This is a review for the original Ratchet and Clank, developed by Insomniac and released in 2002 and again in 2012 as part of an HD collection. It does not refer to the game released in 2016 which is a full-scale reimagining.
Two decades ago, Insomiac Games saved themselves from a dire financial situation by releasing a little game called Spyro the Dragon. The game was successful enough to segue into a couple of sequels and the company was able to stay afloat.
In 2000, the PS2 was released and Insomniac was focused on their first game for new console generation. With a little help from Naughty Dog they managed to launch their longest running franchise about a heavily armed space cat and his robot friend/backpack.
Ratchet and Clank is a third-person mascot platformer with a heavy focus on weaponry. The game revolves around Ratchet, a lombax (space-cat), and his adventures after crossing paths with Clank, a robot that has uncovered a plot by an evil executive to destroy the galaxy.
The bulk of the game sets up single path levels filled with enemies and gives the player a bevy of weapons to combat them with. The guns range from traditional fare like blasters and flame-throwers to more gimmicky guns like the “Morph-o-ray” which transforms enemies into chickens. What seemed like a massive virtual armory at the time is a little less impressive in the light of almost two decades of game development, but there is enough imagination to separate itself from the average shoot ’em up.
The other method Ratchet and Clank used to forge its identity was its humor. While presenting itself towards younger audiences in the footsteps of Spyro and Jak and Daxter, it snuck in edgy humor aimed at older players. It wouldn’t give up the whole ghost like Conker’s Bad Fur Day, a game dedicated to crude humor. Rather, Ratchet was modeled closer to the Looney Tunes approach, with subtler jokes i.e. naming the game’s ultimate gun the RYNO (Rip You a New One).
The game balanced these key aspects with a variety of gameplay change-ups including hoverboard races, Clank puzzle sections, manning a gun turret, and grind courses. Somehow none of these minigames flopped or dragged on the flow of the game. The segments came rarely enough that they were always a welcome side-dish from the main course of running and gunning.
For its time, Ratchet and Clank was amazingly fun with inspired design. Despite this, it’s difficult to recommend it now, multiple console generations in the future. For starters, the series didn’t add functional strafing until its second installment. This is the most constant annoyance throughout the game and it’s notable when the movement function is a default in all modern shooters.
A less offensive drawback of the game’s age is the total absence of RPG elements. Health leveling also wasn’t introduced until the second game and weapon upgrades are rare, mainly being a factor in the second playthrough. The game is still completely playable but it is a disadvantageous contrast when comparing Ratchet to later installments.
Unrelated to the time it came out, the story has an uncomfortable second act. Without giving anything away, the chemistry between the two main characters is intentionally sacrificed for a plot point and it is not salvaged until the game’s closing third.
So with all of these weaknesses, why bother with Ratchet and Clank in 2018? Why bother writing a review now even when I already concluded that it probably isn’t worth replaying? Bother with it because it is the start of something special.
The first game launched an amazing franchise that improved on its mistakes with each installment all the way up to the reimagining in 2016. While the 2002 edition is probably skippable, later games in the series aren’t and before I delve deep into those, I need to pay homage to their roots.
Even with my hesitance, I’d very much recommend people go back and play the HD release of the game on PS3 if they have the stomach for it. The game isn’t a masterpiece by today’s standards, but it by no means broken and can still be a good time particularly for those of us that are nostalgic for the era of mascot platformers.
For those without the stomach or time for playing old games, I recommend reading a plot summary and watching the cutscenes. There was an edge to the first game that wasn’t captured in the 2016 version nor the accompanying movie that is worth preserving.
When that’s done, buckle up. As I said, this is the start of something special.
Gamer's Daytimer 