Ratchet

Overview

Ratchet is a main character in Insomniac Games' Ratchet and Clank series for the PlayStation 2, PSP and PlayStation 3. He is the sole surviving member of the Lombax species (at least within his timeline). Ratchet discovered his accomplice, Clank, after the small robot crash landed on the planet Veldin. Ratchet does most of the fighting for the pair, and relies upon Clank as more of a sidekick, but there are instances where Ratchet has to rely on the ingenuity of his robot pal.

Traits

Ratchet is a very humorous being, finding it more comfortable to crack wise than to worry at the sight of looming monsters and robots. Yet his cocksure attitude belies a softer side, an unending loyalty to his friends and a willingness to endure hardship for the greater good, or at least for greater bolts.

In build, he is quite small, but also very athletic, as evidenced by his running and jumping abilities. It is said that his species is very comfortable with technology, and Ratchet seems to echo this. The Lombax relies on his friend Clank to do most of the intellectual work throughout their adventures. This may not be because Ratchet is unintelligent, but rather because he often makes spontaneous decisions, and is focused on combat. In fact, in later adventures, Ratchet employs hacking tools and performs other tasks more of the mind than the gun barrel.

Ratchet's personality underwent a massive change from the first game to the second after being criticized for Ratchet's cocky attitude making him an "Unlikable Character". Insomniac took this to heart and changed everything about him, from his appearence and attitude in the script to casting a new voice actor for Ratchet.

Game Appearances

Ratchet and Clank

The first scene featuring Ratchet sees him on his home planet of Veldin, working on a faulty ship. After watching a small escape pod falling from the sky, Ratchet makes his way to the crash site to investigate. While there, he recovers a small robot, which he soon names Clank for short. Clank then proceeds to show Ratchet an infobot detailing Chairman Drek’s plan to destroy certain planets throughout the Solana galaxy. Although Ratchet doesn’t seem keen to help initially, he agrees on the condition that can get his ship running.

It's clear the ship wasn’t fully fixed as they are forced to crash land on Novalis. While on the planet, Clank suggests they find Captain Qwark, the famous super hero, hoping he can help them vanquish Drek. They manage to get an infobot with a clue to Qwark’s location, as well as a new ship, the first of many new ships in the series.

They travel to Blackwater City, meeting up with Qwark, who requires they demonstrate their heroic aptitude in his training course on Umbris. When they successfully complete it, Qwark offers them a reward. Ratchet is initially suspicious of Qwark, but Clank convinces him to accept the prize. Ratchet was right to be dubious as Qwark traps them in a lava arena with a Blargian Snagglebeast. After they triumph and steal another, nicer, ship, Ratchet becomes infuriated with Clank, angry that he had trusted the robot's judgment of Qwark. Clank says they must continue to try to stop Drek. Ratchet, however, seems more interested in getting revenge by killing Qwark.

As the character with piloting skills and all the weapons, Ratchet gets his way. His inner anger leads him to track down Qwark and, after a lengthy space battle, send Qwark's ship hurtling toward a planet's surface. His rage quenched, Ratchet remembers his mission when he sees a nearby planet being destroyed as a result of Drek’s Deplanetizer. He then realises how selfish he has been, focusing on getting revenge, rather than trying to prevent any more destruction. This determination to do the right thing is heightened when he learns of Drek’s plan to destroy Ratchet’s home planet of Veldin.

He agrees to fully co-operate with Clank in an attempt to save his home. After a prolonged battle, they manage to defeat Drek, who accidentally destroys his new planet, an amalgamation of all the destroyed ones, in the process. Ratchet manages to escape unharmed, though Clank receives minor injuries. They then walk back to Ratchet’s shack where they get to relax until their next adventure.

Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando

As a result of saving the galaxy from Drek, both Ratchet and Clank become famous, however, in an interview on ‘Behind the Hero’ Ratchet reveals they aren’t really in demand and that the galaxy doesn’t seem to need a hero. Before you can say "situational irony,"the pair are teleported off their couches and into the Bogon galaxy. The owner of weapons manufacturer Megacorp, Abercrombie Fizzwidget, needs our heroes to find his stolen Protopet. To prepare him for the upcoming combat, Ratchet is put through his paces in an obstacle course.

