So I’ll be the first to admit, I’m probably the worst person to be previewing the latest addition to the Ratchet and Clank family, for the simple reason that I haven’t touched any of the other installments of the series. I know, I know--blasphemy. Consider it on my to-do list, but since I was the only HAWTwired cat at PAX, I felt it my responsibility to check the game out, and I was pleased with what I saw.
For those of you that have followed the series up to this point, this game is a direct sequel to the previous episode, A Crack in Time. For those of you worried about why up-to-this-point-villain Dr. Nefarious is teamed with the titular heroes (more on that in a minute), yes, this is a canon adventure in the storyline. All 4 One marks a first for the series with the addition of drop-in/drop-out four-player co-op.
Back to the story. The galaxy is in a relative sense of peace: Ratchet and Clank have retired from heroing, Quark has settled into his role as Galactic President, and Dr. Nefarious is…well…doing whatever it was he was doing instead of being blowed-up and burned to a crisp at the end of the last game (for those interested, it was mentioned that the upcoming six-issue Ratchet & Clank comic books will cover most of the inbetween story, but aren’t necessary for following All 4 One). As always happens when the universe is in apparent safety, an unforeseen threat attacks, and a legion of drones swoops in and kidnaps our heroes and villain.
The drones drop the foursome off on an alien world populated by drones, as well as other beings that have been picked up across the galaxy. Much to the foursome’s dismay, they end up having to work together against their robot oppressors (and there’s your Nefarious explanation--now let’s never speak of it again).
As mentioned above, the co-op is drop-in/drop-out, so you may choose when you start a game session, you may choose if you want to allow online players to come into your game, keep the game all to yourself, or even play locally with three of your friends sitting next to you on the couch. Single player games will have you pick an AI companion, with the game’s puzzles and enemies scaling up and down depending on the number of players currently in your game.
And you will need the help. The level the Insomniac team played for the crowd at the demo showed a lot of team mechanics for navigating the level. Players would toss each other to hard to reach platforms with a vacuum gun, then use a hookshot to snag their partner and be towed over. Many switches and levers depended on teamwork to activate, and deadly enemies are easier dispatched with one player drawing their fire while the others flanked them. A particularly clever mechanic showed a wind tunnel the foursome had to ascend by joining hands in an attempt to build up enough wind resistance to be carried upward in the tunnel.
Some changes to the series have had to be made to accommodate the multiplayer. For starters, ammo is no longer a worry, as the economy of managing four players’ ammo stockpile would have quickly become a tedious affair. Also, the over-the-camera shoulder is out in lieu of a single, railed camera with a director programming that keeps all players, whether local or online, with the same display, aiding in communication between players and keeping them from getting too far spread apart.
Though ammo may be out, parts and pieces for building and upgrading weapons are still in the game, and competition for prize components is bound to start good natured infighting. Also, there was some allusion to Castle Crasher style character development for people who prefer to play as a certain hero each time, but no details as to what that entails at this time.
Revisiting my comments from the beginning of this write-up, yes, I am a Ratchet and Clank virgin, but what I saw from the Insomniac team while at PAX is making me regret those actions. Hopefully, I can catch up to the rest of you by the game’s release next year. Looking forward to smashing alien robots along side you!
