We review the path of the Insomniac Games license and what titles we must play to understand the story well before the delivery of PlayStation 5.
Ratchet & Clank is one of the most iconic sagas in the PlayStation universe. They are already eighteen years of history and more than 26 million units sold over a dozen deliveries, of which we especially differentiate two complete trilogies to form a rich, deep universe with a patent evolution that has always wanted to be linked to the technological capabilities of the console where they saw the light.
The Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart PS5 announcement is not just one more installment, it’s also the first one-hundred-percent original installment since 2013; Who knows if to start a new trilogy in the new console of the Japanese firm. The Insomniac Games couple left us quite surprised with what we were seeing on screen, a title currently without a release date but that showed that SSD memory will not only serve to reduce loading times, but also to design worlds and scenarios in ways that were previously inconceivable.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Given the impact of its first trailer – one of the most viewed from the PS5 presentation event on June 11th -, in this special we are going to review the path of the saga to help you get into it and to know what deliveries you must play to get ready for this new beginning. Luckily, practically all of them are very accessible today and there are several options to play them all: PS2, PS3 and PS4. Made the introductions, we become Lombax.
Which deliveries are the most important?
Before detailing each of the most important installments, this section serves as a quick answer to the question we asked in the title: the original series and the Future series. On the one hand, the three original works from the PlayStation 2 trilogy (with Gladiator as a farewell, closer to pure action); on the other, the Future series, consisting of three installments … and a half, as we will see later. The reason is clear: these are the eight main installments and they all contribute something to the plot context of the universe.
Original series
- Ratchet & Clank (2002, PS2) / Ratchet & Clank (2016, PS4)
- Ratchet & Clank 2: Totally Full (2003, PS2)
- Ratchet & Clank 3 (2004, PS2)
- Ratchet: Gladiator (2005, PS2) – [No tan importante como las tres anteriores]
Future Series
- Ratchet & Clank: Armed to the Teeth (2007, PS3)
- Ratchet & Clank: In Search of Treasure (2008, PS3)
- Ratchet & Clank: Trapped in Time (2009, PS3)
- Ratchet & Clank: Nexus (2013, PS3)
Ratchet & Clank (2002, PS2)
Where everything began. Insomniac Games, a then independent video game company born in Burbank, California, in 1994, was initially conceived as Xtreme Software by Ted Price, who is still its CEO today. After their first project, Disruptor, for PlayStation, the close relationship with Sony led them to take what would be their first great license, Spyro the Dragon, a true success soon to become a saga within the framework of the then-known Sony Computer Entertainment. Shortly after the purple dragon, this passionate studio wanted to meddle again in the genre of platform action and adventure in the already established three dimensions. His Naughty Dog neighbors, with whom they shared offices for a few years, had Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter; but Insomniac didn’t have a second couple ready for PlayStation 2… until Ratchet & Clank appeared.
Ratchet & Clank (2002, PS2)
The first title of the franchise is really special for two reasons: the first, the great presentation and characterization of the characters – it even came dubbed into Spanish -; the second, because it summarizes the lore of what happened next. A way of telling us where we are and where we come from. Because who is Ratchet and why is he a chaterrero? We recommend starting with this installment (or its remake as a reimagination of PS4) because it is the first chapter of this great book.
Ratchet is a Lombax, one of the few remaining of this bipedal humanoid race of feline descent. They initially inhabited the planet Fastoon, one of the oldest races in the Polaris Galaxy. However, during the Great War against the Cragmite Empire, the latter wanted to take territorial power from the entire galaxy while the former tried to avoid it. To stop their feet it was necessary to create a Dimensioner with which they could banish them to a parallel dimension. In the end, that conflict ended with the almost total extinction of the Lombax and only a few survived … That we knew, Ratchet and others like Angela Cross, which we will talk about later.
While it continues to endure the type, the first episode of the saga on PS2 shows the passage of time.
