Space Rodent With Magical Destiny Powers Tries to Enlist in Special Forces—Wait We've Seen This Before
Part I: Introduction & Overview
It's hard to believe that it's been fourteen years since the original Ratchet & Clank game was released. I remember it was around that time I was lobbying my parents to buy a PS2; they finally conceded because it had a DVD player, and we didn't own one at that point. Looking back it's interesting how much technology has changed in such a short period of time. I was also able to glean some interesting insights on how the Ratchet and Clank" franchise has changed over time. I was given pause for reflection particularly because Ratchet & Clank is a remake of Ratchet & Clank, as well as a reboot of the franchise generally speaking. It also has a movie tie-in and is openly self-referential about the multiplicity of roles it fills. It also functions as both a no-nonsense back-to-basics approach, as well as (yet another) new beginning for the increasingly critically embattled franchise.
Prior to the 2016 film and game release, we last left Ratchet & Clank with 2013's Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus, a game that I felt was one of the weakest (canonical) entries in the series. That being said, it was a step in the right direction away from Insomniac's attempts to exploit then-trendy genres with the series' branding. Following from Into the Nexus (which came across as a market test for the board room), Ratchet & Clank (2016) continues to make moves in the right direction for the franchise.
The first thing that should be cleared up about Ratchet & Clank (2016) is its status as a remake. Some of the marketing has referred to it as a "re-imagining" of the original 2002 game, and this might be a more accurate statement than considering it a strict remake. The narrative is completely self-aware as a reboot, with some clever (and some very clumsy) fourth wall-breaking moments, and with references to the universe. It is inevitable that as a franchise grows and develops, certain plot points, gameplay choices and even characters. This is especially relevant to the original Ratchet & Clank; in fourteen years of releases a lot has been altered, refined, or discraded outright. Most of these changes were easily for the better, but some felt a bit remiss.
Part II: Gameplay, Narrative, Setting & Design
In keeping with Into the Nexus, Ratchet & Clank features a bevy of quirky weapons that balance wanton destruction with cartoonish humour. Some weapons are outright destructive, while others serve more tactical purposes. Toward the end of the game you can use a few weapons in combination to greatly alleviate the pressure of some of the more intense fire fights. My personal favourite combination was to trap enemies with the Groovitron (which, when upgraded, makes enemies under its spell take additional damage), and then fire a Proto Drum in the same area. Combine that with Mr. Zurkon and Agents of Doom (and another gun of your own) and even the hardest fights become much easier to handle. That's just one example of how the game rewards you for using multiple weapons in combination, and such rotation is possible nearly from the outset of the game.
One of the most successful elements of Ratchet & Clank is the diversity of the weapons, and the balanced succession in which they become available. The weapons provided in the game also reflects the best and most seamless combination of old and new. On one hand players are reintroduced to some weapons that only featured in the 2002 Ratchet & Clank, such as the Pyrocitor flamethrower, and to later weapons, such as the sniper crossbow Plasma Striker. The earlier weapons have all been given upgrades to match the power and utility of later instalments, and the weapons brought back are on the whole not solely focused on destruction. It was a bit nostalgia-inducing, as it recalled (until later, more aggressive stages) a simpler time with the series. The available upgrades and advancements (using both collectible resources and experience from overall use) were quite naturally implemented; there was never a time when I didn't have something to upgrade, and there was never a time when I felt I needed to try to farm resources.
As usual there is a challenge mode where you can carry over all your weapons and story-unrelated items to continue upgrading them and playing against harder enemies. Like all the other entries in the series, Ratchet & Clank handles it well. It's fun to spend further playthroughs focusing on collecting items and maxing out stats.
