Game Review--Ratchet And Clank (PS4)

"Blaming yourself and taking responsibility are two very different things."
--Clank, Ratchet & Clank (2016)


The Ratchet & Clank series does not have the same contemporary popularity as Sony's God of War and Uncharted franchises, but it has still received some relatively recent attention thanks to the 2016 game that bears the exact name of the series.  A reboot and reimagining of the original 2002 title, the PS4 Ratchet & Clank game is an amalgam of excellence, mediocrity, and incompetence: different aspects of the game possess wildly different levels of quality.  This becomes apparent within the first few "levels" (planets), but there are still potential reasons to try the game regardless of this inconsistency.

Production Values

The production values of this PS4 reboot are quite mixed, as the visuals are stellar (with some very occasional frame rate drops), but the dialogue and characterization are weak at best.  Since the game is affiliated with a 2016 movie of the same name, the story of the former is confined to that of the film.  The overlap is more significant than some might expect.  Some of the cutscenes in the game are actual scenes from the movie--the uniqueness of this overlap does not excuse the poor quality of the writing, but it is an achievement that few, if any, other games have reached.

One of the worst aspects of the writing is the sheer lack of depth in the characters.  Only a single character actually has a somewhat overt arc over the course of the game, and he is a side character who mostly shows up in scattered cutscenes.  Neither Ratchet nor Clank grows because their starting points leave them with no specific weaknesses or flaws for them to identify or overcome.  The two characters that should have received the most attention on a storytelling level make it through the entire game with their personalities, worldviews, and behaviors essentially remaining static.  Not even the attempts at comedy truly salvage the characterization, but the gameplay does an admirable effort of rescuing the game from utter blandness.

Gameplay

Indeed, it is the combat and (limited) exploration that mark the best aspects of Ratchet & Clank.  The weapons, in contrast to the story, are unique, some of them being new additions to the franchise.  One weapon turns enemies into sheep (this gun, called the Sheepinator, is featured in the animated companion film), while another gun called the Pixelator literally turns enemies into pixelated forms that can be obliterated in a burst of pixels.  A flamethrower, rocket launcher, disco ball, and grenade model are among the other combat options, so there is an abundance of variety.

Platforming elements do periodically appear in the course of finishing the main story, as do vehicle sections, but both take an obvious backseat to the emphasis on action.  There are also set pieces where Clank must navigate an environment on his own, using other bots for various purposes (like forming bridges or powering doors).  While the shooting is a bigger element of the game, some of Clank's puzzles provide a respite from fighting that complements the majority of the gameplay well.  However, there is only a small handful of these sections.  Clank is often situated on Ratchet's back.

For players seeking greater challenges, a new game plus mode is unlocked upon initial completion of the story objectives, which contains a bolt multiplier mechanic, new opportunities for weapon upgrades, and access to all of one's current weapons from the start of the playthrough.  The enemies become tougher, but the additional upgrades are quite useful--although the ability to purchase the "Omega" variations of weapons, a requirement for obtaining those new upgrades, depends on whether players have found all holocards in a specific set.

Story

Some spoilers are below!

An alien named Ratchet meets a small robot called Clank following the latter's escape from a war factory and crash landing, the two of them becoming members of the Space Rangers, a group of galactic pseudo-superheroes led by the consistently selfish and lazy Captain Qwark.  The task at hand is the destruction of a superweapon called the Deplanetizer, which is intended for use by the owner of a dangerous corporation.  Relatively little actually occurs in the story beyond this other than a revelation about a secondary character.


Intellectual Content

There are collectibles for completionists to hunt down, but mandatory puzzles must be completed while playing as Clank during specific parts of the game when he is separated from Ratchet.  These puzzles involve using other robots for specific purposes as mentioned in the gameplay section.  Some of them might require some trial and error on the part of players; not all of them are solvable after several moments of observing the layout of the room and the available robots.


Conclusion

Ratchet & Clank offers excellent gameplay without a quality story to ground it, but the former is all that many players need to enjoy the game.  The weapons, gadgets, and environments are clearly the best parts of this reboot.  While following the plot of the film ultimately limits and hurts the game, it is not as if there is nothing worthwhile in the PS4 version of Ratchet & Clank.


Content:
 1.  Violence:  Some enemy types burst out of existence when killed, but most of the shooting and deaths are bloodless.