Let’s go back to the first game in the series. Ratchet is on the planet Veldin trying to fix his ship, which needs a special ignition system to start. For different reasons, there lies a small robot that has managed to escape a conflict on another planet. Ratchet rescues him and that robot, Clank, helps him reset his ship. From here, a very fun story begins, varied at a playable level (jumps, shots, puzzles), with a large number of weapons and planets to visit. It has not aged as well as the rest of the chapters of the first trilogy. Therefore, if you do something crude in its controls, which were refined – especially in terms of aiming and precision in jumps – we recommend going directly to the PlayStation 4 remake, whose story is practically identical, even expanded, and at the controls the difference is really high.
- It can be played in its original version for PS2 and in Ratchet & Clank Trilogy HD for PS3 and PS Vita.
Ratchet & Clank 2: Totally Full (2003, PS2)
The sequel would not be made to beg. If the original arrived in Europe at the end of 2002, we could enjoy this second episode in Spain on similar dates, but in 2004. If there is something that liked in the first installment, it is that, unlike Jak or Spyro, with stage designs Open but focused on finding objects in the levels, everything here revolved around action and adventure.
Insomniac was really conservative with this second attempt, which went well enough to finish consolidating the saga and leave the doors open for a trilogy finale. Going Comando (Totally full in our country) was more in everything: weapons, missions, history, accessories … Its design had more scenarios based on shots and, although it did not forget the platform, the turn to action was noticeably declared . We are not going to deceive you: we would have preferred a greater effort in the double jump, in calculating the passage from one platform to another, but those of Burbank preferred to delve into something that did not do anything wrong: the shooter. We do not know if this endeavor is what would later lead to Resistance, since that was in the first person, but the arsenal now increased to 24 weapons. It was clear that here he wanted to continue the story right where he stayed, but with an accent on combat.
Ratchet & Clank 2: Totally Full (2003, PS2)
Fortunately, the plot section was not lost sight of. Apart from its excellent dubbing, Ratchet & Clank 2: Totally Full starts right where the first ended. For reasons that are irrelevant, the success of this couple in their main mission of the previous work made them gain popularity throughout the galaxy. It is then that the founder of Megacorp, Abercrombie Fizzwidget, entrusts them with a mission at least dangerous: to recover an experiment stolen by a thief … who turns out to be actually an alleged thief, Angela Cross, a former employee of Megacorp. Its peculiarity? She is a Lombax, just like Ratchet. Subsequently, we discover his true intention and an adventure begins that is among the best remembered in the franchise both for its plus in difficulty, certain surprises that we will not reveal and the large number of weapons and enemies. It is still not entirely comfortable in its jump control and leaves the platform aside, but we consider it essential to play it to understand the evolution of Ratchet and Clank as icons of this galaxy.
- It can be played in its original version for PS2 and in Ratchet & Clank Trilogy HD for PS3 and PS Vita.
Ratchet & Clank 3 (2004, PS2)
There are no two without three. After a second episode successful enough that it also had a Platinum range, the PS2 gaming label with a long commercial history and thus extend its presence in the market at a reduced price, at the end of 2004 the first trilogy would end with a Round, balanced, fun product and, generally speaking, better than its predecessors. Again, the galaxy in danger and Doctor Nefarius wants to dominate everything based on chaos and destruction. Luckily, we have Ratchet and Clank to lend a hand.
Ratchet & Clank 3 (2004, PS2)
Let’s be brief: if you only want to choose a title from the original trilogy because you are interested in knowing the origins of the license, that must be it. Do not worry about plot aspects, everything is spinning wonderfully, but we are talking about one of the best PlayStation 2 video games, in general. Unfortunately, the platform aspect of the first installment is somewhat forgotten, only that this third episode knew how to take better advantage of the capabilities of a hardware that was beginning to enter its final stretch of life. Better sound quality, better graphic performance, weapons (yes, even more), a variety of mini-games, planets, secrets, multiplayer and scenarios with more complexity than usual; at the cost that the difficulty fell a little compared to the second installment. A benchmark in the catalog of one of the best consoles in history and the confirmation that this IP was already part of this brand at the height of Crash, Jak and Spyro.
