Ratchet & Clank in 2016? Who would've believed that. And yet, there seems to be a kind of nostalgia right now for old 3D platformer heroes. While the return of Crash Bandicoot has been clamored for for several months by some of the players, the Lombax and its mechanical friend are the first to treat themselves to a makeover within the Sony team. The manufacturer is also putting the small dishes in the big ones to be sure not to miss out: Insomniac Games first returns to the controls of its own license and a feature film with a flashy cast will then come to support the release of the game, within a few weeks (as the slogan "The game inspired by the movie inspired by the game" proudly states).
A CRACK IN TIME
As we said, this new Ratchet & Clank is therefore a total overhaul of the first episode, which notably recounted the meeting between the two heroes as well as their fight against President Drek, leader of the Blarg race, determined to destroy the galaxy. to forge a whole new planet. All of that is still central to the story of this remake, but the writers have also shaken up a few things, to include the Galactic Rangers and Doctor Nefarious (who didn't appear until much later on PS2, in Ratchet & Clank 3). The result is a story that's a little more disjointed, a little less coherent, even if that doesn't really impact the quality of the software, which always relies more on its mainstream humor than on detailed and subtle writing. (ADMIRATIVE WHISTLING)
Of course, it is first on the visual aspect that Insomniac insisted, just to bring its old cuckoo clock up to date. And it must be said that the bet is successful. Really, Ratchet & Clank is a very beautiful game. Without trying to be excessive and remaining faithful to the model of open levels of the series, Insomniac manages to offer the player a visually and technically impeccable title, which starts with a framerate ultra-stable despite the twenty or so enemies sometimes on the screen, the many particle effects and other pyrotechnic joys. Perhaps slightly more uneven on the textures (despite Ratchet's very successful fur), the game makes up for it on very nice cartoonish animations and on panoramas boosted by a beautiful depth of field and successful lighting. The different levels of the first opus have been reinterpreted with talent and we rediscover them with pleasure in a new light, especially during the rail sliding phases. BY SMALL BUTTONS
Controller in hand, we are already more in evolution than in revolution. But that was perhaps not the point of this PS4 remake intended to bring together old fans and some new (rather young) players around solid gameplay above all else. In short, it was necessary to ensure the shot. This new cuvée is therefore still centered around the arsenal of the famous Lombax, which will be filled with ever crazier inventions as the game progresses. With a few exceptions, it is a potpourri of most popular weapons in the series. So expect to find the morpho-rayon, the disco ball or the indescribable Mr. Zurkon alongside Ratchet's famous Super Key. The handling remains identical to that of previous episodes, until the camera is sometimes too close to the action and therefore a little cumbersome. Insomniac has taken the reward and exploration aspect of the game a little further, from which only the relentless will be able to extract the substantial marrow
The small novelties are to be found on the side of the alternative game phases. Insomniac thus offers shooting phases in the ship and some sequences of sliding on rails which give a little variety to the adventure. The first should not however mark their time while the seconds shine above all by a sensation of speed well rendered. Hoverboard races are making a nice comeback (but not really complicated) while the game will require you to put yourself in Clank's shoes a few times during the main adventure. It then leans more towards the side of the puzzle-game, since it will be necessary to solve fairly well-balanced and never frustrating puzzles to help the Lombax progress on its side.FOR COMPLETISTS
Still within the framework of this slight modification of the heritage of the series, Insomniac has pushed the reward and exploration aspect of the game a little further, from which only the relentless will be able to draw the substantial marrow. This first translates into secondary objectives on certain planets, with additional gadgets to obtain but also rewards in bolts (the in-game currency). It also goes through the gold bolts and the collection of cards to be completed in order to unlock passive stat bonuses or ultimate weapons in the New Game + mode. Finally, the game offers a bit of roleplay with a hero who gains experience to lengthen his health bar, but also guns that improve with use and become customizable by recovering raritanium.
