Ratchet and Clank are back in a new and epic adventure, this time on Playstation3
Tools of Destruction
Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction is the first installment in the Ratchet and Clank series to land on PS3. Developed by the Insomniac, picks up exactly where the previous title left off; as a genre it could fall into the category "platform-shooting game”Since the highlight of the game is a great variety of strange and exotic weapons.
On its own, the game is of excellent workmanship and very enjoyable but, comparing the features and the continuous novelties of the previous titles such as the new weapons or gadgets available, something suggests to us in some way that the creative vein has gone a little running out and some decisions in the game design approach could make more experienced players turn up their noses, but ultimately this observation does not detract from the general involvement of the game; let's see in order:
Story
Tools of Destruction sees our heroes in the midst of an attack by a massive mechanized army, apparently created for the purpose of killing Ratchet. It turns out that their leader, the Emperor Tachyon, is the last of his kind who was driven out of their universe by the Lombaxes, and since Ratchet is the only one left alive, Tachyon wants to kill him for revenge once per. all. In this chapter Ratchet will also learn a lot of new things about his race and also about his past, while Clank will realize that he is not quite the same as the other Robots. so severe in the past to the point that it has endangered Ratchet's life in the present.
The sense of continuity of the story from the previous chapters is felt enough: the interlude scenes that explain the story are sometimes pre-rendered, other times they use the same game engine but you will have a hard time distinguishing the two types because the quality is really very high. . Unlike the previous chapters, where once a mission was finished a video would appear that would explain the next one, there is a greater variety of things that can happen when you reach certain points in the game, making the immersion in the plot more engaging. There are even some characters that have more types of dialogue that although they do not reach the depth of role-playing games, nevertheless never lead to negative outcomes, but make the dialogue less flat and more original. classic stereotypical characters, but still help to vary the situations in the game experience.
Having played the previous chapters of the series will help you enjoy the plot better and maybe you can also catch some goodies scattered here and there but the game is still accessible and enjoyable even to those approaching the Ratchet and Clank series for the first time.
The ending itself will not reveal all the backstories of the story and will leave you with some why, clearly suggesting that there will be a sequel to the game sooner or later.
gameplay
Tools of Destruction it is very similar in structure to its predecessors, with a gameplay oriented above all to the use of weapons but without the bizarre strategies that could be found in Deadlocked. The series has been and continues to be a mix of platforming elements (but without boring stages like jumping sequences to solve puzzles) and the ability to use the right weapons at the right time. As in the other games in the series, the variety of weapons that can be found or bought is very wide: the more classic weapons such as machine guns, shotguns and grenade launchers, if used continuously, will gain experience and evolve into more powerful forms; one of the innovations introduced is the possibility to modify any weapon using the Raritanium, a metal that can be found in the levels or on enemies: by combining it with the weapons you can increase some characteristics such as damage, the capacity of ammunition, and other skills coming to little gradually to unlock the last skill such as in the case of the normal gun a poisonous jet combined with the normal fire capacity. It must be said that at the beginning you will not feel the need to use one weapon rather than another, but as you progress through the game and upgrade the weapons, you will understand that each has a very specific utility, except the dear old starting guns that , even if upgraded to the maximum, unfortunately they will never reach the power of the last 4-5 weapons that the game will offer you.
The other familiar feature of the series is the use of gadgets, in the form of usable objects more or less like grenades. These include effects such as clouds of sleep gas, a small guard who will follow you to help you fight, a bomb that sucks energy from enemies giving you back a small part of it, and the famous Groovitron that places a nice shiny disco ball in the chosen area, and that will do dance to all the enemies to the beat of the music, giving you time to deal with them with peace of mind. There are also gadgets that must be used to unlock certain areas, such as the one that will turn you into a pirate robot for a while and another that must be used to short-circuit security systems using a small object. of marble to connect the ends of the circuits. This is a case where you can use the system SIXASIS the Sony controller to be more precise; the SIXASIS it can also be used to orient Ratchet when it is in free fall or to slide in some parts of the levels and also for some other weapons and gadgets (such as the Geo-Laser with which you can cut the less thick walls), a nice idea that adds more involvement and precision in the normal game phases.