It can be played in its original version for PS2 and in Ratchet & Clank Trilogy HD for PS3 and PS Vita.
Ratchet: Gladiator (2005, PS2)
There was room for farewell. Ratchet: Gladiator arrived in 2005 without a haircut on her purpose to take advantage of pure action by shooting. It’s more of a spin-off, but its story is well told enough that anyone who enjoyed Ratchet & Clank 3 would do the same with this episode. At the beginning of the adventure, which barely has platform phases, the protagonist is kidnapped along with Clank and Al to appear in a kind of tournament in the shadow sector. There they will have to fight while trying to survive against enemies of all kinds. The purpose of the tournament is none other than to generate spectacle and generate the largest audience possible in the holovision.
Ratchet: Gladiator (2005, PS2)
Playable it is a delight, with vehicles, multiplayer modes and unbridled action. Everything learned throughout the trilogy was put on the table to make what Insomniac liked the most shine, no matter how much another considerable sector of fans preferred the platform aspect. So Gladiator is not in the main trilogy. Is it expendable in the saga? Possibly, but we think it is worth not skipping it to understand the true playable evolution that would occur in the Future PS3 trilogy, which would take (and improve) elements present in this episode.
- It can be played in its original version for PS2 and PlayStation 3 through the PS Store in HD.
Future saga
Ratchet & Clank: Armed to the Teeth (2007, PS3)
Making the leap to the new generation, the first in HD, gave Sony a few headaches. One of the sagas that best assumed the responsibility of giving reasons to make the leap was Armed to the Teeth, the beginning of what we know as the Future trilogy. Apart from its spectacular technical section, which at the time left us stunned by its contrast of color, lighting and animations, what stood out most in this episode was the successful attempt to recover the intrinsic elements of the original video game: an action adventure that It did not leave behind platforming phases and made us feel like we were playing a movie.
Ratchet & Clank: Armed to the Teeth (2007, PS3)
Perhaps we can blame him for it being more of the same; but more than one formula that works even now perfectly because its variety of situations prevents us from feeling worn out. In addition, we must recognize after having returned to this installment just a few weeks ago, that the control improves significantly compared to the PS2 trilogy. It shows, feels and becomes enjoyable to play; without going into value that the technical section was for a few months one of the roofs of PlayStation 3. There was no online mode, but the truth is that we did not miss it either.
- It can be played in its original version for PS3.
Ratchet & Clank: In Search of Treasure (2008, PS3)
For some reason, In Search of Treasure was conceived as a minor project. Initially distributed in digital format, there was luck for lovers of having the entire series on the shelf, as we were finally able to buy it on Blu-ray. In fact, in 2020 it is still possible to find it in thrift stores at affordable prices, not at all exorbitant. Let us not be fooled by its character as a bridge adventure, because although it is a very short episode (in just under three hours we can have it completed), it seems essential to play it because it serves as an expansion of the 2007 game.
Ratchet & Clank: In Search of Treasure (2008, PS3)
Puzzles, exploration and entertainment for the sequel that would come the following year. An appetizer, well, but often an appetizer. It recycled everything seen in Armed to the Teeth (we can consider it a standalone DLC), although it introduced a mechanic that we had not seen in the series: lighting in dark environments.
- It can be played in its original version for PS3 and PS Now via streaming on PS4.
Ratchet & Clank: Trapped in Time (2009, PS3)
The expected reunion. The Lombax and the robot returned through the large door with a perfectly seated PS3. Armed to the teeth, he set the bar very high, while In Search of the Treasure he told us the importance of the two being together, because they were already one. Insomniac Games wanted to give each one their part of the limelight, and that translated into a truly varied work, with a design of levels to remove the hat and action measured to the millimeter so as not to feel excessive in any section.
Ratchet & Clank: Trapped in Time (2009, PS3)
The result of this iteration, essential and one of the three best in the license, also stated that there was no point in continuing to deliver every year because that was going to promote wear and, worse, die of success. Its end made many things clear. It was time to take a deep breath, breathe with a clear conscience and let people savor an action and platform adventure that started excellently and ended in style. Pure talent seen in Caught in Time.
