Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction ~ Review (Spoiler Free)

I’ve always been a big fan of the Ratchet and Clank series. They’ve always been solid platformers that had interesting stories, great characters, clever dialogue and fun gadgets and weapons. So needless to say I was quick to pick up the newest installment, especially after being quickly hooked by the demo.

Gameplay – Gameplay is similar to the past games. The game is still a platformer with RPG elements. Ratchet still gains nanotech from killing enemies. So in a sense he ‘levels up’. The weapons also level up with continued use. Ratchet comes with some of the old gadgets you’ve become used to in the older games. (Can’t get around without that swingshot and grindboots!) You can still buy armor and weapons from vendors. The quick select is expanded into pages, so you can basically have all your weapons and gadgets at the tip of your fingers. The controls, as always, are perfectly suited for the game mechanics.

But this game is no carbon copy of the past titles. You can also buy devices from a separate vendor. These do various things, such a leech bomb which steals your enemies’ HP for you. I haven’t really found a use for these items yet. Raritanium is featured in this game as well, only here it levels up your weapons instead of your ship. You can do this at the armor vendor. Each weapon has a grid and each space on the grid levels up a different feature of the weapon. There are spaces that increase damage, cause the enemies to drop more bolts, and increase the rate of fire, among other features. Each space costs a different amount of raritanium to upgrade. This varies greatly depending on the weapon and what you want to upgrade. The weapons you get early in the game don’t need too much raritanium to level up, but as you get farther into the game the weapons require more and more. Each weapon also has a ‘?’ space that you have to unlock by purchasing all the upgrades around it. This then turns into a special addition for the weapon that basically serves to increase damage.

Space battles are back, but this time your controls are different. You control the ship itself with one analog stick and control your aiming with the other. Sometimes you also switch to Clank at a gun turret, where all you do is aim and shoot. I’m not a particularly huge fan of the ship battles. To me the controls are kind of difficult to use, but then again I’m no fan of piloting games in general.

This game also makes use of the motion sensor in the PS3 controller. There are several instances (including one of Clank’s devices) which require you to tilt the controller in order to complete a task. I found this kind of control sort of difficult at first (and this is from someone who owns a Wii), but I’m getting the hang of it. It certainly does add a different dynamic to the game.

As usual there are also portions of the game where you control Clank. Only this time he has different powers, including levitation and the ability to slow down time. It’s certainly much more interesting than the usual fare of ordering other robots to do your bidding.

I’ve read other reviews that said this game was easy. Well, I wouldn’t go that far, but I will admit that there are certain aspects that do make your journey a bit simpler. For one thing, unlike past Ratchet and Clank titles, money is not that difficult to come by. I haven’t found myself short on cash yet. Also, the raritanium to update weapons is not hard to come by. It is not in abundance, and you will have to pick and choose your upgrades wisely, but upgrading as a whole is not something that happens rarely. Also, weapons vendors seem to be everywhere. That’s not only good because it allows you to frequently purchase ammo, but also because it actually heals you!

Story – The story is interesting as always. Once again you’re up against an evil, but unintentionally humorous, villain. The dialogue is also as funny as it’s ever been.

Graphics – Well, it’s the PS3, so I wouldn’t expect anything less than great. The environments are extremely detailed and expansive. Ratchet and Clank themselves also look great. You can even see the hair on Ratchet’s face.

Sound – The voice acting is top notch as usual. All the old voices you’ve come to know and love are back. The music is enjoyable.

Overall I’ve been extremely pleased with the game. The changes keep the game fresh, but at the same time it retains the same aspects that made the past games so enjoyable. This new installment will please not only fans of the series but new fans as well. Hopefully we haven’t seen the last of Ratchet and Clank.

Total score: 8.5 (9 on Gamefaqs. They don't allow 1/2 scores)