Ratchet & Clank

About Ratchet & Clank

Ratchet & Clank launched on PlayStation 2 in late 2002 as a third-person shooter by Insomniac Games. You play as Ratchet, a furry Lombax, and his robotic companion Clank across various planets to stop Chairman Drek from destroying worlds. The game features non-linear progression where you revisit earlier areas to unlock new paths or collect items. It includes over twenty levels filled with detailed environments that lack distance fog, allowing you to see distant structures before reaching them. Between shooting aliens and solving platforming puzzles, you engage in space battles and turret minigames. This title set a high bar for the genre when it arrived on the PS2.

Gameplay

Your typical session involves running across vibrant planets while jumping over gaps or climbing ledges. You switch between an array of weapons to dispatch robotic enemies or large bosses. The game offers distinct sub-games like first-person turret defense sequences and space dogfights that break up the standard shooting flow. Progression is not strictly linear since you often need to return to previous planets with new gadgets to access hidden areas. Collecting bolts lets you purchase upgrades at shops scattered throughout the worlds. Cut-scenes play out in real-time to advance the plot without loading screens. The controls feel responsive enough for precise jumps and aiming, making each combat encounter feel dynamic rather than repetitive.

What Players Think

Players on PlayPile have logged substantial time with this title. The average completion rate sits high among those who finish the main story. Community moods reflect a strong nostalgic appreciation for the series' origins. IGDB lists an 80.7 out of 100 score based on 285 ratings, indicating solid critical reception years after release. Most users report playing through the campaign in roughly 15 hours if they rush, while completionists spend over 20 hours hunting for every weapon and bolt. Review snippets frequently mention the game's visual fidelity for its time and the charm of the two leads. Achievement data shows many players still strive to unlock the hardest challenges despite the game's age.

PlayPile's Take

This is a solid choice if you enjoy third-person shooters with humor and platforming elements. The price on the secondary market remains reasonable given its status as a classic PS2 title. You will earn numerous achievements for finding all collectibles and beating bosses without taking damage. Not everyone will love the difficulty spikes in later levels or the repetitive fetch quests required to unlock new zones. The game shines when you discover new weapons that change how you approach combat encounters. It remains a must-play for anyone wanting to understand why this franchise lasted so long on PlayStation consoles.

Storyline

On a fine day on the planet Veldin, a furry Lombax named Ratchet is working on his spaceship when a robot crash lands near his home. Ratchet recovers the robot from the wreckage, naming him “Clank.” Clank shows Ratchet a recording of Chairman Drek of the Blarg race. In the recording, Drek explains that his home planet has become so polluted it is now uninhabitable. Drek’s solution is to build a new planet for his race by extracting areas from other planets! What’s worse is that Drek has developed a superweapon called the Deplanetizer which will destroy Veldin to make room for his new planet. Fearing that Drek will destroy everything in his path, Ratchet and Clank team up for their first explosive adventure to save the galaxy.