Review of Ratchet and Clank (2016 remake)

If we were wiser then

Reader,

So this game I have an unusual relationship with for various reasons. When I first heard of it’s announcement casually by Sony Computer Entertainment president Andrew House at E3 2014 I wasn’t particularly sure what to make of it.

No joke, it was just a brief mention by the head on stage and was quickly brushed aside by more interesting projects at the venue. At this point of time I had just finished my first year in secondary school and was in the middle of saving up for my PlayStation 4, which was approaching the end of its first year on the market.

I should say as well as that as a then clueless 13 year old, I was more so interested in the more mature offering’s available. Especially since talk about Uncharted 4 (a series I was acquainted with the year prior when I first played Uncharted 3) and it’s teaser during the event obviously took more attention from media personnel who were attending the event.

Now I will say that for covering 10, count them, ten different games in this series since I started writing about them in April, that our topic of discussion today was the hard one for me.

As I’ve probably already said, the reason why I skipped out on both Deadlocked and Full Frontal Assault for this marathon was mainly down to the fact that neither particularly contributed much in terms of the overarching narrative of the series. Even smaller titles like All 4 One and Nexus did just that.

But if that’s the case, why am I talking about a remake, that’s based on a 2016 CGI animated film, that’s based on a 2002 video game for the PlayStation 2?

Well I guess the best way to find out why exactly, we might as well cover the preproduction behind this little project.

Just a heads up before we go further: since this is indeed a remake of a preexisting game, similarities are going to be drawn between the original most definitely. And because of not wanting to repeat myself, I wanted to set myself a challenge.

Let’s compare and contrast what this small little side project from a developed team has when put up against it’s older brother. The structure will remain the same as normal only. I’ll also be then comparing it to the orginal near the end of each section.

Okay? Okay. Let’s begin.

Preproduction: Back to square one

So just a few short months before Into the Nexus’ quite reveal, a teaser was placed on the official PlayStation YouTube account in about January of 2013 announcing the creation of a Ratchet and Clank film with the newly set up PlayStation Originals team in conjunction with Rainmaker Studios and Obsidian Entertainment.

At the time, I adored this news. And I will admit that I annoyed one of my friends so much because I never shutted up about it.

Now for those familiar with the state of “films that are based on video games”, especially at the time this was announced why I was so hyped for it.

Mainly because, a key trait that a lot of video game films even to this day have in common is being unfaithful to the source material. Films like Super Mario Bros, Max Payne and the various Resident Evil films all suffer from no sense of identity with what made the original so fun.

What Ratchet and Clank’s film debut was doing differently however was that not only would T.J Fixman, the lead writer for the series up until this point be writing the script for the film, and that the film would be entirely made using computer graphics but most impressively, Ratchet, Clank and Quark’s original actors would be reprising their roles for the film.

Not much was originally known about this project (minus a brief teaser that basically served as a 2 minute short) aside from the fact that it was aiming for a spring 2015 release window.

I should mention as well that at this time during the 2010s, Insomniac was in the middle of experimenting a lot with what their creative teams across California and North Carolina could do.

They stopped developing the Resistance series after it’s third installment in 2011 (which originally ran side by side Ratchet since 2006), went multiplatform for the first time on both the PS3 and Xbox 360 with EA for Overstrike (later released as FUSE).

Then that same year it was announced their next original project, Sunset Overdrive would be a Xbox One exclusive when it launched in 2015, at a time when the console was the most…. Er…. second most laughed at console of the decade ahead of the Wii U and the ill-fated Ouya console (don’t judge me, when else was I gonna have a moment to talk about it?)

And then, their next project after that was Song of the Deep, a multiplatform deal that was struck with Gamestop for 2017, they finally got their big break by working closely with Marvel Games for a original Spider-Man game the following year (which I loved, another review for another time) in between several smaller games for Facebook’s Oculus VR headsets as well as for Android and IOS devices.

So yeah. Very busy.

Now the reason I mostly rambled on there for a bit is because, well, not much can be said about the 2016 remake. I think it largely comes down to once more, “hey we want to make a new R&C game”, especially since the PlayStation 4 wasn’t natively backwards compatible with PS3 games.

