Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction

Content review for this game:
Pertaining to the ESRB rating and My age rating.

Content-wise: Kids 7+ could maybe play a couple of the very first levels, and most of the early story is watchable by this age group. However, the game's overall tone is just too sarcastic for kids 7-, and the gameplay mechanics are way over their heads.
Difficulty-wise: This installment is more balanced, and is overall an easier game than previous ones in the series. However, after the middle of the game, things do start to get pretty hard, and enemies will take lots of damage before they're destroyed. You'll often have to switch between weapons, as certain enemies use full shields and are immune to many weapons.

Another frustrating thing is, if you die, you'll most often have to start from the very beginning of the area, and that could get old for some younger gamers.

The secret to beating any Ratchet and Clank game semi-comfortably is to upgrade, upgrade, upgrade. Whenever you have the chance to buy a new weapon, get new armor, or upgrade weapons with Raritanium, do it, as you'll have to, to counteract the ever-ramping difficulty.

So, I could definitely see some interested and determined kids 10+ complete this game, especially if they take the time to constantly upgrade their equipment, level up weapons in the arena, and take time to earn plenty of bolts.

Fun for: If you think this is game exclusively for kids, it's not. For one, the game is very challenging, and the story's humor will only be fully appreciated by adults.

There are also many extras to unlock (like cheats, concept art, skins, etc.), and to do this, you'll have to complete obscure tasks to gain skill points on each planet and collect hidden, gold bolts. This game is also moderately long (at about 15 hours), especially if you upgrade your weapons and find all the extras (which could extend it by at least another 5 hours).

Last but not least, this game gives you the option to set the controller's left-stick to control the gun aim, instead of the look-around camera, which means it's like playing a first-person shooter with a third-person view point. This setup is great for older and more hardcore video game players (I use this).

Pros & Cons: This is a fantastic game, with near pixar quality graphics (seriously); incredibly deep gameplay; a great (and very funny) story; lots and lots to do; and after you complete the game, you can play through again (called Challenge Mode), but with all of your upgraded weapons, and the chance to get even more powerful ones.

However, if you've ever played more than one Ratchet and Clank game, you know the series overall gameplay, controls, mechanics and formula stay exactly the same.

So, if you like the formula, you'll love every game. But if you've played one Ratchet and Clank game, and didn't like it, you won't like any of the others either.

Alcohol reference: One area has you fight in a robot pirate bar, with neon signs showing the pirates tipping glasses of grog into their mouths. You also overhear pirates singing about grog in a few of the levels, and after destroying one of their outposts, a pirate states, "We hadn't even finished building the pub yet!

Animated blood: When you shoot or hit the main enemy (Fish Drophyd), they fall out of their robot suits and start to flop on the floor (as they're fish). If you shoot or hit them with your wrench, they will disappear into a (very) light splatter/puff of orange/yellow goo. Another enemy (who are oversized bugs) will explode into a moderate splatter/puff of yellow/green goo. They will also leave behind large droplets of green, jello-like goo (but this is used as ammo for a certain weapon). A bigger version of this bug will explode into a large amount of bubble gum colored/looking (blue, purple, pink) goo when you destroy it. "Blood" (more like goo) effects and enemy bodies disappear in a few seconds. Other than these listed above, there are no actual red colored or gratuitous blood effects.

Crude humor:

  • While Ratchet and Clank are talking to Captain Qwark, the main villain appears on a nearby screen, and states to Qwark, "Hurry up and get over here! I have boils that need lancing!" (Qwark's his hostage servant) Qwark then whispers to them in a silly and desperate tone, "Pray for me!"
  • While Ratchet and Clank are hiding from an enemy pirate, the pirate comes in and says, "Ah, what be that foul smell?!" His subordinate then says something like, "Arg! (in an apologetic tone) That dish didn't agree with me, Sir!" The pirate captain then quickly says that it's not that--he smells Ratchet.
  • While flying over an enemy base, Ratchet and Clank's ship is hit and starts to go down. One of the side characters asks, "Do you rookies have the stones to make a HALO jump? Clank (a robot) then asks Ratchet, "I do not understand. What are stones, and do I have them? Ratchet replies, "I'll tell you later...and no."
  • While Ratchet and Clank talk again with Qwark, he (Qwark) pulls out a device and says, "I found this in Tachyon's underwear drawer (with Ratchet holding his nose in disgust, while waving his hand in front of the device), I thought it would help?" (Which it does; it's the clue to the next planet's location).
  • In a few, certain areas, you have to disco dance with three other pirates to prove you are one. A mini-game plays out where you have to match up your moves with the other dancers. One of the moves during this dance is to "shake your booty!" which (by shaking your remote) will result in your character turning around and shaking his behind towards the camera.
  • Feeling sorry for himself, Qwark talks about how he doesn't deserve his buff body, and he starts to list what he doesn't deserve, as the camera focuses on each area he talks about. He then says something like, "And I don't deserve this buxom bottom!" as the camera points there, filling the screen with his exaggerated behind.

