Ratchet & Clank is a 2016 third-person shooter platform video game made by Insomniac Games and released by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. The game is connected to the 2016 movie with the same name and is a new version of the first game in the series. It was planned to be released in 2015 but was delayed until April 2016, along with the movie, to help promote the film better and give the game more time to improve.

Unlike the movie, Ratchet & Clank received good reviews from critics, who praised the gameplay, controls, graphics, weapons, and world design. A follow-up game called Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart was released in June 2021 for the PlayStation 5. This game is a proper sequel to 2013’s Into the Nexus.

In March 2021, the game was given away for free as part of Sony’s Play at Home program.

Gameplay

The game Ratchet & Clank has many similarities to other games in the series. The main character players control is Ratchet, though Clank can also be played in certain parts of the game. As Ratchet, players explore different environments, fight enemies using a variety of weapons and tools, and overcome obstacles. Clank is attached to Ratchet like a backpack and helps in ways such as allowing diving underwater, gliding with propellers, and occasionally acting as a jetpack for flying. When playing as Clank, the gameplay is very different, even though the basic controls and environment navigation remain the same. Clank does not use weapons; instead, he defeats enemies by punching them. Clank’s sections focus more on solving puzzles than fighting enemies.

Although Ratchet & Clank is a remake of the 2002 game, it includes gameplay features from other games in the series, such as side-to-side movement, automatic upgrades for weapons and health, manual upgrades using Raritanium, and weapons introduced in later games. New weapons, like the Pixelizer, which makes enemies look like 8-bit characters, are also included. Environments are mostly presented in a linear way, but players can choose different paths. Players advance through the story by traveling to new planets, which become available after completing story goals on previous planets. In addition to fighting enemies, players use a Swingshot to cross gaps, ride grind rails, walk on magnetic surfaces, activate switches to open new paths, and sometimes solve hacking mini-games.

Players earn new weapons and gadgets as the story progresses, but some can be purchased from vendors. Bolts, which are found in crates, dropped by defeated enemies, or given as rewards, are used as currency. Crates also contain health and ammunition. Items are used in different ways: gadgets are automatically equipped at certain times, weapons must be manually selected, and the OmniWrench, a melee weapon, is always ready with its own button. Collectibles like holocards, which provide information about the game world, and gold bolts, which unlock visual extras, are also included. Skill points, which were used in earlier games, are not in this game. Instead, players earn PlayStation trophies.

The game includes hoverboard races and aerial combat missions where players control a spaceship. Boss battles, a common feature in the series, appear in some levels. After finishing the game, players can enter "challenge mode," where the difficulty increases significantly, but most items, including all weapons, are carried over.

Plot

Prisoner Shiv Helix is being moved to a shared cell with Captain Qwark, a former leader of the Galactic Rangers. Shiv is a fan of Qwark and tells him that a "hologame" is being made about Qwark's last adventure. Wanting to be noticed, Qwark agrees to share his story.

On planet Veldin, Ratchet, a young Lombax who works as a mechanic, dreams of becoming a Ranger. He passes all the Ranger tests but is not accepted because of his past criminal record. Meanwhile, on planet Quartu, Chairman Alonzo Drek of the Blarg, with the help of Dr. Nefarious, an evil scientist thought to be dead, builds a mechanical army. A broken robot escapes using a stolen ship and crashes on Veldin. Ratchet saves the robot, names him "Clank," and offers to take him to the Ranger Headquarters on planet Kerwan. When they arrive, they find that Drek and the Blarg have already attacked Kerwan. Ratchet and Clank stop an attack on the Hall of Heroes by stopping a train loaded with explosives. As a reward, Qwark allows them to join the Rangers. As new Rangers, they fight many battles against the Blarg, but Qwark becomes jealous of Ratchet's growing popularity.

Qwark organizes a mission to attack Quartu. The mission is successful, and the Rangers learn from Drek's files that the Blarg plan to use the Deplanetizer, a weapon created by Nefarious, to destroy planets and build a new home for the Blarg. The next target is Novalis. Qwark goes to talk to Drek while the other Rangers fight outside the Deplanetizer. Ratchet enters the Deplanetizer to stop it but is captured by Drek. Ratchet discovers that Qwark has been secretly helping Drek and Nefarious. Drek traps Ratchet in an escape pod and sends him into space as Novalis is destroyed.

After Qwark's betrayal, the Rangers lose confidence and refuse to fight Drek for weeks. Ratchet returns to Veldin and decides to quit. Clank convinces him to stay, revealing that the next target is planet Umbris. Clank explains that Umbris' destruction will harm many other worlds because of a special orbital event. Ratchet realizes Nefarious planned this to destroy the galaxy. Ratchet returns to the Rangers, wins a race, and gets a Holo-Guise to look like Qwark. He uses it to enter the Deplanetizer and plans to disable the gravity stabilizer so the Rangers can move the Deplanetizer away from Umbris.