Once his training is complete, he begins tracking down the protopet's apparent Thief, while Clank decides to stay behind. Ratchet finds out the Thief has hired Thugs-4-Less as protection, but when he returns to Megacorp, Clank has been kidnapped. Fortunately, he manages to find where Clank is being kept and frees him, although the Thief escapes.

Piecing together the information they both have gathered, they discover where the Thief is in hiding. On icey planet Siberius they face the Thief in a battle. The defeated Thief again eludes capture, but Ratchet escapes with the stolen Protopet, which he then returns to Fizzwidget.

Later on, the Thief tracks down the pair, demanding the Protopet and not knowing that Ratchet had already handed it over. The Thief’s mask falls off in the scuffle, revealing it to be a female creature that looks very much like a Lombax. This revel raises some questions for Ratchet, who thought himself the last of his kind. Focusing on the task at hand, though, the former thief, Angela, proceeds to warn them of the destruction the Protopets could cause. Realizing that the greater good is at stake, they agree to help her.

However, their plans are thwarted as they are all captured and put in prison for allegedly trying to kill Fizzwidget. Ratchet manages to escape and frees Clank and Angela, before tracking down the now mutated Protopet to destroy it completely. Ratchet sees the devastation caused by these ever multiplying, fuzzy, blue monsters as they ravage a robot city.

They realize that the only hope is to destroy the giant Protopet that is spawning all the others. But, upon arriving at the lab, it is revealed that all the tomfoolery was masterminded by none other than Captain Qwark, disguised as Fizzwidget. Jealous of Ratchet's fame, Qwark devised a plot to create a false menace and destroy it, regaining his status. However, the Protopet proves more vicious than Qwark thoguht and our heroes must intervene.

After a major battle with the Protopet, Ratchet defeats it, allowing Angela to shrink it back to its original size and more docile nature. A romantic relationship between Ratchet and Angela is hinted at, but isn’t expanded on in later games. The trio settle back into safety.

Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal

At the start of Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal, Ratchet seems to have been relegated to Clank’s sidekick. The relative gulf between the pair’s popularity is highlighted with Clank’s own TV show, Secret Agent Clank, where Ratchet only has a minor role. One day, while flicking round the channels trying to avoid watching Clank’s show, Ratchet happens across a news report on the invasion of Ratchet's home planet of Veldin by Tyhrranoids, a three-eyed race commanded by the robotic Dr. Nefarious. Soon, Ratchet is contacted by the Galactic President, who requests their help to find the only person who has ever defeated Dr. Nefarious, the erstwhile Captain Qwark. Annoyed at having to find the cowardly captain for the cowardly politician, the duo locate him acting as a tribal leader for monkeys on a jungle planet. Once they find him, they return to the hub of the Starship Phoenix, where Qwark, returning to former glories forms the Q-Force, of which Ratchet is a part along with Clank, former hoverboarder Skidd McMarxx, technical genius Big Al, workout instructor Helga and super-monkey Skrunch.

The team work together to find Nefarious’ whereabouts. With the directions of Big Al, Ratchet finds the computer containing the plans for the Bio-Bliterator, Dr. Nefarious' mega weapon. He also manages to defeat pop idol and robotic villain Courtney Gears, though she still managed to turn her captive Skidd into a robot. Ratchet and Clank realize that Nefarious' general hatred of organic life has bred a plan to turn everyone into a robot.

As the game progresses, Ratchet becomes more suspicious of Clank’s behaviour, before realising that Nefarious had previously replaced him with the evil Klunk. After Ratchet defeats Klunk, he finds Clank and frees him, his robot pal having refused to become part of Nefarious' scheme against organics.

Later, Ratchet and Clank manage to track Nefarious down, and appear to have defeated him with relative ease, with him begging for mercy at Ratchet‘s feet. This is a trick, however, allowing Nefarious to re-group and launch another attack on him. Eventually, Ratchet, with the help of Qwark, does defeat Nefarious, saving the galaxy in the process.

Ratchet also appears in the final scene with a number of previous characters from previous games, at the Secret Agent Clank movie premiere. Like with Angela in the previous game, Ratchet seems to have feelings for the President’s daughter, Sasha, even receiving a kiss at the screening of the film, though this is not elaborated on in subsequent games.