Going into Ratchet & Clank I was most interested in how Insomniac's writers would handle the narrative. In retrospect the original Ratchet & Clank is quite out of sync with the tone, pacing and arc of the other games in the franchise. On one hand it served as an origin story, showing where Ratchet and Clank came from, and the beginning of their development as two young and naive characters into more mature, responsible ones. Insomniac modified the origin content (or expanded on, depending on your interpretation) with the "Ratchet and Clank Future" games on the PS3. Ratchet & Clank (2016) goes ahead with the understanding that you already know the previous stories, and have at least some basic familiarity with the characters in question. There are some new characters who haven't been seen before, and there are other prominent characters who are given a mention as part of the universe building; some are given even more than a mention.
To be perfectly honest, I didn't really feel that any of the new cast added all that much to the game. There are a few new Galactic Rangers who have been added, and while it makes sense, they are completely flat and one-dimensional. Likewise, Ratchet's mentor/father figure/boss Grim is also just there. It helps better establish Ratchet's work as a mechanic, and it's implied that Grim took in a young, exposed Ratchet, but ultimately it serves no purpose in the story.
Even Ratchet and Clank, who (prior to Into the Nexus) had at least some degree of character arcs are basically flat. They're heroic by (vague) virtue of destiny, and their motivations are ill-defined at best. There's something about a generic call to duty, and "destiny" (a horribly lazy narrative device in nearly every possible instantiation), but really the plot is only ever used to take you from one location to the next. Even Drek, the main villain, has all of his original motivations removed in order to shoehorn in Dr. Nefarious yet again as a principle villain. Early on in the game when it seemed like Dr. Nefarious would only serve a secondary role I was quite pleased by his addition; unfortunately this was not to be.
A possible reply to this complaint is that Ratchet & Clank games have never been about strong narrative, and has always been more about the running-jumping-shooting with humorous and cartoonish moments interspersed throughout. This is true, and I don't mean to claim that past games were narrative masterpieces (or that they should have been). However, in those games (Into the Nexus aside) the narrative never really detracted all that much from my experience with the game. It set the context nicely enough and never got in the way. Ratchet & Clank seemed to have been written for a much younger, or at least much stupider audience in mind.
Part of my problem with the narrative in Ratchet & Clank had to do with the effects it had on the gameplay. This is most noticeable in regards to the setting, which differs a fair amount from the 2002 original. In the original Ratchet & Clank there were eighteen planets, nineteen if you include the two Veldin levels separately. In the new Ratchet & Clank there are only thirteen, fourteen if you include one that's exclusively a small set of Clank puzzles. Puzzle level aside, there is only one new planet, and the others are remakes. This is disappointing, as the new planet is probably the least interesting or memorable, and it takes the place of some of the best levels from the original game.
Ultimately this seems to be because the narrative this time around is a lot shorter. Much like Into the Nexus, Ratchet & Clank features a much shorter campaign, one that veteran players will run through without too much trouble in very little time. Insomniac has offset this by featuring a much lower price point than what is currently standard. Personally, I resent this. I would have rather been given a full product at a higher price than one that feels cut off.
All this being said, it is worth noting that the game is utterly gorgeous, and the art style reflects the best of contemporary Ratchet and Clank games, while also being consistent (for the most part) with the original Ratchet & Clank's colour scheme and visual aesthetics. This can also be noted in the enemy design, and it was great to see some familiar designs.
Part III: Summary & Conclusion
On the whole Ratchet & Clank has been an enjoyable game. I have certainly enjoyed my time with it from a gameplay standpoint. Unfortunately not every change and addition was an advancement for the best, but on the whole Ratchet & Clank was a step in the right direction from Into the Nexus and a good move back to what the series should be about after the missteps that were All 4 One and Full Frontal Assault. Ratchet & Clank gave me quite a bit of nostalgia-induced entertainment, but I'm pleased to report that it stands up on its own well enough. Nostalgia factors can only take a game so far, and it's not something I'm often moved by. As such, I think that Ratchet & Clank will appeal to both new and old fans.
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People have every right to enjoy this game, but if your defence of this game is "it's still better than the 'clunky' PS2 original", that's where I'll have to stop you
There’s some light platforming on some levels but they’re mostly straight up action games.