And so, with a combination of both their California and NC studios, as well as Brian Alleger and Fixman returning as Creative Director and Lead Writer once more, the game was finally released in 2016 at a discounted €40 compared to the usual €60.

Why might that be? Well why don’t we first delve into the story to find that out first.

Story: Deja Q All Over Again

On the planet of Kerwan, it’s most secure prison is in the middle of a subject transfer thanks to one Shive Helix.

As it turns out though, the prisoner has been very fortunate as his new cellmate happens to be none other than Captain Qwark. While enjoying many of the pleasures that comes with being a high ranking inmate, the pair start bouncing off of one another about Shiv’s desire to one day be caught by the Captain and Qwark wondering about the way things are since his imprisonment.

In particular though, Helix mentions that he preordered the new Ratchet and Clank holo-game that’s essentially about the events of the upcoming holo-film as well. With Quark having a very appropriate and further straining the fourth wall quote:

“They’re making a game, based on a movie, based on my life?! But they haven’t even consolidated me!”

Reminiscing over his lost chance of telling the “real” story behind his downfall, Shiv decides to humor him and listens to what the Captain has to say.

Before going any further, since this is an abridged retelling of a film, while it still has many of the scenes from the source material, it does also edit some encounters and setups to be more… “gamey” so to speak.

That’s further heightened by the fact that clips from the film are also interjected at regular intervals to add to that as well. But thankfully there’s just as many in-engine cutscenes as well so don’t worry too much.

Back to the story though. On planet Veldin, a young Lombax by the name of Ratchet attempts to sneak out of his garage due to a tryout for the Galactic Rangers happening near his and his guardian, Grim’s home.

While he is able to make it to the event and pass the tryouts, he’s ultimately barred from becoming a member of the Rangers for his lack of strength, dangerous tinkering skills and Quark’s ego.

The same time that happens though, on the Blarg homeworld of Quartu, one Chairman Alonzo Drek is chatting up with his lead scientist another one Dr. Nefarious about their battle plans for the new Blarg world.

In between an inspection of the Blarg’s warbot army they spot a robot defect among the conveyor belt who avoids being blown up by both the automated security system as well as Drek’s personal Lieutenant Victor.

While escaping, the defect’s escape pod is shot by Victor and though intending to warn the Rangers ends up crashing on Veldin, with a mournful Ratchet noticing him and saving him before the pod self-destructs.

After being brought back to Ratchet’s garage, the defect (now nicknamed Clank because of his broken leg that Clanks a lot) informs the Lombax about his escape. Seeing an opportunity to join the Ranger’s again, Ratchet eagerly agrees to help take him to them.

Just in time too, as by the time they eventually arrive at the Rangers HQ on Kerwan’s Aleero City, Drek has already launched a full scale assault. But with the help of Ratchet’s piloting skills, they’re able to stop Drek’s invasion and Quark, now in front of a crowd of amazed onlookers, is forced to make Ratchet and Clank their new recruits.

Through some basic training like infiltrating two Blarg research stations (one a massive bio-lab testing a Blargian Snagglebeast, the other on Planet Gasper showcasing Nefarious’ brand new jetpacks) and the duo eventually stop a Blarg invasion on the Ranger outpost on the planet Batalia and regroup to discuss the next plan.

Jetpack on hand, the pair, Quark and fellow members Cora and Braux invade Quartu but just miss Drek as he heads off to try and blow up Novalis, a densely populated planet as part of his ongoing scheme to create a new homeworld for the Blarg.

While the attack does do some good, like Clank taking out Victor personally, it ultimately ends up failing with Ratchet being kicked into a nearby escape pod, after learning that Quark defected to the Blarg in the background.

Novalis is obliterated and feeling responsible, Ratchet ends up going home to Veldin where he decides to hang up his space suit. That is until Clank, reminding him about Quark’s betrayal and the galaxy needing the pair now or never, has him back on board.