Ratchet: Deadlocked

At the start of Ratchet: Deadlocked, Ratchet, along with Clank and Big Al are captured while on the Starship Phoenix. It is soon revealed that they were kidnapped by Gleeman Vox, the founder of the DreadZone TV series, to be contestants on the deadly reality show. They are transported to the Shadow Sector, on the edge of the Solana galaxy, and have explosive Deadlock collars installed to prevent them escaping.

Together, they formed Team Darkstar, with Ratchet taking part in combat with the help of two robots, while Clank and Big Al offer information and technical support.

Ratchet gains success and popularity quickly, especially after defeating Ace Hardlight, the previous #1 ranked contestant, who also warns him of the danger Vox posed. Despite being heavily criticised by Vox news hosts Dallas and Juanita, Ratchet gains audience acclaim. Vox claims he always meant to make Ratchet a star, claiming the negative comments were only being used to build up his ‘bad-boy image’. As a reward for his performance, Vox offers Ratchet the chance to become Captain of the Exterminators, requiring him to kill other contestants for bolts. Ratchet rejects the offer, disgusted with the idea of destroying other heroes.

Predictably, this causes Vox to become furious, demanding he take part in the Gauntlet of Doom, and later claiming on Vox News that Ratchet had taken performance enhancing drugs.

After Ratchet successfully completes the Gauntlet of Doom, Clank claims to know how to shut down the Deadlock collars, requiring Ratchet to go on a certain-death mission at the central DreadZone computer. When he arrives at the station, he discovers Vox waiting for him, threatening to blow up the entire DreadZone area. This results in a final battle with Vox, and although Ratchet manages to injure him, Vox still sets off a timer, hoping to gain revenge.

Just before the station explodes, Big Al helps Ratchet escape in a small shuttle, saving his life in the process. In the final scene, various contestants who had escaped death phone Ratchet, thanking him for defeating Vox, and for no longer having to take part in DreadZone.

Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters

In Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters, the pair are on holidays in Pokitaru. They run into a young girl called Luna, who just happens to be writing a report on heroes. Not long after, she disappears, leaving Ratchet and Clank to find her. In a role reversal, Clank is wary but agrees to begin the search, much like in the very first game, when Ratchet was suspicious of Qwark.

Clank’s fears are confirmed when they find Luna to be controlled by Technomites, tiny aliens. Ratchet is ambushed by the Technomites, who knock him unconscious taking him away, leaving Clank to fight for himself.

Later, the leader of the Technomites, Otto Destruct, extracts DNA from Ratchet, hoping to use it to build an army of cloned super soldiers. Clank manages to rescue him and tries to find the location of the clone factory, but receives a virus. Ratchet is then required to shrink in size so that he can enter Clank’s body to remove the program causing damage.

Ratchet successfully restores Clank, and tracks down Otto Destruct’s location, fighting through an army of Ratchet clones but eventually defeating Otto Destruct himself. At the end of the story it is revealed that all of Ratchet’s clones were made into life-size action figures.

Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction

The pairs first outing on the PS3 opens with a scene similar to that of the original game on the PS2 with Ratchet working on a ship with his wrench, the pair now having settled in the verdant city of Metropolis. They receive a distress call from now President Qwark, who is being attacked by Drophyds. Although Clank is unsure the ship is ready, Ratchet convinces him its safe to fly, though only minutes into their journey, they crash.

While on Metropolis, the duo become surrounded, allowing Emperor Tachyon to enter. He then reveals he has been trying to find Ratchet to destroy him, as Ratchet is the last known surviving Lombax, a race Tachyon believed he destroyed long ago. Ratchet and Clank manage to escape, but find out President Qwark is working with Tachyon. He persuades them he is doing it to help them, and even created Ratchet a disguise for when he was taking part in Tachyon’s Arena Challenges, turning Ratchet into Mustachio Furioso.

Delving into his species' past, Ratchet learns that the Lombax secret, an ancient piece of technology, may be the key to all this. As the story progresses, they encounter rogue scientist Talwyn Apogee, whose father spent his life working on the Lombax secret, before going missing. They find out that Tachyon wants revenge on the Lombaxes for destroying his entire Cragmite species.

