Ratchet and Clank Review – PlayStation 4

The latest title from developer Insomniac Games comes as a PlayStation 4 exclusive. This time around, the development team brings to life – on Sony’s latest console – two of gaming’s most iconic characters, Ratchet and Clank. That’s right, the dynamic duo has made a triumphant return in one of the most charming and visually stunning adventures yet.

Essentially a reboot of the dynamic duo’s first adventure – which was originally launched in 2002 on the PlayStation 2, the latest title sees the world famous Lombrax (Ratchet) and his defect war-bot counter-part (Clank) set out on an epic adventure – which has been completely rebuilt from the ground up for the PlayStation 4 – in order to save the universe from the evil Chairman Drek and his band of quirky follows as well as battle it out against a hero they once looked up to.

When it comes to the storyline, Ratchet and Clank sticks to the original script; however, the creative team at Insomniac Games have added in some rather hilarious additions to said script, as well as a few comical surprises.  This can be seen when the duo interacts with familiar characters – which include the likes of Captain Qwark and The Plumber – from the original classic. It’s genuinely heart-warming to watch the story unfold as the team, as well as supporting characters, begin to build a bond not only within the cut-scenes, but also during gameplay.

While Ratchet and Clank is the ultimate nostalgia trip for older gamers – who had the opportunity to play the original – it also offers younger gamers the opportunity to experience a true classic when it comes to the world of gaming.

As Ratchet and Clank has been rebuilt from the ground up, it’s great to see the return of the familiar combat system as well as the out of this world weaponry. The hyper-violent, yet comical, Mr Zurkon makes combat a blast with his rather aggressive, yet comical, one-liners. In addition to Mr Zurkon the game includes some rather creative weaponary with one of my [personal favourites being the Pixeliser. The game also features a solid and easy-to-use upgrade system. To add to the features, weapons also level up the more you use them. This allows players to switch through each weapon and power-up the ones they use the most first.

While Ratchet and Clank does feature a rather charming cast, as well as some visually inspiring set pieces… I couldn’t help but feel that some of the worlds featured in the game were slightly more barren than others. Some areas of the game pelted you with enemies left, right and centre, while others threw the occasional enemy at the player, which made them less appealing to revisit than others. Granted, each world has set challenges, but apart from collecting the gold bolt, these felt underwhelming when it came to exploration.

One of my favourite challenges in Ratchet and Clank was the hoverboard races. While these were exhilarating at the the start… the minimal number of tracks made it feel underused, which made the exhilarating racing spectacle come to a rather disappointing end fairly quickly.

Conclusion:
Ratchet and Clank is a super title. It is one of the best looking games on the PlayStation 4, at the moment, and quite honestly a pleasure to play. Combat is intense and the set-pieces are strikingly beautiful.

While Ratchet and Clank is a true gem, it’s just unfortunate that some of the worlds that the duo visit seem barren and offer little to do. To add to this, one major highlight which was the hoverboard races ended rather abruptly.

Overall, Ratchet and Clank is the ultimate nostalgia trip on the PlayStation, and well-worth adding to your gaming collection.

Score: 90/100

Ratchet and Clank was reviewed by Darryl Linington on the PlayStation 4
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