107retrostationQACIT gives Clank his biggest role in the series. QThe Lombaxes’ alliance is complex and compelling. QFighting Qwark’s ‘pet’ War Grok is a highlight.
ven the happiest of
couples need the odd
break from each other.
After being in each other’s
intergalactic pockets for
years, Insomniac’s Lombax
engineer and his diminutive
droid pal were well overdue for some
much needed me-time when this time-
fiddling adventure rolled around. And
while the iconic PlayStation pairing will
always work best as an alien-blasting
duo, turns out they’re both effective as
lone wolf space explorers.
Almost ten years on from its initial
launch, Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In
Time remains arguably the boldest
entry in the platform-shooter’s history.
Shaking up the template laid out in the
PS2 trilogy and the beautiful (if a tad
safe) Tools Of Destruction, this was the
franchise’s boldest outing. Even though
we love the eye-arousing cartoon
delights of the PS4 remake of the
original, ACIT shows more innovation
and heart than any other Ratchet.
Part of what makes this particular
entry such a series standout is
its surprisingly layered, genuinely
emotional story. Ratchet games often
bring the laughs, but their slapstick
space plots rarely have much depth
or emotion. That’s not the case with
ACIT. Not only does it let Clank shine as
an independent hero who’s forced to
fight against his cold, metallic logic, the
game also serves up one of the most
effective father/son relationships in
PlayStation history.DADDY ISSUES
Not that the charismatic Alister
Azimuth is actually Ratchet’s dad. Still,
as the only other surviving Lombax in
the galaxy, this grizzled yet regretful
soldier immediately builds a touching
bond with Insomniac’s furry-eared icon.
The ensuing story takes surprising,
occasionally mournful turns, and
Azimuth’s desire to reverse the eventsthat caused the near-extinction of his
species by rolling back time delivers the
most satisfying narrative Insomniac has
ever delivered. And yes, we’re including
the studio’s recent, excellent Spider-
Man adventure in that sweeping but
deserved statement.
While A Crack In Time makes Ratchet
a more emotionally complex character,
it also transforms his pal Clank into
a bona fide bot action star. With the
duo separated for the majority of the
game’s runtime, the teeny robot has to
master new powers as he maintains
the galaxy’s Great Clock; a complex,
vertically stacked construct that
controls all time in the universe.
Acting as caretaker for this tick-
tocking structure, Clank engages in
the series’ most in-depth puzzles.
Through a combination of time pads and
holographic copies of himself, the little
bot can stop the in-game clock to solve
all manner of engaging conundrums.
Throw in the metal man’s enemy-
smacking Chronoscepter, and ACIT
tests both Clank’s brains and brawn
like no entry in the franchise before or
since has managed to do.
Though subsequent series spin-
off entries stumbled, Insomniac was
operating at the peak of its powers
in this superb PS3 adventure. With
open-ended flying sections that allow
Ratchet to explore the mini moons
and asteroids of the Breegus System,
sharp-as-ever shooting, and rollicking
new hoverboots enlivening the on-foot
platforming, this ambitious gem is an
oft-overlooked delight. It turns out
taking time apart really can make a
’bax-on-bot bromance stronger.Every month we celebrate the most important,
innovative or just plain great games from
PlayStation’s past. This issue, we break the
space-time continuum with one of the Lombax-
and-robot double act’s best adventures
Clock’n’roll
Ratchet & Clank:
A Crack In Time
CLASSIC GAMEIT REMAINS THE
BOLDEST ENTRY IN
THE PLATFORM-
SHOOTER’S HISTORY.