Meanwhile, Clank has been following the advice and beckonings of ethereal beings called the Zoni, which Ratchet cannot see.

The Lombax secret is the Dimensionator, a helmet that create holes in space-time to past dimensions. Qwark takes the Dimensionator, but loses it to Tachyon. In the curfuffle, Ratchet is also knocked unconscious, waking up to find Clank missing. He panics, believing Clank is dead, but his fears are allayed when he finds Clank alive and well, promising to believe him about everything.

They find out Tachyon is based on Fastoon, where he plans to use the Dimensionator to bring all Cragmites back into the galaxy. When Ratchet confronts him, Tachyon reveals that the only two remaining Lombaxes stayed in the Solana galaxy, one to guard the Lombax secret and his son, which turned out to be Ratchet. Tachyon admits to killing Ratchet's father, but was unable to destroy Ratchet when he was young, as his father had managed to send him to Veldin before they were captured.

Tachyon then offers Ratchet the chance to use the Dimensionator with him, allowing him to bring back other Lombaxes meaning he wouldn’t be alone any longer. Ratchet realises that Tachyon will always be a threat, not only to him but to the whole universe and so rejects the deal. This results in a final showdown with Tachyon, which sees them both sucked into another portal, before Ratchet eventually manages to force him into a black hole. After this, Ratchet wakes up to see Talwyn, with her robots, Cronk and Zephyr, standing over him, to find out that Clank has been taken away by the Zoni.

Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest For Booty

Quest for booty is a direct sequel to tools of destruction starting with Ratchet beginning his search for Clank. This time Ratchet is grounded on a single planet with a bunch of Pirates. Ratchet soon realises that he has to find the Obsidian Eye in order to locate Clank.

This sends him and Talwyn on a chase to find the body of Angstrom Darkwater, the greatest space-pirate in the galaxy. Ratchet gets double-crossed when Rusty Pete uses Angstroms body to bring the evil Captain Slag back to life, unfortunately resulting in disturbing the souls of the dead pirates and filling the planet with Ghost-Pirates.

Ratchet eventually manages to defeat Slag and the Pirates and uses the Obsidian eye to find where Clank is. And so Ratchet flies off to find Clank in Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time.

Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time

We catch up with Ratchet in A Crack in Time with him and Qwark looking for information on the whereabouts of Clank and his captor, Dr. Nefarious. Ratchet eventually meets up with Alister Azimuth a fellow Lombax who used to be good friends with his father. They begin to work together to locate Clank and The Great Clock which they intend to use to alter time and save the Lombaxes.

Ratchet manages to successfully communicate with Clank who tells him that he must save Orvus, the robot time keeper, from Dr. Nefarious. Ratchet travels back in time trying to rescue Orvus who is being probed for information by Nefarious about The Great Clock, but he is too late to save him. He does manage to leave his mark on Nefarious though with a time defying scar on his eye.

Meanwhile, Clank has made his way to the Orvus chamber (the place where the Great Clock can be controlled) but all he has managed to do is lead Dr. Nefarious straight to it. He gets captured and Ratchet has to mount a rescue. Unsurprisingly, Ratchet manages to get him back and from this point onward Clank resumes his normal role on Ratchet's back.

Ratchet and Clank defeat Nefarious on his space station and then make their way to the Great Clock along with Alister. But Clank informs them that the clock cannot be used to alter time and they cannot use it to save the Lombaxes. Alister can't accept that, he turns on them and attempts to activate the clock. Ratchet fights him and manages to make him understand that the clock can't be used for this which is empahsised by the fact the whole place is collapsing. Alister turns the switch back but is killed in the process. The game ends with Clank leaving the clock behind and going away with Ratchet with the possibility of new adventures ahead.

Cameo Appearances

• Ratchet appears as a playable character in Jax X: Combat Racing and is unlocked if you have a save file fom Ratchet: Deadlocked on your memory card.
• Ratchet appears along with Clank on various billboards scattered throughout Haven city in Jak II: Renegade.
• Ratchet appears as a playable character in Hot Shots Golf Fore.