Ratchet & Clank

This article is about the video game series in general. For the first game in the series, see Ratchet & Clank.

File:Ratchetandclanklogo.jpg

Logo for the Ratchet and Clank series

Ratchet & Clank is a series of 3D platform/shooter video games. The franchise has been developed primarily by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and the PlayStation 3 video game systems. The game follows the exploits of Ratchet (a humanoid Lombax that is very handy with tools) and Clank (a diminutive sentient robot that befriends Ratchet) as they save the galaxy from various evil forces. The series is noted for the inclusion of many exotic and unique weapons and gadgets.

Setting

Ratchet and Clank takes place in a science fiction setting, where faster-than-light travel from planet to planet and across galaxies is readily available. Numerous biological and robotic species populate these worlds, some which range from highly developed metropolises to those filled with primordial ooze.

The games focus on Ratchet, a Lombax residing on the planet Veldin, who is a master of gadgetry and always carries around a large wrench. The series opens with him finding Clank, a diminutive robot that has fled and crash landed on Veldin because of information that he has learned. The two become partners in their efforts to stop the destruction of Veldin, and then subsequently, to halt other evil forces that mean to bring harm to the galaxies. Through their travels, they are helped and sometimes hampered by the assistance of Captain Qwark, a celebrity superhero person who is shown to be a sham throughout the series.

Lombaxes

A Lombax is a fictional species from the series, though as established by Tools of Destruction, Ratchet is the only surviving Lombax in the universe. Lombaxes are completely covered in yellow, velvety fur, with orange stripes running down much of the body. They are bipedal but their facial features are similar to those of a domestic cat. Lombaxes have large triangular feet with three claws on each foot, as well as large hands with four fingers and a thumb on each, similar to a real-life human. They also have a yellow tail similar to a lion's. This makes them different from most other species in the Ratchet & Clank universe, such as the Blarg, which traditionally have two fingers and a thumb per hand and feet with two toes and no tail. Based on backstory within Tools of Destruction, the species has an instinctive affinity towards gadgetry and machines.

Insomniac has gone on record stating that Sasha and the Galactic President (From Up Your Arsenal) are not Lombaxes, but are instead a species known as Cazares. Cazares are tall, bipedal, fox like creatures with brown fur and fox like ears and noses. They, however, have the same number of fingers and thumbs as Lombaxes. It's unknown if their feet are the same. Angela Cross is also not a Lombax.

Characters

Main article: List of characters in the Ratchet & Clank series

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Ratchet, with Clank riding on his back

The main characters in the series are Ratchet, a Lombax mechanic presently residing on the planet Veldin, and his robot sidekick Clank, who was originally designed for causing destruction but accompanies Ratchet due to an error in his manufacturing process. The player controls Ratchet for a majority of each game, though certain missions will require the player to directly control Clank. Otherwise, Clank sits on Ratchet's back (in a backpack-like fashion) and is used to provide useful jumping, hovering, and diving abilities through various upgrades. These upgrades were given over the course of the first game, but Clank retains them through the later ones. Throughout the series, the duo often encounter Captain Qwark, an ego-driven, phony superhero that may help or hinder Ratchet and Clank's missions.

Gameplay

Each of the games in the Ratchet & Clank series has had a number of common elements, with later entries improving upon these elements. In both graphics and gameplay, the series is similar to the Jak and Daxter series, also published by Sony (developed by Naughty Dog). All of the PlayStation 2 Ratchet & Clank games run on a modified version of the engine used in Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy.

The series is primarily a 3D platformer in the third-person perspective, but include a shooting-based gameplay mechanic, with the option of playing the game in the first-person shooter perspective added in as well.

Each game is divided into a number of worlds, with Ratchet and Clank exploring each to discover the location of new worlds as part of the game's plot, leading to a final boss battle. Worlds typically have two or more missions available to complete, but some missions may be impossible until the player acquires specific gadgets that are available in later missions. Except in a few cases, the player always has the ability to return to any world previously visited as needed.

