A great ending to a fantastic trilogy.
Ratchet and Clank hold a special place in our household: the combination of great characters, fantastic writing, clever puzzles and top-notch platforming make the series the only games ever made that my casual gaming wife and I both play. The tales of a lone Lombax (a large eared, furry space mechanic) and his little robot buddy are filled with such charm and magic, each game (on PS2, PSP and PS3) stands proudly in our collection, getting regular replays from the both of us.
So, naturally, we recently picked up a copy of A Crack in Time, the final part of the “Future” trilogy of games for the PS3. A Crack in Time picks up after the events of Tools of Destruction and Quest for Booty, with Ratchet and Clank having been separated by the mysterious Zoni at the end of the first game. In a well thought out sequence, whilst the game installs important files to your hard drive, the game shows you an “interview” with Captain Quark, which brings you right back up to speed with the story, in a fantastically funny video clip. This really sets the tone for starting the game, and refreshes your memory on the plot so far. The game then opens with the player taking control of Clank, in an unknown location, trying to escape.
For those who have yet to play one of these games, the gameplay is a combination of classic platforming, light shooting elements and puzzle solving. You generally travel between a large variety of planets completing missions, ranging from hunting strange creatures, to prison breaks, to fighting space pirates, and far more besides. R&C games neatly sidestep the usual repetitiveness of platform games with a few simple ideas: firstly, each level has a completely unique look and feel, with bad guys, bosses and areas tailored to the style of the planet. Secondly, your array of weapons and tools grows continuously as you play, allowing new techniques to be employed, and changing how each new area is tackled. And finally, the level design is nothing short of sublime. Everything you see not only has a purpose, but fits in perfectly with the world around you, immersing the player even further into the game.
Crack in Time is more of the same, with a few more new ideas thrown in for good measure. The first is an overhaul of the space travel system from Tools. Inbetween levels, Ratchet flies his spaceship around a section of space on a 2D plane. This opens up a wealth of side quests and other oddities to be played with, as you can land your ship on mini planets (similar to the planets from Super Mario Galaxy) and take on small, self contained levels if you wish. You can also bypass these entirely and focus on the main storyline quests, but you would then miss out on some of the quirkier elements of the game.
I can honestly say that this game is comparable to a Pixar movie
The second element is the introduction of time manipulation: Clank develops an ability to work with time in various ways, and these areas are where the game really comes into its own. Time based puzzles are now available, where Clank can “record” himself performing tasks, then replay them back in order to work with his clones to open doors, move platforms, and press buttons. These start simply (Clank records himself stepping on a button to open a door, than plays it back to pass through the now open door himself), but soon escalate into multi part puzzles, with Clank having to re-record up to five multiples of himself in what becomes some of the most cerebral puzzles I have ever experienced on the PS3. My wife and I had some great times working out what we were supposed to do.
Time also factors into the platforming too, with platforms moving at different speeds and areas, all of which can again be manipulated. If all this sounds complicated, don´t worry, the game takes the time to ramp up the difficulty slowly, and teaches newcomers along the way, never leaving you feeling like you are attempting the unattainable. All of the controls are well mapped too, meaning you are never pressing more than two buttons to perform any of the different moves available to your character.
As I have touched on slightly already, the graphics are absolutely delightful. The art style has taken a slight tweak since the previous games, and now the extra polish added to the previous games have rounded out the visuals beautifully. I can honestly say that this game is comparable to a Pixar movie, with fantastic animation, well drawn character models, and intelligently planned level design all contributing to a living, breathing galaxy of wonders. Each new level brings radically different worlds, ranging from futuristic cities to natural habitats, really making you want to play on just to see what comes next. This, further complimented by a very high level voice work and sound effects gives life to all the characters and areas. Just watch the “adverts” for the weapons you can purchase to see what I mean.
If I had to find something negative to say about the game, it would be that some of the weapons are not as good as in previous games. I actually used the wrench attack more in this game than I have in any other, and tended to switch between just two or three of the guns on offer. I also feel that it takes a bit too long to actually get Ratchet and Clank back together, but I accept that both of these are, in reality, “fanboi” gripes, and probably not actually legitimate complaints!
So, if you already have any R&C games in your collection, I daresay you will have already picked this up. If you haven’t, you should go out and get it right now, as I honestly cannot think of a single person who would not enjoy this game, and its prequels. The beautiful blend of looks, sounds, characters and storytelling is practically unparalleled on any console, and is another example of what can be achieved as an interactive experience.
The Bad: Weapons not quite as great as before; Takes a while to reunite Ratchet and Clank.
Diamond Y Award