and upgrades. There’s a whole lot to like in the R&C universe, even if the storyline never reaches higher than a great Saturday morning cartoon.
When ToD originally debuted in fall 2007, it was the first PS3 exclusive that really showed what the system was capable of. Insomniac did a great job with the art direction and level design. The world often looks stunning and spans huge distances, even if the actual gameplay is confined to smaller areas. Progress is linear, but the level designs are so organic, you never feel buttoned in one particular direction or confined to corridor combat. Gadgets play a large part in keeping the exploration fresh, occasionally letting you zip around the skies in a glider or zooming through tunnels in a gyrocycle. One of the most dramatic level tricks are the magnetic shoes that let you climb vertically up walls or upside-down, as the entire world adjusts to your new perspective. ToD is a joy to simply run around and go nuts.
That’s not to say ToD is a platformer. Especially compared to the recent A Crack in Time, ToD is particularly heavy on combat and light on platforming/puzzles. Fortunately, combat is handled very well with tons of creative weapons and well-designed enemy AI. Around a dozen basic enemy types populate the game, each with minor nuances that give each battle some unique flavor. My only complaint on combat was the relatively slim number of boss battles. The R&C universe seems to lend itself to ridiculously over-the-top boss battles, but in practice, there’s only 3-4 significant boss fights in the entire game, none of which particularly push you to the limit. Considering the vast arsenal you accumulate running through the game, it’s a shame there weren’t more opportunities to really unleash total fury on more challenging boss sequences.
The other side of the gameplay coin is puzzles and minigames. Generally speaking, the minigames are terrible, particularly the frustrating attempts to integrate Sixaxis, but the puzzles are well-designed, just light enough to change the pace but never excruciating where you need to look up FAQs.
Lastly, a word about story and characters. ToD has a cast of charming, funny characters but the overall storyline never quite gets past the level of a really good cartoon. There are some interesting pieces of lore sprinkled in about Ratchet’s history (and Clank’s future), but it feels de-emphasized, maybe so not to scare off younger gamers who just want action. The overall game is paced very well, but it’s often not entirely clear why you’re going to Planet X or what you’re supposed to do again on Planet Y.
While ToD isn’t perfect, it’s definitely worth playing if you have a PS3 and are in the mood for a slugfest filled with smiles and giggles.
