Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction

I'm a newcomer to the Ratchet and Clank series, but having heard such wonderful things about each and every game I figured there'd be no better time to get into it than when the game was on sale for a measly $15.

Knowing little to nothing about the characters, I started a new game and watched the hilarious opening cutscene. Turns out you play as the last member of a species known as the Lombax (Ratchet) and his small robotic companion (Clank). Both of them are immediately likeable, with Ratchet being a bull-headed techno whiz and Clank being the voice of moderation and sensibility. They get a message from the self-proclaimed hero of the galaxy, Captain Quark, that a heavily armed robotic force is attacking and he needs their help! They blast off, and through much hilarity and action, crash before they get there, leaving you to fight your way to the building. And with that, you're off to save the galaxy.

My first main frustration came at this point, and sprouted later, when I was basically thrust directly into the action without even being told what button was "shoot" until the enemies were on top of me. A recurring theme with this game was an assumption that you had played other Ratchet and Clank games before. Nonetheless, it's an easy hurdle to get over with a little trial and error. One of the nice things about this game was that you weren't punished too severely for dying. Which happened. A lot.

This game is of the dying breed known as platformers, and as such has plenty and puzzles, hidden items, and jumping about on...well...platforms. Despite the repetitive nature of the tasks you're doing, it never gets boring. Part of this is most likely due to the fact that there are an astounding 17 places to visit, including sections where you're flying your ship and shooting stuff in a traditional arcade-like fashion. With so many varied environments and so many ways to get around them (thanks to more gadgets like robotic wings) it never gets old. Even revisiting planets to try and find hidden treasure you missed is fun as the enemies are constantly engaging. And to deal with those enemies...

Of course the main attractor for this game, as implied in the title, are the weapons. And boy oh boy are there weapons. There are 15 "weapons", each of which can level up 5 levels by using them and are upgradeable using raritanium, which drops from some monsters and chests. They range from a standard rocket launcher to a post with insects that shoot out at enemies to a tornado launcher that you direct towards enemies with the sixaxis controls. Then there are 9 gadgets that don't upgrade, but do all sorts of fun stuff. My personal favorite was the groovitron, which forces every enemy around you to stop what they're doing...and dance. It's a giant disco ball that puts on a light show and spouts an old disco tune. I laughed so hard the first time I did it the enemies killed me once it wore off. Usually the gadgets are much more deadly/resourceful, and as such cost more to buy, drop less often in battle, and have very low ammo counts. With such variety comes varied enemy types that are vulnerable/more easily destroyed by some weapons more than others. Thankfully you can quickly pause the game with the push of a button and select the weapon you want, leading to some interesting strategic battles.

Boss battles play out much the same as normal battles, just with a bigger target. There are, of course, the standard attack patterns that you look out for, avoid, and then keep shooting, but overall they're nothing special.

What really keeps this game, and something tells me this franchise, afloat are the personalities and humor that the game constantly brings in. The evil overlord trying to kill you will pipe in comments over loudspeakers on some planets, and they're always funny. Captain Quark's meddling antics and complete cowardice make for a humorous mix between The Tick and Zapp Brannigan.

So was it worth the $15? Beating the game unlocks a challenge mode with harder enemies but you keep all your upgraded equipment, but there seems to be little replayability otherwise. Nonetheless there's a lot to this little game, and if you choose to go hunting all the hidden golden bolts, raritanium chests and unlocking every skill point there's certainly a lot more. Overall it's a fun way to play with a bunch of different ways to blow stuff up with some humor on the side, and you can't go wrong with that.

Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction gets an 8/10.