Ratchet and Clank Review: The Reboot
It’s been fourteen years since Insomniac Games released the original Ratchet and Clank, a 3-D plat-former and shooter that was highly popularised during the PlayStation 2 era. Since then there’s been a bunch of sequels and spin-offs. The numerous releases caused the franchise to lose its way, but they have remedied this by rebooting it through the recreation of the very first Ratchet and Clank game.
This reboot takes a lot from the series before hand compiling all of the goodness into the one game and they’ve really brought life to this world with the PlayStation 4 hardware. Ratchet and Clank are the sexiest they’ve ever been, with state of the art graphics that are identical within cut-scenes and gameplay. The developer’s hard work is shown through the mesmerising contrast between light and dark, the textures that pop out screaming “look at me!” and the gorgeous environments unique to each world.
Every time you land on one of these worlds you’ll be greeted with an addition to your arsenal ready for purchase. Insomniac have served up the best guns from the series as well as some funky, new additions. Your shooting buddy robot, Mr. Zurkon, is back as well as the familiar Sheepinator, which turns foes into a delightful flock that explodes! They’ve added the Pixelizer, a shotgun that turns enemies into pixels upon impact and they’ve included the favourite Groovitron, which causes opponents to stop shooting and start showing off their dance moves.
This wide array of weapons is impressive, and each gun has its own unique quirkiness that broadens its appeal. In addition to that, the guns become even better when utilising Ratchet and Clank’s upgrading system, one of the best in any video game. Weapons go up levels the more that you use them and on your adventures you collect raritanium that allows you to make modifications to your guns
The only downside to these weapons is that it is a lot of the same. You can play any games of the series and you’re bound to come across a similar library of guns. This is also present within the game’s level design. There are worlds that have many identical parts to the first Ratchet and Clank game. Insomniac are definitely trying to kick some nostalgia into fans.
Despite this it does seem to have a fair balance between nostalgia and being fresh enough for 2016. The combat feels great, the levels are engaging, the weapons are creative, and most of all it’s incredibly easy to just pick this up and have hours of fun. Sometimes you just need a game focused on bringing enjoyment and this joy can be passed onto fans of the series, young kids who have never heard of it or anyone with a PlayStation 4. This is a must and I hope we see more.
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