Ratchet & Clank turns 20 today! Has someone tampered with the Great Clock? It's almost hard to believe, but it's true. Insomniac Games released the original game in 2002, kickstarting two decades of epic adventures through space, time, and dimensions. From its humble beginnings on the PlayStation 2, the franchise has introduced us to many beloved characters, many legendary weapons and gadgets, many eccentric aliens, and more.
Today we're launching Ratchet & Clank - #Ratchet20, if you will, with a few surprises and a franchise spin-off.
Let's get straight to the good stuff. We are pleased to announce that Ratchet & Clank. Rift Apart is getting the #Ratchet20 20th Anniversary Armor Set TODAY, available through a game update at no additional cost. * The collection includes five armors inspired by games from the history of the franchise and we have a wide variety to choose from;
- Commando armor inspired by Ratchet & Clank. With Going Commando
- Holoflux armor inspired by Ratchet & Clank Future. With a time jump
- Ratchet & Clank Future was inspired by Quest D'Armor. From looking for prey
- Marauder armor inspired by Ratchet. With deadlock
- Clank rmor to celebrate best friends
That's not all. We're also excited to announce that new installments in the Ratchet & Clank franchise** will be coming to PlayStation Plus Premium on November 15th, including:
Now on PlayStation Plus Premium.
- Ratchet & Clank future. In Search of Prey (PS3)
- Ratchet & Clank future. A Rift in Time (PS3)
- Ratchet & Clank. All 4 in 1 (PS3)
- A warrior and a crane. Full Frontal Assault (PS3)
- Ratchet & Clank. Into the Nexus (PS3)
PlayStation Plus Premium November 15th.
- Ratchet & Clank (PS3)
- Ratchet & Clank. Walking Commando (PS3)
- Ratchet & Clank. Upgrade Your Arsenal (PS3)
- Ratchet & Clank: Dead End (PS3)
- Ratchet & Clank future. Tools of Destruction (PS3)
Now that we've got something new out of the way, let's return to the aspects of the franchise that have made it such an iconic PlayStation game over the past 20 years. We also invited insomniacs to share their memories.
Hello Fluffy....
After three mysterious adventures involving dragons, it's time to delve deep into space and explore a whole galaxy full of new possibilities. The premise was simple. A furry alien and a little robot travel from planet to planet, collecting weapons and gadgets and saving worlds along the way. Q ratchet and clank. Odin, a Lombax who has a soft spot for mechanics and wants to explore his desert planet, Veldin. And another one, a robot, an intelligent and logical creature with a sincere heart and a desire to do good. These named misfits will leave their mark off their planet and in our hearts.
" Back in 2001, when we were in the early stages of production on the original Ratchet & Clank, we were trying to find the right tone for the story. Brian Hastings came up with the basic concept for the game and we quickly started prototyping. The tricky part was finding the right comedic tone for our scenes.
- Ted Price, President of Insomniac Games
As someone who doesn't know how to write humor, I was looking forward to seeing if Brian, John Lally and Oliver Wade, who worked on the scripts, could press the needle and come up with something funny without being ridiculous.
I remember lugging around an old CRT TV and watching our first test video. It was an ad for Al's Snaggle, in which Captain Quark (voiced by the great Jim Ward) says in his characteristically sharp tone: Even though I knew the script by heart, I laughed out loud after seeing the scene. The lines, the pitch, the animation, the subtle social commentary, everything fits. For me, that was the scene that set the comic tone for the entire franchise." U:
Of course, over the course of 16 games, we've encountered an incredible roster of characters; daring rivet. Lombax and our breakout star.
Weapons and Gadgets...
Aside from their characters, Ratchet & Clank is known for its wild arsenal of weapons. I mean, who could forget this live ad in the PS2 era? From Up Your Arsenal's Shock Blaster to Tools of Destruction's Groovitron, frontal assault enemies are at the heart of Ratchet & Clank's gameplay. Let's not forget the gadgets that will also help you in your adventure; Swing Shot! Helipad! Hoover shoes. Chapter! Hydraulic displacer! magnets!
20 years is a long time to develop, improve and test new weapons. Blasters, Cannons, Melee Weapons, Deployables, Blades, Morph Rays, Rocket Launchers, Wrenches, Hammers... There's a weapon for everyone and we can't wait to see how our community favorites stack up! (ahem: comment below!)
“ I remember the first time I did half a flight in the air on a hoverboard in a spherical world and saw a small planet disappear in the distance below me. It was halfway through development on the first Ratchet game, and it was one of the many moments that made me think, "Wow, we've got something really special here!" The funny thing is, as amazing as the spherical worlds are, we ended up saving them for the sequel.
- Brian Hastings, Head of Creative Strategy, Insomniac Games.
