E3 2015 Preview: Ratchet & Clank

I’ll freely admit that I’ve never played a Ratchet & Clank game, but that I definitely want to change that with its upcoming series reboot.

A colourful and highly-detailed third person action title, I got to spend hands-on time with Insomniac’s film tie-in and franchise reboot last week at E3. In my time with the game, I played through two demos: a lengthy sequence in a bustling, futuristic city alongside a straight-forward boss battle.

I found both experiences immensely satisfying.

The city level had me platforming and getting used to Ratchet’s melee weaponry and myriad guns. Controls were simple: I had a button to melee, one to jump, and the bumpers and triggers concerned themselves with weapon selection, aiming and firing. As I ran through a city and eventually went through a platforming sequence on a moving train, I was simply delighted.

Is Ratchet & Clank known for what I played through? Fun and frivolity, intercut with solid controls and humour that will work with both children and adults alike? I’m going to go out on a limb and say yes. I’m also going to kick myself for not having discovered the franchise earlier.

The boss battle I took part in did away with most of the platforming elements of the game and instead had me focused on Ratchet’s many guns. Insomniac’s influence was immediately apparent, thanks to my own experiences with Sunset Overdrive. The weaponry were all so varied, each with their own comical name, use and affect. As I ran around an underground cavern, dodging enemies – or taking them out when needed for ammo – I unloaded everything I had into a big, lumbering beast, seemingly controlled by a nerdy programmer.

I’m not going to lie: I actually snorted out loud once at one of the jokes made while all this was taking place.

At the end of E3, when you’ve been run off your feet and you just want to go home, it takes a certain type of game to get you smiling again. Ratchet & Clank did it with ease and in a way that makes me excited for what’s to come, what’s already happened (yes, I’m a bad gamer; naughty me) and even for the film that’s set to grace the big screen.

I’ll be waiting with excitement and anticipation when Ratchet & Clank heads to PS4 (and theatres) next year. From the looks of things, I’d assume the fairly polished game is waiting on the movie.