As part of his plan, Drek intends on taking advantage of a rare orbital convergence, essentially wiping out the galaxy in one shot. And after one quick stop on the Gadgetron homeworld Kalebo III to pick up a holo-guise, they alongside the remaining Rangers plan one more assault on Drek’s deplanetizer.

While that happens, Quark is confronted by former Ranger member Nefarious after he complains to the Chairman about his promise to leave the Galactic Rangers alone.

With Quark out of the limelight, Nefarious uses the opportunity to turn on Drek, (by literally turning him into a sheep) and ejecting the Blarg turned sheep into outer space.

Using his new holo-guise to pose as Quark, Ratchet sneaks on board the Deplanetizer and sabotages its main power source.

Once done, the real Quark shows up and attempts to take Ratchet out personally but ultimately sees the error of his ways, and agrees to help Ratchet take down Nefarious.

And eventually after taking out both Nefarious and the station as a whole, the three are just barely able to escape the station in time.

In the present, Quark is greeted by the pair during one of his mandatory clean up duties just as Helix has the idea of stealing Ratchet’s ship. Naturally they plan on chasing after the criminal but not before offering the imprisoned hero the chance to help them. With Quark agreeing happily.

So uh… <sigh> this one, if we’re talking about the story, isn’t very good.

Now it could be entirely because this is meant to be a much shorter look at the film’s plot which was already based on the original game as it is. But because of that, this story doesn’t feel all too compelling.

I think probably one of the most controversial changes made in this series comes especially with how Ratchet is portrayed in this remake as opposed to the original. Both Clank and Quark remain as calculated and heart felt as well as egotistical and idiotic characters we know them as but our familar lombax this time around is portrayed as more… childlike to say the least.

In the original game, we didn’t exactly know much about why Ratchet wanted off of Veldin beyond the thrill of adventure. We could assume it was down to the dry landscape and being stuck on the surface for most of his life but I don’t think it was ever specifically mentioned why, just as a means for his pairing with Clank to make sense.

Here though, were shown his enthusiasm for wanting to join the Galactic Rangers, especially since (as it’s alluded to in a radio news flash heard in the background of Grimm’s Garage) Drek’s new homeworld plan is said to already be in full swing, where in the original Ratchet learns of the scheme just as he launches his first invasion.

Now for long-time fans in the series, this change in character was somewhat controversial. And I also believe this was at the focus of a new desire given to Insomniac when creating this remake. And it’s a factor that many fans of long running franchises dread:

Appealing to newcomers. (Dun, dun, dun!)

So what do I mean by that? Well not only do we have a complete 180 of Ratchet’s character but also in how he reacts to his environment.

One of the biggest advocates against this change on YouTube, TheGamingBrit, highlights that in the first conversation Ratchet has with Al. Both serve the same purpose of giving Clank his helipack upgrade on Planet Kerwan.

2002 original:

Clank: Ratchet, that’s the man we saw on the infobot. Remember? He knows Captain Qwark!

Ratchet: Hey, you’re that robot guy, right?

Al: No, actually I build robots. I myself am not a robot guy per se. (chuckles)

Ratchet: Nerd.

Clank: I like him.

2016 remake:

Ratchet: Holy cow! I’ve died and gone to nerd heaven! Look at this — they have “My Blaster Runs Hot.”, “Fongoid with a Stick.”, “Speero the Space Moose.” They even have the Mega-Limited Ultra Edition of “Intransigence: Fall of Blarg!”

Al: That one comes with exclusive content if you preordered through Gadgetron! I take it you’re the one Corra called me about? The ones in need of a new helipack upgrade?

There’s a bit more fluff in between both of these scenes about character relations but in general, you can see the contrast between the two versions can’t you?

I do think though personally, and this will likely be seen as a controversial opinion by my peers, that I don’t mind this take on the character. His attitude may be far off the original’s snark but, if we’re comparing this version next to his Nexus counterpart, the much nicer character makes him better since he cracks jokes and actually shows emotion.

I know referencing the other games isn’t the aim of this lookback but I don’t see people talking about the contrast between these two interpretations so I felt like giving it a swing.