Ratchet begins each game with his standard melee attack, using his futuristic and versatile wrench, which can be upgraded in the later games. However the series has become known for a wide array of exotic, powerful, and occasionally humorous weapons, ranging from pistols and rocket launchers to vacuum cannons and rayguns that turn enemies into cute, harmless animals. Weapons generally have one specific function, including use for close combat, long distance targeting, area effects, and the like, each with its own limitations on power, ammo capacity, range, and firing rate. Some weapons also provide defensive abilities, such as one that creates a temporary decoy to draw in enemy fire. Although the exact mix of weapons, as well as their names and designs, varies, general weapon archetypes such as a rapid-firing gun, a bomb-deploying weapon, an accurate long-range weapon, and a transformation beam are typically found in each game of the series. There is one extremely powerful, extremely expensive weapon in each game, commonly a variant of the "R.Y.N.O" (Rip Ya a New One), a multiple-target rocket launcher that appeared in the first game. As the use of this weapon is unbalancing to gameplay, it is usually either not available the first time a player goes through the game, or so expensive that the player is generally not able to afford it until they start a second playthrough. Weapons can be upgraded over the course of the game. These upgrades make the weapon more powerful/effective, and often add new abilities to the weapon. In the first game, this was achieved by finding Gold Bolts throughout the game worlds, and using them to purchase the "Gold" versions of some of the weapons. From the second game onward, weapons gained their own experience as they were used to destroy enemies, and would upgrade into their more powerful form on their own. Later games provided additional upgrade paths for weapons, such as by adding modifications as to add elemental damage effects, or through a growth tree to increase specific attributes of the weapon.

Another trademark of the game is a wide array of gadgets, which help Ratchet pass through certain areas in each map. Like the weapons, these vary in shape, number, and use, but with a number of common abilities, mainly a grappling hook that allows Ratchet to swing or grapple onto certain objects, a device that uses a minigame to unlock doors, and boots that allow him to grind on rails or walk on magnetic walls and ceilings.

Weapons and gadgets can be acquired by either purchasing them at vendor machines, or by completing specific missions. In some later games, weapons from earlier games can be obtained for free if the player has already completed those games validated by the saved game.

There are also numerous side games in addition to the usual platforming elements. These have included hoverboard races, hoverbike races, space fighter battles, giant robot combat, arena combat, and small spherical worlds that can be circumnavigated while riding on an enlarged version of Clank. The player is usually required to win at least one of these to progress in the plot, but they can return and attempt more difficult objectives to earn additional rewards. Additionally, some of the gadgets (typically those to open locked doors or other barriers) have featured logic or timing mini-games that must be completed.

Certain missions require the use of Clank for his size or robotic features to reach areas that Ratchet cannot access. Clank generally has limited attack ability and a low amount of health, so as to help Clank through these levels, he is given command of robotic drones that can be used to attack foes or to help remove or overcome obstacles in Clank's path. Clank otherwise sits on Ratchet's back as a backpack, but provides Ratchet the ability to jump higher, glide through the air, or swim faster while underwater.

Bolts are used as a unit of currency in the game, and are dropped by defeated foes, found in crates scattered about the levels, by destroying parts of the world environment, or awards for completing certain tasks. Bolts are used to buy new weapons, weapon upgrades, ammo, bot upgrades (in Deadlocked), and armor at vending machines, usually located near the start of each world and at key mid-level locations. The games feature a limited number of special bolts (Gold, Platinum or Titanium Bolts) that are usually in hidden or difficult-to-reach locations that can be used to improve existing weapons or buy new skins. In addition to crates with bolts, there are also crates with weapon ammo which is randomly generated but nearly always of an ammo type that the player is low on, explosive crates which can be used tactically to hurt foes from a distance, and Nanotech crates that can restore the player's health.

Skill Points are another feature found in the series, the concept having been introduced in Insomniac's own Spyro the Dragon titles and subsequently used in Insomniac's Resistance: Fall of Man. These are tasks that the player is not told specifically how to complete, but instead only given the name of the world it can be completed on and the title of the task. However, when the task is completed, the player is informed that they earned a skill point, and can check again to see what that point actually was. Typical Skill Points involve defeating certain enemies using only Ratchet's wrench, completing certain areas (such as grind rail sequences or boss fights) without taking a hit, or acts of mass destruction against non-essential targets. Skill points are typically used to unlock additional content from the game.

Each game has a special challenge mode which the player can access after completing the game once. While some gadgets and weapons carry over in this mode, ones critical to the game's plot have to be reacquired such as those that open locked doors. The enemies in challenge mode are usually tougher, but the player has the ability to increase the power of their weapons even more beyond what was possible in the first run through of the game. However, some upgrades take a considerable number of bolts (in the millions) to obtain, though challenge mode typically includes a Bolt Multiplier, which enables the player to collect bolts at a much faster rate as he defeats more enemies as long as the player does not take damage.

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External links

• The Insomniac Games official website
• Official page (redirects to Sony site)
• The Ratchet & Clank series at NeoSeeker
• Kyzil Plateau (fan website)
• [1] ( Ratchet and clank fansite)
• Ratchet and jak (website)
• Lombax-Max (Ratchet and Ratcom website)
• Lombax-HQ (Ratchet and Clank Website/Community)
• Sweet Plasma(Forum)

Wiki Guide

• The Ratchet & Clank Wiki A Wikia dedicated to Ratchet & Clank.