Two other favorite moments filmed were a whole nest of sand sharks being sucked up and thrown at each other with a suction cannon, and the first discovery of Metropolis in Caravan as you walk through a tunnel and see the sprawling city and rivers. plane in front of you. But there are at least a hundred other memorable moments from the making of that first game that I could highlight. That first year was a magical time with someone adding something new and amazing every day. U:
...Not fit for this world.
Iconic planets set the stage for epic adventures. From the endless skies of Metropolis to the dark pirate lagoons of Hulefar Island, every location in Quest for Loot has bolts to collect, gadgets to unlock, weapons to buy, and secrets to discover. Aesthetically, the worlds range from the grand battlefields of DreadZone to the industrial areas of the Megacorp facilities in Going Commando and the luxurious tropical resorts of Pokitaru; Each world is unique and immersive as you advance in your galactic journeys.
" I started on Insomniac when we were doing Ratchet and Clank. Going Commando for PS2. Previously we named all assets by numbers so none of the asset names had letters. Artists have written long lists of numbers describing what is active for their own reference.
– Jacinda Chu, Senior Art Director, Insomniac Games
If you wanted to share an asset, you asked the artist for a number or used a photocopier to copy their asset list for your own use. The designers also created level maps in Illustrator, which the artists printed onto large rolls of paper to use as a guide when creating the levels. The concept art was created on paper and handed over to the artists. Needless to say, even though we were making 3D models, artists' desks were filled with stacks and scraps of paper. U:
Ratchet & Clank: In Into the Nexus, our team explored more frightening locations, from haunted asylums to wrecked space stations, which gave the game its personality. Visually, the Nexus is my personal favorite because it builds on that aesthetic and tone.
- Have you seen any good holo movies?
The PlayStation 2 opened up new possibilities beyond the original PlayStation, including the ability to create full-fledged scenes that rivaled the big-budget movies of the time. In the years that followed, our animation team raised the bar, truly merging game design and visual storytelling.
Animation is the foundation of our stories and gameplay. Ratchet & Clank future. The closing moments of A Crack in Time are a testament to our team's hard work; a veneer of animated storytelling brimming with emotional impact and utility that has brought many of us to tears.
Looking back, the 2016 reimagining of the first game offers us a direct connection between the modern Ratchet & Clank and the graphics of the original. In terms of animation, this is a significant step forward that reflects our team's years of experience bringing Ratchet & Clank to life.
" Let's call it 'the screenshot heard around the world...'"
It was December 2014, just days before our annual office closure for the winter, when I received an email from one of our European manufacturers at SIE. The subject line read "Milestone Update" and a single question mark in the body.
Either way, exactly what you would expect from a producer just before a big highlight. Especially one that's as important as the one we're working on. our first playtest for Ratchet & Clank on PS4.
The build consisted of the first few levels, but mostly it consisted of clips from the Ratchet & Clank feature film mixed in with our new development scenes. For the first time, we saw if players would like our approach to a reimagined R&C origin story.
As we neared delivery I had a million things on my mind, and I cheekily replied to the producer with a screenshot that someone on the team recently shared:
At first he thought I had sent him a still from a feature film just for fun. Then he thought I sent him a picture of one of our first renderings. However, as a result, he realized that it was an in-game shot captured using the PlayStation 4 console.
- Sean McCabe, CTO of Insomniac Games.
The producer was so impressed with what he saw that he sent the screenshot to the SIE Europe staff, who in turn forwarded it to others. Word quickly got around that Ratchet & Clank (2016) was not a remake but something completely new.
RCPS4 will be our most successful game in years, bringing the Ratchet & Clank franchise back to the PlayStation community. U:
Fast forward to June 2021 and our newest game, Ratchet & Clank! Rift Apart sets a new standard for the franchise with massive spectacle, emotional moments and combat animations that bring you closer to the action, combining our craft with the power of PlayStation. 5 panels. Here is my shameless app. You can read our Ratchet & Clank. Rift Apart Flawless Animation blog for more.
That ends our brief overview. We hope you're excited about Ratchet & Clank's 20th Anniversary as much as we are! Featuring Rift Apart armor and a popular classic returning today on PlayStation Plus Premium. On behalf of Insomniac Games, we thank Ratchet and Clank for accompanying them on their adventures over the past 20 years. As always, we'd love to hear about your favorite Ratchet & Clank memories, so please tag us on social media (@insomniacgames) and use the hashtag # Ratchet20 to celebrate the franchise's 20th anniversary!
Play the latest game in the Ratchet & Clank series, Ratchet & Clank. Rift Apart, out now on PS5... Now with a free 20th Anniversary Armor Pack featuring five new armors inspired by previous titles in the series.
*Game update v.1.004 requires an internet connection.
**Game availability may vary by country/region. PlayStation Plus repeats until further notice. Age restrictions apply. Full terms: play.st/PSPlusTerms.