And plus let’s be honest, now that both the original trilogy and the Future saga are now in the past (that joke was way too easy to make, I know) there aren’t going to be as many people, especially kids born in the early 2010s who likely owned a PS3 before a PS4. So overall, focusing on new players for me, isn’t a bad decision.

Back to the main story, I think over the original there is an element of patchwork through how the narrative is weaved throughout. The writers do their best to tie in with the film by adding their own spin but I feel in some regards it could have been done a bit better.

I do remember hearing though that due to multiple script rewrites enforced by the director of the film that they had to keep this ambiguity clear to them without needing to alter the project’s story all too much but it still feels very disjointed if we’re just talking about the game by itself, which I am.

But hey, hearing the story told primarily from Quark’s perspective does explain many of the differences between this and the film. Since he’s always had the reputation of being an unreliable figure I think it ties in well with the events inspired from Rainmakers’ project.

The scene after Novalis’ destruction also got me interested as we actually see Quark reflect on his desperation for fame, both in the film clip they use and in the in-game cutscene preceding it.

I don’t think Quark has genuinely felt sorry for anything he’s done, minus the pity that he throws at his feet in previous games so it was nice to actually see him actually acknowledge what his recklessness cost him.

Even if it doesn’t explain why he still sticks around with Drek and after Nefarious is shown to be the real mastermind behind the operation. Maybe he thought he was too far gone or something.

My only major concern with the plot overall is the fact that despite being in the title, Clank is largely brushed aside when talking about the story. Sure you could argue the original had that issue too but I felt that his commitment to stay beside Ratchet even after his turn as a jerk in the second third of the story was way more interesting.

He still gets his moments in this game like taking out Victor single handedly and obviously getting the plot going like the original but aside from motivating Ratchet near the end of the adventure, his impact is either largely forgotten or not important to the steps Ratchet makes at becoming a hero.

And with a game called “Ratchet and Clank”, I think they could have further placed an emphasis on why their connection matters, especially for a remake that applies to new fans. There’s never a moment where these two argue in the story which for a buddy story is probably the key ingredient out of them all.

Take Toy Story for example, I know I’m going on a divergent when I say this but just hear me out. In the original film from 1997 if Woody didn’t feel threatened by Buzz’s popularity and Buzz not calling out Woody’s attempt at getting rid of him, I don’t think it would have made their eventual teamup all the more impactful.

It’s fine if you’re doing it with established characters but for a reboot, especially one on brand new hardware I’d expect the team to give their new fans a reason to care about why our duo like each other more than “they just do”.

Okay, rant over, sorry. Let’s talk about the presentation now.

Presentation: Alien and alive

So with the jump to a brand new system more powerful than it’s predecessor, how does this game take advantage of the new hardware?

Well if we’re talking looks, pretty spectacularly.

One of the main comments I hear when people talk about the remake’s looks is the fact that it’s essentially a Pixar film brought to a video game format. And that praise is warranted I will say.

Almost all of the world’s presented from the original make the transition over to a gorgeous new makeover with a lot more colour that makes them pop out in the environment.

That’s not to say the original was colourless but this just feels far more alive in its overall looks.

The music I’m not too sure of though unfortunately.

This is another controversial issue you usually hear people talk about when comparing the two games mainly to the different styles at play in both. So let’s compare quickly.

Michael Bross from Into the Nexus scores this game’s soundtrack and like before it’s… decent I guess. I know I sound like a broken record at this point but apart from the main theme of the game, I can’t remember any specific tracks at the top of my head. Except for the Veldin theme as well as a track played in the aftermath of an encounter on Planet Rilgar.

Although one of the pieces does have a leitmotif throwback to the theme of Metropolis from Tools of Destruction which definitely warmed my heart. It’s only the first 2 or so bars of the piece and I can’t remember where it can be triggered (during my first playthrough I heard it briefly on Planet Gaspar then in Metropolis during my playthrough for this review) but it’s the thought that counts.

Now when compared to the original’s music composed by former series veteran David Bergeaud, this is easily very unique but also, not that good as a soundtrack. I get the vibe of more, not so much hip-hop, but certainly bouncy tracks with planets like Novalis and Rilgar.