Furthermore, as per the tradition of the series, you can use the robot Clank, both to control other robotic creatures, the Zoni, and fight other enemies, and to remove fallen debris that bar the way, rebuild bridges and recharge electronic devices. Clank will later also gain the ability to slow down time as you progress through the levels, allowing him to get rid of obstacles more easily. There are other minigames scattered here and there such as the fighting arena, a space shooter section (with really well thought out scenarios) and the possibility of using the gyro-bike in some sections similar to real tracks (albeit unfortunately have not introduced any racing modes in the game).
In space battles, the controls will be slightly different: you will control the ship itself with the left analog stick while aiming with the right one; Sometimes you can use Clank which is placed on a turret gun and there you just have to aim and shoot.
Longevity
As for the side quest factor, the challenge points are back, that is, tests to be overcome of increasing difficulty that will allow you to unlock some game modes (such as the giant heads mode). The Golden Bolts will be difficult to find in the levels and when you have enough you can unlock new skins for the character of Ratchet; there are also some hidden quests in some worlds that will allow you to obtain useful items such as the level mapper which will show you the map of the current level and the bolt magnet which will make it much easier for you to search for golden bolts; The challenge of the challenges will be to find the holo-plans scattered around the various worlds which, once brought together, will allow you to build a new weapon, the Ryno IV, which is the most powerful in the game. All of these things add considerable longevity to the game but will obviously not be necessary to complete it.
As in the previous Ratchet and Clank, by finishing the game, you can unlock the Challenge mode in which the growth of weapons will be significantly speeded up, you can also find new more powerful gadgets but obviously also the enemies present will be much more tough and difficult to take down. .
The main story can be completed easily in 12-15 hours, a good average and in line with the other Ratchet and Clank, obviously wanting to upgrade all the weapons and wanting to collect all the golden bolts will take you away a few more hours; the Challenge Mode then, offers a good dose of replayability to the title, providing a greater challenge.
Graphics and Sound
From a graphic point of view, Ratchet and Clank is really excellent: it manages to show both the great graphics capabilities of the new PS3 processor, and the inexhaustible creative vein of Insomniac in creating and designing worlds that are so colorful, animated and each with its own personality. The polygons used only for the protagonists are thousands: you will be able to see almost every single hair of Ratchet and every single mechanism of Clank. The horizon line has been considerably widened, the overall vision is much broader and allows us to better manage our character, the effects of light and particles are wasted: how not to stop and observe the icy trail of a comet or a belt of moving asteroids; even the battles against the enemies give a certain satisfaction when after a very agitated battle robotic fragments and crates are seen flying all over the place. The only negative flaw found is the drop in framerate in a couple of points in the game, more or less when big events happen on the screen (it was also noticed in the demo version), but they are quite sporadic and do not compromise the overall good graphic management of the title.
The team that takes care of the sound once again did a great job, there are in fact 20 music tracks, each for each world (some have more than one), which adapt perfectly to the overall style of the game but which, at the same time, time, they are able to characterize every single level in an optimal way. The sound effects of the new weapons are perfect and very useful also for the gameplay itself, for example when you have the weapon capable of hitting multiple targets in your hand, it will warn you itself with a sound similar to a horn to indicate that the weapon it's recharged and ready to fire, in case you haven't noticed the indicator on the screen. The voices of the actors who dub the characters are quite believable and in any case well suited to the humorous spirit of the game, even if the lip / voice sync sometimes goes out of sync.
Final considerations
Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction it's a great title and a great sequel to the series, and it leverages a lot of the PS3 hardware to prove it. There will be no major difficulties in approach for players new to this genre, while many parts will be familiar to those who already know and have enjoyed the series in the past. Although overall the game has been well developed and built, there is still a sort of linearity in the gameplay, towards the end of the game then, the use of the latest categories of weapons to the detriment of the first is almost obligatory, and the impression general that many elements continue to repeat themselves in the exact same way after 4 titles behind it continues to be felt.
It still remains one of the best titles, if not the best for its genre, in the PS3 playground.
