Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction

Platform games have the best years behind them. They triumphed on the first consoles, being the most represented group among all known game genres. Along with technological advances, more complicated positions, species hybrids, which could not have been created before, took over simple arcade games. And that's how it stayed. Platformers have not existed on PeCets for many years. The Microsoft console has also never been particularly supported in this respect, having only a few titles in its library, and not first-league ones. The forgotten species has found a peaceful haven on handhelds. From stationary equipment only Sony as such cared all the time for fresh meat for starving fans of pure, platform madness. Crash Bandicoot , Ratchet & Clank , Spyro , Jak & Daxter , Sly Raccoon , You The Tasmanian Tiger . I have mentioned all the most famous ambassadors of this kind of fun on PS2. It would seem that the natural consequence of publishing policy will be the mass transfer of all these heroes to the environment of the youngest member of the Sony family. Unexpectedly, we had to wait exactly the year since the premiere for the first platformer representative.

Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction is probably the fifth part of the series, the characters of which are the nice furry Ratchet and his companion Clank - a robot who most of the time assists in adventures from the point of view of the ballast placed on the back. As usual, history revolves around the theme of saving the world (here - the entire galaxy) from Emperor Tachyon, this time with clear memories. The trip aimed at digging into the roots of the Lombax species, of which Ratchet is the last representative, will visit about half a dozen planets, each with a separate visual character and structure.

Animated film - such words hit the lips right after the short intro ends. We shyly move sixaxis, checking if it's still pre-rendered animation, or if we already have control over the hairy pet. Certainly there was no such title yet. There was no game that looked so far towards animated films. You can not see the difference between the story cutscenes and the actual gameplay. The elements that make up the following environments, textures, opponents are perfectly designed, rich in details and most importantly consistent. The backgrounds reach all the way to the horizon, and the next plans also include action that is often important to us. These are no longer boards built of ready-made elements - it is an interactive environment, animating the world in real time.

After the first cool down and a few steps in a huge metropolis, we begin to exterminate the first hostile creatures of the not quite healthy imagination of people from Insomaniac Games. Crabs canned in aquariums that are part of the metal body - instead of fighting we gather from the floor. And there will be a lot of such moments. After leaving the city, we will reach other planets. It is not surprising, of course, that tasks within them usually boil down to breaking through hordes of enemies or fancy environment to the next destination - after all, it is a classic platformer in the old, good style. Sometimes we look for elements of a damaged spaceship, release a kidnapped maiden, penetrate the interior of an information-rich supercomputer.

What planets will we visit? First of all, the metropolis stretching to the horizon known for its demo version. The next will be a jungle with virgin flora. Then there will be space stations, asteroid surfaces (including snow-covered), a volcanic planet that evokes associations with the new Star Wars trilogy at all times. The last of the Lombax will also take part in the festival in the giant arena. Particularly noteworthy is the cosmic enclave of pirates, where caricatured figures of sea wolves are trying to find themselves among all the iron. Of course, there will be space ships under the flag of the skull. The biggest advantage here is diversity, the subsequent locations are completely different, every now and then we are surprised by fresh ideas until the final. And we only wonder - how did they come up with it :-)?

We already know where, now let's talk about WHAT we will fight with the allies of Emperor Tachyon. As standard, Ratchet has its own reliable wrench, which it waves from side to side in self-defense. It is also ideal for breaking packages, of which we will find thousands throughout the galaxy. The basic ranged weapon is something like a blaster. A large amount of ammunition, a large range should be enough for the beginning, but only access to the full range of weapons gives us real joy and freedom in choosing tactics in subsequent sensitive situations. From some of the more interesting suggestions (so as not to spoil the fun in discovering how all the fancy poppers work) - we have an overgrown shotgun, a blade launcher, which, thanks to the ricochets, wreak havoc especially in small rooms. We have a parody of the famous Predator - here the Raptor Launcher - which is actually a rocket launcher with a characteristic tracking system invented by a film alien.