- It can be played in its original version for PS3 and PS Now via streaming on PS4.
Ratchet & Clank: Nexus (2013, PS3)
After those two and a half installments, Nexus was the true end of the Future trilogy. Neither Todos para Uno nor Fuerza Q were canonical installments on PS3, but productions focused on the multiplayer experience with which to take advantage of an already established license such as this. Nexus marked a remarkable return to origins, one with a certain farewell flavor because, while focused on the multiplayer experience, it put aside the emphasis on platforming and leaned more toward action. At this time, Insomniac knew how to get the most out of a PS3 that was gradually saying goodbye in the market.
Ratchet & Clank: Nexus (2013, PS3)
The problem with this episode is that it was far from the ambitious thing we expected. Its discreet duration, low number of weapons and simplicity in its approach made us wonder if this was truly a farewell to cheer up the fan who had been waiting since 2009 for a new adventure with the Omnillave. The truth is that nothing went wrong, but far from the quality of the previous ones. The positive is that it came out at a reduced price and included Treasure Hunt.
- It can be played in its original version for PS3 and PS Now via streaming on PS4.
Ratchet & Clank (2016, PS4)
The reboot of the first chapter is an example of what would surely come in the first meanings of the word “remake” in the official dictionary of the video game. Insomniac Games did a brilliant job because, building on the work of fifteen years earlier, they cemented a platform action adventure that looked more like a playable animated movie. Then there were not many reasons to make the jump to PlayStation 4; However, this game brought out the graphic capabilities of the current Sony desktop with success in practically everything. Improved gameplay, audiovisual section of cracks and an improved rhythm. This had to be the start of something new, not the dream farewell for an icon. Luckily, it comes first. Rift Apart will now have the opportunity to improve what has been seen here, with an excessively low difficulty and some mechanics that did not convince us.
Ratchet & Clank (2016, PS4)
Spin-off: derived deliveries that may interest you
Apart from the main ones, there are other derivative works as a spin-off, but none of them directly intervene in weighty aspects or have any significance in the plot. In fact, some are somewhat mediocre, so we don’t think your visit was far from key before Rift Apart.
Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters (2007, PSP), was the response of the saga to PSP users. A sequel developed by High Impact Games, not Insomniac Games, which brought us an adventure very similar in some respects to the original work of PS2, mixing both platforms and action. If for something he liked it is for his balance of both. History does not tell us anything essential or elementary; It is a story based on a vacation period where the couple of protagonists hit face to face with a young woman, Luna, who has been kidnapped. Our mission is to find it in these 7-8 hours of adventure. It can be played in its original version of PSP; there was also an extremely limited run on PlayStation 2; getting it here is almost impossible.
Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters and Secret Agent Clank are not fundamental but spin-off. They can skip.
Ratchet & Clank: Todos para uno (2011, PS3) made us understand what we were saying at the end of the section dedicated to Caught in Time: you had to breathe. However, Sony wanted to bet on a different experience, focused almost entirely on multiplayer and cooperative. In the end, it was a mix that took a little bit of everything … without really defining itself in anything. Expendable. Ratchet & Clank: Q Force (2012, PS3 and PS Vita) arrived a year before Nexus and stumbled upon the same stone as All for One. The insistence on the multiplayer mode, here with a good performance of the competitive mode, left aside an excessively short campaign and, in its day, we did not understand very well the role it came to occupy within the saga. Was this truly the path these characters deserved? Luckily, in 2016 the reimagining would arrive that managed to completely revive the series.
PS Now, another way to play modern installments and the Future trilogy
Before finishing, a series of notes. The PS Now streaming service, currently available on PlayStation 4 and PC, allows access to a multitude of PS2, PS3 and PS4 games (those of PlayStation 3 only in streaming and on PS4, not on PC; the others can be downloaded). Right now, these are the iterations available via streaming (720p) on PS3: Ratchet & Clank: Armed to the Teeth, Quest for Treasure, All for One, Q Force and Nexus. Only missing Caught in time.
