A superb platformer that adds fantastic shooter gameplay
Quite simply, Ratchet & Clank is a platformer gone mad. Sure, there are items to be collected and jumping to be done, but if you had to sum the game up in a single word, it would have to be: guns. While the genre standard would have you punching, kicking, and jumping on heads, Ratchet & Clank offers up 30 different crazy weapons and gadgets at your disposal to take care of business. That business being the protection of the galaxy from certain destruction at the hands of the evil Chairman Drek.
At the start of the game, Ratchet (who looks like equal parts house cat and kangaroo mouse) is a simple mechanic who's life is turned upside down by the crash-landing of a tiny robot that he comes to call Clank. Clank tells Ratchet of Drek's plan to plunder the planets of the galaxy, collecting the desirable parts to create a new homeworld for his own people, and destroying the rest. Clank is convinced that he must seek the aid of Captain Quark, the galaxy's greatest hero, and pleads with Ratchet to help him find the Captain. Ratchet agrees to help Clank, if he will help Ratchet by starting his hand-built spaceship. And as the pair blast off from Ratchet's home planet, what starts as a simple enough story, soon develops into a complex plot with a surprising amount of depth.
The gameplay of Ratchet & Clank is familiar to anyone that has ever played a 3D platformer. Ratchet is able to run, duck, jump, and double-jump his way around the world. But rather than jumping puzzles, the game is heavily focused on combat. Ratchet starts the game with two weapons: the Bomb Glove which allows you to, well, toss bombs, and his trusty Omniwrench 8000 (the default weapon in the game) which can be swung like a club or thrown like a boomerang to take out enemies at a distance. From these meager beginnings, soon enough you are able to increase Ratchet's arsenal. Scattered about the worlds of the game are bolts, which serve as currency to be traded for new weapons and gadgets from Gadgetron vendors located on every planet. And before long, Ratchet will be throwing land mines, firing missiles, electrocuting robots, and even turning tanks into chickens. But the weapons are only half the fun.
The gadgets in Ratchet & Clank introduce some different gameplay elements that often take the place of the more standard platform jumping puzzles. Ratchet can purchase upgrades to Clank that allow you to jump higher, glide over short distances, or move more swiftly under water. Ratchet will also be able to purchase special boots to slide on rails and walk on magnetic paths, a grappling hook for swinging across chasms, a tool for unlocking doors, and even a device that disguises him as a robot. And with each new piece of equipment, Ratchet will be able to return to previous areas and explore locations that he was unable to reach before. Although technically this introduces an unavoidable element of backtracking into the game, the excellent level design makes each new location a fresh and challenging experience.
Beyond the standard exploration mechanic, the game also contains rail-shooter sections where Ratchet will commandeer gun turrets and space fighters, racing sections (which are some of the more challenging moments in the game), and even moments where Clank either goes it alone exploring areas that Ratchet cannot, or is turned into a gigantic wrecking machine with Ratchet riding on his back. All of these portions of the game are welcome additions that really add an entertaining break from the main gameplay.
Graphically, Ratchet & Clank is quite impressive for its time. All of the characters in the game are well designed and exceptionally well animated. The levels themselves are vibrant, and each has its own distinct feel. Adding to the distinct feel of the levels is the superb soundtrack. Just as each level has its own visual theme, so too is the music perfectly suited to the environment. The weapons also have very satisfying sound effects and animations. The in-game cinemas shown at the beginning and end of each level are all very enjoyable, and do a good job at moving the story along. And the voice actors themselves do a pretty fantastic job portraying the different characters in the game, which should partly be attributed to the excellent dialogue that is both well-written and very witty.
Ratchet & Clank isn't a very difficult game, but it is surprisingly long. There are sections (the racing comes to mind) that will have to be tried a few times before you can succeed, but for the most part it is never beyond your ability. That has something to do with the placement of both the life refills and the game's checkpoints, both of which are nearly always right where they are needed. I finished the game in roughly 25 hours, which included about 5 hours of finding the 40 Gold Bolts that are hidden throughout the game, and collecting plain bolts to purchase the RYNO and the Gold Weapons.
Fans of both platformers and 3rd-person action games will find that Ratchet & Clank has a lot to offer, and fans of both genres will have a lot of fun playing it. Ratchet & Clank truly is an instant classic that not only serves as a great testament to the genre, but also improves upon it more so than any game since Mario went 3D.