What else? We will stick the stick into the anthill many times - when we toss it to the opponents, it will start to spit out not effective but effective projectiles, successfully eliminating even a large group of opponents. Not very useful but fun is the plasma launcher. The green substance turns into something like a Hulk Junior, who immediately upon contact with the opponent throws himself at him with his slippery hands. To sum up: types of weapons are primarily diverse, selected depending on the needs. Proper use of purchased guns gives a lot of satisfaction. Purchased? Exactly. For the screws, the only right currency, obtained from every opponent, from every box and other destructible element of the environment, we buy from encountered traders ever stronger tools of extermination. In addition to them, they also offer us more, more durable armor and replenishment of ammunition - of course, all for ubiquitous screws. Each weapon possesses five levels of advancement, which increase the faster the more often we use it. We increase the damage strength to get an additional bonus at maximum development - it will be e.g. a triple projectile, freezing the opponent for a moment, or breaking a standard grenade after an explosion into four smaller ones. In addition to screws, the opponents and giant trunks get crystals. These, in turn, will be exchanged with mobile salesmen for additional upgrades for each giwery. In this way, we will increase their power, range, firing speed, magazine capacity, and multiply the number of screws obtained after demolishing the enemy.

The thoroughbred platformer could not miss collecting items for which we will receive various bonuses - conceptual graphics, new furry outfits. Golden screws, scattered on every planet, are the main reason for visiting the previously completed planets again. You should know that at any time, as long as we are in the vicinity of our small spaceship, we can return for the missing bonuses. We will gain access to some of them only when we have specific improvements in our equipment. Gravity shoes, thanks to which Ratchet, like the hero of the Prey game, slides over the walls and ceilings, is just an example of a gadget with which we will return to previously visited environments. Or a pirate disguise, thanks to which we will get to rooms previously inaccessible. A very nice patent, motivating you to extend the game, not only to collect finds, but also to explore new parts of the map.

A separate paragraph belongs to the quite numerous fragments in the game when we take part in some type of mini-games. Insomaniac Games have made great use of Sony's unique controller features. With the help of deflections we control, for example, our little one when the Leeloo pattern from the Fifth Element falls long downwards, bypassing the next strings of cars on multi-level, airways. We will use the same patent when Clank fixes its wings and transports Ratchet somewhere further away like a dragon from Lair, while avoiding obstacles. To open a particularly resistant door, we tilt the integrated circuit in the right direction and roll the ball, which becomes a conductor in the right places. A simple, pleasant break requiring a bit of tactics (especially in later levels).

Similarly, we mark the appropriate fragments of a rock wall to blow it up as a consequence. There was also a place for a representative of the genre of music games very popular on consoles. As a pirate, we prove our identity by performing a certain arrangement with comrades. We shake the four letters by shaking the pad. That no one had ever thought of it before :-). We will also be able to fly a boat in space - like in old, old-school shootouts. We move along the set track, avoiding obstacles and controlling the viewfinder separately. These passages are very spectacular, until one would like more. And one more vehicle - a gyroscopic motor. We drive it mainly in tunnels, developing considerable speeds, occasionally flying over the surface from one hole to another. Also a nice variety. So, as you can see, the authors have made every effort to diversify this simple, platform game.

It is impossible not to notice the inspiration of several loud film titles. These are more or less subtle references. Is the above-mentioned flight between sky-high vehicles not a scene from the Fifth Element? The volcanic planet brings to mind new episodes of Star Wars. In the game we will even meet twin robots similar to droids from this famous saga. In moments when we come into contact with pirates, the music tries (successfully) to imitate the score of Hans Zimmer and Klaus Badelt from the adventures of Jacek Sparrow and his company. On a planet that is home to several species of dinosaur-like species, one of them is strangely similar to the Balrog of the Fellowship. There are definitely more similar flavors.

Graphics, as has been said before, dangerously close to reaching the level of the animated film. In one dialogue there is even a funny issue, in which one inventor states that he almost did not recognize Ratchet, because he is in High Definition. We will not see any decreases in animation. The modified engine previously used in Resistance: Fall of Man works perfectly here and I suppose that it will create many titles based on it - with a candle look for such an efficient and effective engine on PS3. Certainly, great merit lies in the creativity of the creators. The wealth they have filled the game universe is decisive for its positive reception.

Humor, great dialogues, length of the game (calmly a dozen or so hours of fun), colorful, fairy-tale graphics, interesting design of characters encountered, film music, numerous inserts using sixaxis deflections - these elements testify to the fact that Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction is on this moment at the forefront of the titles available for the Sony console. If you are a hungry fan of platformers in old, good style, then you can safely give this title the highest possible rating.

Marcin "Cisek" Cisowski

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