Tag along the adorable yet badass Lombax, Ratchet and his trusty sidekick robot, Clank on their quest to become Galactic Rangers, as you blast through Blarg warships and turn your foes into pixels (all retro style) in this beautiful action platformer brought back to life on the PS 4.
Since it’s debut about 14 years ago, the game has been completely re-imagined in a near-perfect form, from visually stunning environments to fun, quirky weapons. Ratchet and Clank lays hours of entertainment in your hands with its eccentric, witty attitude, staying true to its core values which made us fall in love with the original game in the first place. Just spend a few minutes on the game, and you won’t be able to put it down till you finish “just one more mission”.
Talking about the visual experience, the game looks simply spectacular. The vibrant and colourful environment follows a Pixar-like approach to life, with silly, hilarious jokes appropriate for all age groups ( if you get the subtle hints). As you make your way through the sewers or soar above the cities, you can easily notice the intricacies and the attention to detail involved in the visual design and models. And though there are not many NPC’s to encounter, the alien worlds feel as huge as they are diverse, with airships and shuttles flying overhead, huge buildings and hills stretching out as far as the eye as see.
The gameplay is fun extremely fun and engaging as well. It is action packed with an arsenal of inventive weapons at your disposal. You can shoot your enemies, incinerate them, pop grenades and our personal favourite, send them back to the 80s by literally turning them into 8-bit forms! The pixelizer is an innovative weapon that turns your enemies into 8-bit forms, causing them to explode into pixels when slayed. How cool is that! Another fun weapon is the Groovitron, that prevents your foes from attacking by launching them into a frenzy of dance moves. Each weapon has its own upgrade tree and is uniquely effective against different kinds of enemies.
You also get access to a multitude of gadgets, like the Hydrodisplacer capable of filling and emptying pools in a matter of seconds, to the Tresspasser that grants Ratchet access to secret areas through a hacking mini-game and a mod that turns clank into a nifty jetpack. Talk about handy! You also get to to explore alien planets and add Holocards to your collection.
In terms of story, Ratchet and Clank is pretty simple, yet immersive. It begins with the narcissistic Captain Qwark telling his inmate how he actually met Ratchet and the quest of two lovable misfits to save the galaxy from a massive catastrophe, thanks to the mad Chariman Drek. Each character has its own unique persona and quirks, making them special in their own goofy ways. Qwark doesn’t refrain from commenting on your actions in-game (or the lack of them) and it is both entertaining and useful to watch.
The best thing about Ratchet and Clank is definitely the stunning visuals and animations, giving each character and planet their own unique depth. It is a delightful blend of action and hilarity. Reviving an old game is more often than not a risky job, but Insomniac have seem to done it beautifully.
Watch the trailer here!
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