Let me preface this by saying I have a very special place in my heart for Ratchet and Clank. I grew up playing these games, and enjoyed every single one of them (even that stupid arena one). Since I am such a big fan, I was torn between my excitement for a reboot and my concern that this would just ruin everything. After completing the game, I am pleased to tell you that it is fucking awesome, and that is my professional opinion. Ratchet and Clank stays true to everything that made the series great originally, and includes all the lessons developer Insomniac has learned over it’s 15 year journey with the universe’s favourite Lombax. The result is a masterpiece of addictive gameplay with badass weapons, wrapped inside what I think is the best looking game to have ever graced our consoles.

Ratchet and Clank is, somewhat confusingly, a game based on a movie based on a game. Having not seen the movie, I can’t say how well it ties these two together, but I can make an educated guess as to how it all fits in. This game is essentially a reboot of the original, hitting most of the same story beats and character conversations, but all updated for good measure. Having conversations with characters and hearing them saying ‘Haven’t we done this before?’ or ‘See you in the next reboot!’ show the level of care that has been taken into not making this another remastered cash grab. New characters hit the scene and there are several story tweaks as well, meaning those familiar with the original can still enjoy something new. Returning players will feel right at home here, while new comers to the franchise won’t feel like they have missed out on anything which is great. This is the perfect time to jump into the series if you haven’t ever had the pleasure of playing any of these games before. Ratchet and Clank feels like the fully realised vision of what Insomniac had wanted to do with their original game back in 2002. It handles beautifully, runs smooth and it is drop dead gorgeous. Like, take her home and introduce her to my parents gorgeous. Cutscenes look like they have been pulled straight out of a pixar film, while the in-game engine is just as good. So much can often be happening on the screen at once, it can sometimes be overwhelming, but even when that happens, it just gives you more chaos to admire.

The reason for this chaos is the weapons. Ratchet and Clank has always been well known for its crazy arsenal of mayhem, and this game is no different. It brings back fan favourites such as the Combustor, Mr Zurkon and the Groovitron, while adding in new additions such as my personal favourite, the Pixelizer. All the weapons at your disposal will level up just through using them, giving you reason to experiment with weapons you might otherwise ignore. You can also aquire raritanium (catchy right?) that you can use to upgrade your weapons even further. I wish more games had systems like this, where it rewards you for trying new things and keeps it simple. Some of my favourite weapons I probably would never have used if I hadn’t been pushing myself to upgrade them to see what they would turn in to. Rather than levelling up skills of Ratchet himself, you unlock gadgets that unlock new areas with the occasional increase in health, very similar to a little game called Zelda. This gives you more incentive to revisit previous planets to complete challenges and collect gold bolts, a premium currency for concept art, skins and in-game cheats.

Probably the most impressive thing that Ratchet and Clank blends together is its’ balance of old and new. Insomniac has had to walk a very fine line in terms of how much they keep the same versus how much they change. Doing too much of either could easily alienate new or returning players. This was my biggest concern for the game, considering how many games recently have been rereleased and sucked balls because they either changed nothing or they changed everything. I booted up the game, wanting to cover my eyes like when your drunk friend says that he can juggle 5 knives blindfolded and catch them all in his teeth. Where most games take a knife to the face at this point, Insomniac manages to catch all 5 of them, then decide to shoot fireworks out their ass for greater effect. All the changes it has made are subtle yet noticeable (just like fireworks shooting out of a man’s asshole), mainly in terms of modernising the gameplay and shooting mechanics. The biggest addition outside of upgrading your weapon trees is the addition of Holocards. Holocards drop when defeating enemies or can be found hidden away in secret areas. Collecting all the cards in a set can give you in-game bonuses, as well as unlocking Omega versions of weapons that can be accessed after your initial playthrough. If it wasn’t bad enough that I’m a grown man playing a kids game, now I can add obsessive card collecting to the list of reasons why I will never get laid.

The only thing that would have made this game better would have been a multiplayer element. Since the original game didn’t have multiplayer anyway, the choice to not include any in the reboot makes perfect sense. However when they did include it in future games, it became just as fun as playing through the story. With the majority of the multiplayer scene being taken up by traditional shooters, Ratchet and Clank could really help fill that void of providing something a little different. Plus, split screen co-op is (hopefully) making a come back, so what better platform to do it then this family friendly PS4 exclusive?

When you have your expectations for a game set so high, it is almost impossible for that game to live up to them. Even if it is an excellent game, you can build it up in your head so much that when you get your hands on it, it still leaves you underwhelmed. This was not in any way, shape or form the case with Ratchet and Clank. Any developer wanting to reboot their games should take a note from Insomniac’s book on how to do it right. Having a game that is almost a decade and a half old brought back to life and setting the bar for how good a game can look is no easy feat, but this game pulls it off without breaking a sweat. This game is ideal for big and little kids alike, so if you have a PS4, do yourself a favour and grab a copy. It’s ridiculously cheap compared to almost every other new release anyway.

9/10