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Keeping any video game franchise going for long periods of time is difficult. Keeping an action-platformer franchise like Ratchet & Clank going for seven installments across two consoles is even harder. Insomniac Games’ most noted galaxy-saving duo has certainly seen their fare share of success, but they’ve also recently seen some less great times as well, with fans crying out for new Ratchet games to include more variety. Looking at a Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time, those voices appear to be have been heard.
A Crack In Time focuses on Ratchet and Captain Qwark’s quest to find Clank, who is discovering his destiny as caretaker of an important facility known as The Great Clock after having been kidnapped by the Zoni. Ratchet and Clank’s paths are split — players will spend most of their time playing through the series’ trademark action-platforming as Ratchet and a smaller (but equally rewarding) amount of time solving time puzzles as Clank.
The planets Ratchet explores really highlight an upgrade in platforming for the Ratchet franchise. Gone are the small worlds from previous installments that felt a little closed off — A Crack In Time’s worlds are significantly larger with much more territory to explore and much more to do. Franchise staples like swingshot targets and grindrails return, joined by new features like hoverboot race areas and wrench-tethering. A Crack In Time really does feel more like an action-platformer and less like a shooter-platformer than any installment in the franchise to date, which is a very good thing.
Ratchet can also explore moons, which contain collectibles such as Zoni and Gold Bolts. The moons remain outside of the story, which has left Insomniac free to explore their imaginations as far as platforming goes. The moons are great fun because of this, offering unique challenges to platforming fans that aren’t found on planets on the main path. Another great thing about the moons is that they tend to have a fair share of enemies on them, so leveling up weapons is a lot easier and faster.
A Crack In Time includes larger levels like Krell Canyon, which have plenty of fun platforming obstacles and enemies to face.
This latest installment of Ratchet also has him spending more time than ever in his spaceship. Instead of just selecting moons/planets from a list like in previous installments, Ratchet will actually be flying through space, taking on additional missions for bolts and the occasional dogfight against the forces of evil. The good news is that A Crack In Time’s space combat is the best that the franchise has offered to date. The not-so-good news is that it’s fairly easy, being that the field of combat is limited by the fact that you can really only move from left to right and enemies never seem to pose much of a threat.
Speaking of difficulty levels, one of the traditional criticisms of the Ratchet & Clank franchise is that the games in it have been far too easy. A Crack In Time offers multiple difficulties ranging from Casual to Hardcore, for new players and Ratchet veterans looking for challenge alike. If those aren’t enough, you can play through again in Challenge Mode, which offers more challenging enemies and more upgrades for your weapons.
Keeping on the topic of difficulty levels, Clank’s time puzzles offer great new challenges for the Ratchet & Clank franchise that feel fresh and pack a Portal-esque vibe. Clank must solve puzzles by recording himself going through the puzzle and completing different parts of it in sequence. You start off easy with one or two recorded Clanks, but things can get hectic later on with four Clank recordings all playing through the puzzle at the same time. You can skip through the puzzles for a price (a number of bolts), but I’d advise against it, being that the puzzles are great fun and you feel very smart for having solved them on your own.
Clank’s role as caretaker of The Great Clock introduces the player to new and interesting time puzzles.
A Crack In Time doesn’t just have great gameplay, though — it offers what might be the best story in the franchise to date. The great sense of humor and the sci-fi fun return, along with plenty of events to keep you guessing about the game’s greatest mystery: whether or not Ratchet & Clank will reunite. The story offers enough to enjoy for anyone who might pick up the game, whether they’re new to Ratchet or long-time fans.
A note to those who are expecting something different: you’re not necessarily going to find that with this installment of Ratchet. This game still kind of feels like the Ratchet you know. However, what it also does is offer the biggest upgrade to the existing Ratchet formula since Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal for the PlayStation2. A Crack In Time might not offer enough new to keep you interested if you’re looking for something radically new, but if you’ve ever been a fan of Ratchet, A Crack In Time is worth at least a rental.
When It’s All Said And Done…
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time might not reinvent the wheel in terms of new features, but it adds a lot to the existing Ratchet formula where needed. ACIT’s renewed focus on platforming and variety — not to mention the new time puzzles — results in a familiar but fresh-feeling and fun installment of the franchise that never overstays its welcome. A Crack In Time finishes the Ratchet & Clank Future trilogy on a high note that will keep fans looking forward to the next game, whenever it arrives.
Final Score
On a scale of 0-10, where 0 is terrible, 5 is average and 10 is excellent (The Classic EGM Scale), I give Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time (PS3) a 9.0.