Qwark confronts Drek for breaking his promise to protect the Rangers. Nefarious mocks Qwark for betraying the Rangers and turns Drek into a sheep before sending him into space. Ratchet disables the gravity stabilizer and defeats Qwark in a fight. Qwark admits he was wrong and names Ratchet as the new Ranger commander. Before they can stop Nefarious, he tries to fire the Deplanetizer. The Rangers use magnets to move the Deplanetizer away from Umbris. Nefarious tries to destroy the galaxy by flying his mech into a star, but Ratchet stops him. The Deplanetizer breaks apart, and Ratchet, Clank, and Qwark escape just in time.

In the present, Qwark and Shiv Helix are picking trash near the Hall of Heroes. Qwark looks at a statue of himself and is greeted by Ratchet and Clank. Shiv steals a gun, destroys patrol bots, takes Ratchet's ship, and escapes. As Ratchet and Clank prepare to chase him, Ratchet asks Qwark if he wants to join them. Qwark agrees.

Development

Ratchet & Clank was announced during Sony's press conference at E3 2014. Insomniac Games' studios in California and North Carolina worked together to create the game. Many developers from the first game, including Brian Allgeier, who had been a design director for a long time, returned to help with the remake. The game was first planned to release in 2015 but was delayed until 2016 to match the movie's release. On January 11, 2016, it was confirmed that the game would be released in Europe in April 2016.

The game was developed at the same time as the movie and used the same character designs, settings, animations, and some story elements. For example, Insomniac would send Rainmaker a 3D character model or environment, and Rainmaker would send Insomniac a slightly changed version for the game, ensuring the game and movie looked the same. Most of the elements in the movie and game were adjusted by both teams, and in some cases, Insomniac tried to recreate movie scenes exactly in the game. The movie and game used the same tools to adjust colors.

Unlike the original Ratchet & Clank, the remake ran at a frame rate of 30 frames per second. On March 31, 2021, the game was updated to run at 60 frames per second when played on PlayStation 5 through compatibility with older systems. Players who pre-ordered the game received access to an extra weapon, the Bouncer, which appeared in Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal. On April 15, 2024, the game received an update that made the Bouncer available to all players as part of the game's 8th anniversary.

Reception

According to the review aggregation website Metacritic, Ratchet & Clank received "generally favorable reviews."

Chris Carter of Destructoid praised the characters, pacing, and varied gameplay, stating he would welcome future Ratchet & Clank games after previously believing the series had lost its energy. Spencer Campbell of Electronic Gaming Monthly summarized his thoughts: "Ratchet & Clank is a return to form for the series, but anyone looking for something more than that may be disappointed. The game repeats the fun parts from the original, but some slower, less active sections slow it down."

Game Informer's Andrew Reiner especially praised the game's visuals, noting the amount of action on the screen and the designs of the environments. While he thought the soundtrack was "quite good," he found some of the dialogue "cringe inducing." Reiner had positive comments about the gameplay, with his only criticism being that sections not focused on fast-paced action disrupted the game's flow. Ultimately, he said he "couldn't put the game down."

Game Revolution's Jeb Haught gave the game a positive review, praising the "outstanding" visuals, "funny" storyline, "addictive" gameplay, and "intuitive" controls. Cassidee Moser of GameSpot cited the humor, gameplay variety, weapons and gadgets, controls, and graphics as positives but criticized the story for feeling "under-developed."

Lucas Sullivan from GamesRadar summarized his review: "Despite some odd connections to the film, this is a beautiful, thoroughly great platformer and a worthy reboot for Ratchet & Clank." IGN's Marty Sliva wrote: "Ratchet & Clank is a culmination of everything Insomniac has done with the series over the past 14 years." Sliva praised the "absolutely gorgeous" visuals, "rewarding" upgrading systems, "charming" story, and "creative" weapons.

Philip Kollar for Polygon wrote: "I'd stop short of saying the new Ratchet & Clank is exactly what every fan of the series wants. It has fewer planets and weapons than previous games, but the variety and quality make it a strong reboot. It should please longtime fans and attract new ones as well."

VideoGamer.com's Tom Orry summarized his review: "Ratchet & Clank is an easy recommendation. It's great fun, looks lovely, plays well, and feels refreshing compared to typical video game releases. Newcomers may find it more familiar than expected, but fans will appreciate what Insomniac has done. A successful remake in a series that rarely makes mistakes."

During the 20th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences awarded Ratchet & Clank with "Family Game of the Year."

Ratchet & Clank became the best-selling retail game in the UK during its release week. Its sales in the first week tripled those of A Crack in Time, the previous record holder. The remake debuted at No. 1 on the retail software sales chart and was the best-selling title on the PlayStation Store in Europe. On April 29, 2016, it was announced that Ratchet & Clank was the fastest-selling title in the series. It reached No. 1 on the Australian charts during its release week and became the second best-selling game in the U.S. in April, both at retail and on the PlayStation Store. This made it the best launch for any game in the Ratchet & Clank series. NPD Group analyst Liam Callahan noted that these sales marked a return to success for the franchise not seen since the height of the PlayStation 2 era. In the December 2023 Insomniac Games data breach, it was revealed that the game sold 7 million units, becoming the best-selling title in the franchise.