Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction

Since Ratchet & Clank came to life in Insomniac’s development studio, there hasn’t been a single game that has been really badly reviewed. When you hear that a next-gen part has been released for the PlayStation 3 in the form of Tools of Destruction, then that can only mean fireworks, right?

tough questions

Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction is the series’ debut in the world of next-gen. You still play with the emblematic Ratchet, the last remaining Lombax in the universe, and his companion Clank, the handy robot. Chaos reigns on Ratchet’s home planet, and soon the evil Emperor Percival Tachyon appears on the scene. Tachyon has spent years destroying the entire Lombax race, and he definitely plans to get rid of Ratchet. In all the tumult Ratchet and Clank manage to escape and so the story of the game unfolds.

This immediately reveals a difference with the previous games in the series, because the story is a lot more prominent in Tools of Destruction. In addition, tough questions are also discussed, such as what happened to all previous Lombaxes, where Ratchet comes from and why Clank regularly sees ghost robots, the Zoni. However, don’t be fooled by apparently serious events, because the humor is still very much present in this game. You won’t be able to suppress a laugh regularly during funny dialogues and fun cutscenes.

Free fall

Fortunately, the basis of Tools of Destruction is almost the same as the earlier parts, which comes down to a lot of platforming and action. This is certainly where the power of this game lies, because you are doing so much, experiencing and seeing. Throughout the story you will travel from planet to planet, delving deeper and deeper into the story. This actually always happens at the right time, before you might get a little tired of the environment of a certain planet. Each planet is very nicely designed and there are always specific gameplay elements that provide a pleasant change.

For example, Ratchet can quickly grind some pieces on the monorails in a city, while on another planet you can go back into the air with your Robo-wings and a little later you will also get a wet suit during some swimming activities. In addition, Tools of Destruction also occasionally makes clever use of the Sixaxis controller. The hovering with your Robo-wings and even a free fall, where you have to dodge incoming missiles or heavy space traffic, are all controlled by moving your controller. Nothing wooden, nothing unnatural, but just nice and smooth movement so that you really have the idea that you are in control at such moments.

Upgrade

In addition to platforming, the series is of course also known for an extensive range of weapons, preferably as bizarre as possible. Entirely in style, the Tools of Destruction arsenal also contains many memorable weapons. Swing your opponents in hypnosis with a cheerful disco ball in the air with the Groovitron, send a devastating tornado at them with the Tornado Launcher, or turn them into penguins with the Transmorpher. There are also weapons that help you more with platforming, such as shooting elastic gel blocks that allow you to jump to higher places.

The weapon use in the game even has a certain depth, because you can provide your weapons with various upgrades and of course you will also be able to buy new weapons in the various mobile weapon shops that you will encounter in the worlds. By destroying opponents you collect iron bolts and the special Raritanium. With this Raritanium you can buy upgrades, which happens almost in a tech-tree-like way. The bolts are used to provide Ratchet with new weapons. Each environment is also richly filled with wooden boxes that you can always find something in, so it is definitely recommended to destroy as much as possible in your area.

Unprecedented class

With about fifteen planets to work through, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction offers a ton of entertainment. However, this is at odds with the fact that it will soon feel like a very accessible, almost casual game. The opponents don’t live up to their name much and offer very little resistance. Fortunately, there is plenty to look at, because on the visual level Tools of Destruction is really unprecedented class. Together with Uncharted, this game is really at the graphical top on this console, each in their own way of course. There is also nothing wrong with audio. The soundtrack fits the game well and the voice acting is also very strong. Even playing the Dutch version didn’t bother me at all, something that hasn’t been possible with almost every other game so far.

The real loss only comes into play once you have completed the single player adventure. The multiplayer shines because of its absence and that is something that will certainly shock the inveterate Ratchet & Clank player. Yet there is a lot to do within the single player and there are also various special items to unlock, so that you will go through the game more often without any problems. After completing the game, you will be rewarded with the slightly spicier Challange Mode, which will certainly increase the number of hours of fun.

Conclusion

The innovation of Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction can be found in the new weapons, a stronger storyline and really beautiful graphics. Furthermore, Insomniac has essentially not added any shocking new things and there is really nothing to complain about. The different planets are very diverse, both in appearance and in the opponents and the gameplay remains nice and smooth and fresh. If you can live with the fact that the game has to do without multiplayer and above all brings more fun than challenge, then it is simply an obligation to add this title to your collection.