However, one issue that I don’t think I mentioned in my initial review of the title was that all of the tracks felt very formalegic. Every track slowly has a small 4 bar or so built up section, essentially representing Ratchet stepping onto the Planet’s surface before building up to the main chunk of the theme. And I think on paper, this sounds excellent.

However, whenever you restart from a checkpoint, the music naturally restarts when the game eventually reloads. Meaning if you find yourself stuck in a death loop due to the ok combination of platforming and gunplay by today’s standards, you’ll often hear that same small build up to the main piece very often.

To be fair, not every track in the score does this and it’s also an issue that could be pointed out with the soundtracks for 2 and 3 as well, but it feels more prominent in the original because of the “first game in the franchise” syndrum I defined not too long ago.

So for the remake we have an unoriginal but pleasant sounding score but for the original we have a more unique score but not to everyone’s tastes. Really, I don’t mind either and so should you. They have their merits and I think both are equally good.

Right, I think that covers the presentation. How about the gameplay?

Gameplay: Age before beauty

Okay, I’m going to say it right now. If you want to get into this series for the gameplay and could only choose these two, go with the remake.

And with that established, let’s explore why that’s the case.

Now, I should say that the level layouts and planets remain largely the same as each other. With the exception of some planets being removed or altered either for the sake of the story or because of the remake, they’re still mostly the same levels at the end of the day.

So when I replayed the original for this review, I knew there were aspects about the platforming that I didn’t like which I couldn’t really explain at the time. And I think I can do so now by essentially comparing Ratchet’s movement in the 2002 original to being like controlling a puppet on an invisible pair of strings.

And by that, I mean that whether it be something during a full 360 turn away from the camera to jumping after a walk, there always felt like a small but significant delay in Ratchet performing the action. The jumping in particular felt very floaty, which while usual for a platformer, also felt like it cut off a large part of your momentum if you’re trying to make a small hop and skip across a tiny gap.

But with the remake, none of those control problems are there.

This is easily the tightest Ratchet’s ever been to control with him not only jumping and moving in the air more natural, but even with turning around on the spot, something that essentially felt like doing a small donut on the ground in the original, feels like a screw being loosened exceedingly fast with the remake.

Although, this is largely down to the fact that Insomniac had nearly 15 years to pioneer the controls for Ratchet while the original had to figure it all out by itself, but the point still goes to the remake.

The weapons are a bit harder to nail down though. With the exception of two brand new weapons, (the Pixliser, a shotgun like weapon that briefly turns your enemies into 8-bit sprites and the Proton Drum, a AOE ball that repeatedly damages your opponent overtime), all of the weapons from the previous games are reused in some form or another.

Meaning if you’ve gotten a bit sick of the Combustor, Fusion Grenade, Warmonger, Mr. Zurkon or Pyrocitor then you’re out of luck. And I won’t lie when I say that while I think those weapons are iconic to the series at this point, they’ve been reused so many times up until this point that it made me wish if they could come up with no ideas for the pistol, grenade, rocket launcher archetypes.

Now compared to the original, much like the platforming, the weapons feel very experimental with their usage, with most not hitting the mark.

Let’s compare the Combustor and Blaster as an example. While the Combustor doesn’t have as quick of a firing rate as the Blaster, it does have better accuracy overall thanks to the games targeting system.

The original does have a lock on system as well as a first person mode for better accuracy but I don’t think stopping deadstill in a firefight or blasting and praying that one of your bullets hits its mark, yeah you kind of see the problem.

Another point to the remake also comes in how they use the D-pad as an extension of combat.

Gadgets still return as a breakup from combat like the Hyrdodisplacer, Trespasser, Gravity and Grind Boots but with the former two ability to not have them take up a slot on your quick select wheel unlike the original. And now the D-pad, which was essentially used as a separate control option in the original, now serves as an easier quick select wheel.

The standard Quick Select mapped to Triangle is still there but you can now also assign 4 different weapons to the inputs of the D-pad, without needing to pause the game to do so.

Really, like I said at the start of this section, the remake is the way to go if you’re just looking for good gameplay. Although there is one small sequence in this title that is somehow worse in the original.

