Hands-on: Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time
I've always admired Ratchet & Clank from a distance. While none of the games have clicked with me, I do recognize -- and would recommend -- the series as a reputable, go-to option for anyone interested in family-friendly, action titles. (Having spent more time playing Insomniac's Resistance games than its Ratchet & Clanks, I'd still cite the latter as the studio's best work.) My initial impression of Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time is that the fifth sequel is on par with its predecessors, if not outdoing them through technical and visual improvements.
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At E3, I played around in a non-linear level in which the main task was to eliminate a series of sub-bosses scattered around the environment (like the Hydra Tank pictured at top). The level was layered with optional, exploratory sections that required somewhat-skilled use of Ratchet's zippy hover boots, used to launch off of ramps or grind along hanging cables to secret locations. There was another, AI-controlled lombax (Ratchet's species) hopping and flipping about the world. Community manager James Stevenson explained that this was General Alistair Azimuth, a Jedi Master-looking lombax, who is partnered up with Ratchet for at least part of the adventure. The traditional sidekick, Clank, is still kidnapped (from the last game), and players will spend some time as the sentient robot trying to sort out his predicament.
As Stevenson continued to delve further into the plot outline, I quickly became confused by the web of alien words: "Zoni" and "Agorian" and "Obisidian Eye" -- and so on ... What was clear was that A Crack in Time will complete the Tools of Destruction story arc, revealing elements of Ratchet's mysterious past (via Gen. Azimuth) and the true fate of the lombax, along the way. While I can't vouch for the significance of these revelations, I could appreciate that Insomniac had gone with a new, more cel-shaded visual filter to enhance the "CG movie" (Stevenson's words) motif the studio is attempting to mimic. The game looks like you're playing inside a blockbuster, animated feature, and, ideally, the improved animations and visual enhancements will translate into greater emotional attachment to the characters and narrative.
Of course, these storytelling goals are moot without a solid, core gameplay experience. Thankfully, that's what Ratchet & Clank has always done best and is poised to do again. A Crack in Time is paced with a variety of gameplay scenarios; from the open-world level I played to linear action-platforming segments to time-manipulating puzzles. Anything that could be considered mundane, third-person shooting is made exciting by new additions to the series patented line of off-the-wall weapons, including the Sonic Eruptor (an actual creature with a devastating mating call), the Plasma Striker (a sniper rifle/crossbow that identifies enemy weak points), and the Cryomine Glove (used to toss freezing mines, of course). I also got a look at a new gadget, the Omnisoaker, which inhales any liquid in the world and reproduces an unlimited supply for use as a weapon or distraction -- a few, well-placed globs of nectar will buy Ratchet enough time to sneak past a deadly swarm of tetramites, for example.
By contrast, Clank's levels will focus more on cerebral puzzles. I was shown several that required the player to use "time pods" to record and playback overlapping Clanks, each performing a necessary action in a switch-activation puzzle. The puzzles became increasingly complex, requiring players to overwrite and rerecord more and more Clanks, culminating in one example that Insomniac confirmed was for testing purposes only. Still, expect to see Clank vying for more playtime than ever in A Crack in Time.
Admittedly, I'm not the foremost scholar of Ratchet & Clank lore, but I know a good game when I see one. So consider one seen.
Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time is scheduled for release in Fall 2009.
