Ratchet and Clank is a action platformer series by Insomniac, that has been a mainstay on Playstation consoles for well over a decade. I recall not really paying much attention to the series in the past, as I was formerly anti-Sony consoles for a bit in the early 2000's. That was a brief period of time, as I did own a PS2 for a short while. I didn't, however, appreciate the genre of Action Platform games at that time, or the series itself. One thing I recall, was that my friend's father was a huge fan of the series, and at times would bloviate about his exploits in it. One thing I must admit, was that I immensely respected my friend's father, because he was a very cerebral and fun loving dude, who seemed to have good taste in things. I knew the game had to be solid for him to like it so much, but I was anywhere near a Sony console at that time.
Years later, I got my first Ratchet and Clank game on the PSP. It was the Size Matters game. That game was extremely solid and fun, with stiff difficulty. In fact, if I recall correctly, I reviewed it when I completed the game. One thing I must say off of the top is that I still feel as strongly as ever, that the disparity between the console and handheld experience is highly overrated, if not flat out wrong. I played the New Ratchet and Clank game, which is a Grand Tour game, taking the gamer along the overall story arc. While I am going to compliment this game, I must say that if I had to hold both the PSP Ratchet and Clank game against the new PS4 game, there is absolutely not a world of difference in either quality, fun factor, or content. That is totally wrong. In fact, the PSP game may have actually been slightly longer and more cinematic, believe it or not.
Ratchet and Clank on the PS4 is a typical millenial title of today, with no fancy artwork, or creative manual differentiating it. However, the ingame quality is awesome. You start the game at your home base on planet Veldin, where you work in a garage for Grimoth, a bulky elephant looking alien. Ratchet is a Lombax, who is unassuming, but aspiring to become a space Ranger, and work with the famous captain Quark. This game covers the events that lead to Ratchet meeting Clank, and the exploits they go on, becoming a team.
Captain Quark is telling the story to a fellow inmate, as he is the prisoner in a jail for crimes he has committed after falling from grace as the Rangers' leader. He tells the story along with funny banter throughout the entire game, and the humor keeps the game light, which helps when the difficulty gets annoying. After competing in a hoverboard competition, and going through a Ranger training course, Ratchet finds himself being a candidate to join the team. Clank, who is a defective robot that escaped the villains factory, lands on Ratchet's planet, seeking assistance in toppling the evil regime.
The levels are well designed, and the graphics are lush and beautiful. You have a weapon wheel to select your weapon, and a quick menu mapped to the control pad. You get so many different weapons, that do essential and different things, that it can get hard switching in combat, especially as you run out of ammo. Each weapon can be leveled up with usage, and expanded using currency with the merchant, across several factors, including blast radius, damage, range, ammo capacity, and coin generation. The game is so loaded with options, that you really have to settle down to choose what weapons suite your play style. I liked the Sniper rifle. It requires aim, but gives a good damage bonus, and allowed me to pick off enemies before entering a room, which helped in levels where they clearly set you up to get jumped.
Ratchet has a double jump, Clank as his gliding jetpack, a grappling hook, and even an oxygen mask you can get if you meet certain requirements. I got it, so I could swim and explore the depths of some water planets without drowning after 3 seconds. It's one of those games that it feels good to find the secrets in. The only thing is that you can get so close to getting a secret item, but be unable to find the last few required pieces. It was so much fun exploring the huge planets, taking in the scenery, and engaging in intense gun fights with the forces of Dr. Nefarious. Ratchet even has sequences where he can glide on rails to access parts of levels. Those are so much fun! And you get a jetpack at a point in certain levels, and can literally fly around the entire planet, as long as you recharge the battery.
Difficulty wise, I must say the game was controller tossing at times, but it really wasn't that memory scarring difficult. You will be using your fingers on this one. You have to switch weapons often, and watch your ammo, while jumping and strafing to avoid enemy fire. I love the weapons that spawn helper bots, because they can be powered up, and really help you when you are outnumbered. The battles in the game, require you to be on point, and proactive. In the later portion of the game, they will literally send the kitchen sink at you, and if the enemy gets in on you, with some of them respawning from pods, you can get decimated. I found the last boss to be a pretty classic last boss fight. When you fight Dr. Nefarious, he is in some kind of mech suit, with enemies on several platforms. The weapons he has in his suit are pretty sick, on top of the mech helpers he has, being both powerful and durable. You have to use every ability, and skill you learn over the game to beat him. Be first, be sharp, and be aggressive. He uses these nasty mines that such you in unless destroyed manually. You have your jetpack, so you can choose to go aerial, or stay grounded and intercept his mine attack as well as the respawning mechs. Ammo becomes an issue in the last battle and throughout the game. In fact, there were times I found myself praying for the merchant station to pop up, as I needed health and ammo.
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After beating the game, the ending was goofy, but funny, and as a typical Ratchet and Clank game, marks only the beginning. I loved the game, and the challenge mode that you unlock upon completion. This is definitely a game to own on PS4. Dive in!! 8.5/10
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