So on Planet Rilgar, one of the paths used in both games will take you below the planet’s sewer system. With the only way to get back to the surface being through a small switch that unleashes a torrent of sewer water.

In the original, this sequence was very interesting from a platforming mind because it forced you to try and outrun the rising water, with those who can’t, drowning as a result (the O2 mask is introduced much later after this sequence so it makes sense why it’s not made available earlier).

The remake however, still has the same sequence that you need to escape from or risk drowning but there’s two major issues with this over the original.

No, not the ameboid enemies that swarm the platforms, seemingly lacking no perception of the rising water but the speed of the water itself for one.

The water rises much faster than the original unless you’re quick footed and also doesn’t help that you’re likely to get stunned by a chombing Ameboid while focusing on the bigger threat.

And there’s the last sequence of the escape. In the original, there’s a small walk path where the rising water essentially cuts off and you’re able to make it back up to the surface no problem.

In the remake though, for some goddamn reason, there’s a massive cylinder that all the rising water is moving towards!

Now I understand that this was done to make the chase much more urgent, especially the change in camera angles near the end of the sequence. But again, with the faster water and Amoeboids, it makes it so that if you don’t nail a no-damage run during this climb that you’ll surely drown.

As an example, when I played the original for this review, I managed to pass this chase on my first. In the remake though, it took me at least 5 attempts get it right thanks to that stupid cylinder thing near the end! And I honestly don’t think this sequence would sting as much if it weren’t a remake of a near 20 year old game, that got it down right the first time!

But yeah, minus that small gripe, remake still gets the point.

Conclusion: The end of memory lane…

So yes, despite what some of my colleagues in the Ratchet and Clank fandom would have to say about this game, I enjoyed it. It does have it’s issues in regards to the largely just bad storytelling but it’s still a great game to play.

But, if I had only the option of choosing these two games from my list, which would I choose? Well, the remake is still a no-brainer for me.

It’s more readily available thanks to the PS4’s success and it being playable on the PS5 too, looks incredible, plays excellently, still not the greatest narrative out there, but most definitely worth your time over the original. Doubly so, if this is your introduction to the series.

Epilogue: The adventures of Lombax and Robot continue

So with the remake’s inherent success, you think there’d be a lot of attention given to it.

Well, seeing how this is the generation where no franchises like Horizon and Ghost of Tshiuma took most people’s attention and returning franchises such as Uncharted and God of War making a massive boom in popularity, that wasn’t the case.

But since last year, there’s been hope.

4 years after the release of the remake and nearly 20 after the original’s publication, during the reveal event for the PlayStation 5 system, a brand new Ratchet and Clank was announced and briefly shown at the event. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart.

Despite the lack of a subtle crude joke, this game looks to be the duo’s grand return to the spotlight, especially for new fans. Why’s that? Well let me explain.

First, it’s a continuation of the original timeline of the series (not the remake), Secondly two of the oldest cliffhangers in the series up until this point, (Nefarious’ disappearance after All 4 One and the Dimensonator from Into the Nexus) will both be answered in this installment and on top of that, alternate dimension versions of classic planets like Sargasso and Torren IV.

And that’s not including the fact that not only are our duo separated because of the dimension shenanigans but also the introduction of a new female lombax in the form of Rivet.

I don’t want to delve too deep into my thoughts, at the risk of making them seem very outdated in a few days from now, but despite my worry of the series repeating itself, with returning planets and faces (especially after a remake), so far it looks incredible.

It’s coming out this friday as well (as of editing) and while I won’t be giving my thoughts on this entry in the same month it comes out (I want to experience it for myself without feeling the need to rush my enjoyment for a review), you can bet that I’ll give my thoughts on it when I can.

And that’s pretty much it with this lookback so far. I don’t really have any major plans for my website in the near future, minus some short stories that I’ve been looking to do and possibly upload some time and small reviews of titles I’ll be looking at for my novel over the summer but so far, I’m pretty easy for running this site.

But with that said, thank you very much for joining me on this journey if you have, and I’ll be sure to see you another time!

First drafted May 8th 2021

Last edited June 8th 2021