The new Ratchet expansion seemed as elusive as Bigfoot. After its debut at the media briefing I fully expected it to be somewhere on the show floor. Strangely, however, it seemed to be entirely absent. Sony’s kiosks didn’t seem to be featuring the title, and it wasn’t until the last day that I saw it occupying the screen that used to house PixelJunk Eden. Even then I had to wait behind an exhibitor transfixed on exploring every single angle, but eventually I actually managed to get my hands on Ratchet’s new adventure.
That wasn’t a typo, as the promo suggested and the demo proved, Clank was nowhere to be found (he was, after all, abducted at the end of the duo’s last adventure. I’m sure Ratchet’s trusty sidekick will eventually revive their symbiotic relationship, but the demo was all Ratchet’s show. Thus, Ratchet’s super jump and hovering have been excised, leaving him with more of a pure platforming experience.
His weapons had also been excised, but I’m quite sure that was for the purposes of the new ability featured in the demo. At first I spent an embarrassing amount of time casually exploring the levels because, honestly, everything seemed like a dead end. A few moments later, thanks to some helpful prodding from a Sony rep, I managed to remember Ratchet’s new ability for his ratchet. By hitting R2, it could send a linked electrical stream to a variety of objects, thereby creating a link between him and the object. All I managed to do was turn a few bolts, but I’m sure the guys at Insomniac will come up with some interesting returns for Ratchet’s new toy.
It should really go without saying at this point, but the game looked gorgeous. The tropical setting reminded me of the earlier levels from the first Jak game, only (obviously) a million times better looking. The water, in particular, was gorgeous in its sun stroked shade of aqua. The last Ratchet and Clank title on PS3 was criminally underrated in the looks department, so maybe this downloadable title (for $15!) will be able to turn some more heads – with the gameplay to back it up.