Fantasy violence: (This is the fifth game in the series) A strange, small and boisterous creature called Emperor Tachyon has taken it upon himself to rid the world of the last Lombax in existence: Ratchet (the main character, who resembles a cat, with ears similar to the Star Wars character, Yoda). Ratchet doesn't know why Tachyon wants him dead, but he intends to find out. To make matters worse, Captain Qwark (a main character), the quasy (and famous) "super hero" has gotten himself kidnapped by robots, and now these same robots, led by Tachyon, are invading the galaxy. It's time for Ratchet and Clank (his side-kick: a small robot with a personality and appearance that falls somewhere between C3PO and R2-D2 from Star Wars) to stop them, and along the way, discover more about Ratchet's Lombax heritage...

The story itself is full of silly, slapstick, sarcastic, and clever humor, with many comments like, "Ah! Kill'em all! Sell their kidneys." Or, in-game ads for an arena event states, "Mad for mayhem? Crave carnage? Adore destruction? It's the greatest, bloodiest, goriest (no, there's no gore) battle in the universe! (in quick hushed voice) Rated 'M' for mature..." There are also disco dancing robot pirates and many other silly things. So in other words, it is sarcastic and a bit over-the-top, but pretty harmless, cartoony, and all done in a fun, light tone.

The violence is very fantastical, with mass explosions, crashes, constant fire from the enemy, and pretty much utter mayhem and frantic chaos. The enemy consists of robot suit-encased goldfish, oversized bugs, robot space pirates, and well, many other types of robots. Ratchet will be fighting these enemies with a couple dozen (and fully upgradeable) weapons. The majority of these weapons have exaggerated and ridiculous fire-power, like a plasma ball shooter, a gun that launches mini tornados, a gun that shoots multiple spikes, nuclear hand grenades, a rocket launcher, etc. Ratchet can also attack enemies with his wrench.

When Ratchet disposes of an enemy, it will explode into a cloud of bolts (the game's currency), metal (if a robot), colorful firework-like particle effects, and/or puffs of smoke. Beyond this, the overall tone of violence is pretty mild, the cutscenes' action is comparable to Looney Toon's over-the-top antics, and the actual gameplay is no worse (in fact, maybe a bit more mild) than the sometimes chaotic and moderately violent cartoons kids watch today.

Language: After Ratchet aquires a certain weapon, the database narrator refers to the weapon as "whoop a**." While Ratchet fights in arena matches, Qwark (who narrates the matches) will sometimes say, "There comes a time in every challenger's life, where he discovers that he is completely and utterly sc**wed!" A later scene shows Tachyon crash into a wall while trying to make a cool get away, prompting him to say in frustration, "Oh...son of a...hold on." During a dire situation, Ratchet states, "We are so sc**wed!" While Qwark practices his pirate "AR!" he blurts out, "You saucy wench!"--but immediately covers his mouth in surprise. At one point a space pirate says, "Me wee cannon balls!" A description of one of the arena events reads: "You killed his family. You framed him for murder. Okay. Maybe not. But he's p**sed anyway." Other than these, there are a couple of slang and mildly disrespectful terms like fool, wench (used again by a robot pirate), suckup, and shutup.

Difficulty-wise (full explanation): The base formula in every Ratchet and Clank game is: land on a planet, destroy all enemies in your way, get to the other end of the planet, watch a cutscene, find a clue about what planet to go to next, and repeat. During these missions you'll mostly be shooting and hitting things, but you'll also be jumping and hovering (with the help of Clank) from platform to platform, collecting bolts (the game's currency), grinding on rails, walking on magnetized walls, swimming, sky diving, flying, and many other things during the course of the game.

The default controls consist of circle button to shoot, X button to jump (tap X twice for double jump, and hold it to hover), square button to swing your wrench, hold triangle button for quick weapon select, right-stick to move, left-stick to control camera, L1 to strafe, and L2 to zoom in and look around. Ratchet can also high jump and long jump. These are the base controls, and change slightly during the swimming and flying portions.

Every level has dozens of breakable crates scattered throughout; filled with bolts, health, and ammo. Enemies also shed bolts when you destroy them, and these bolts act as the game's currency for buying and upgrading all of your weapons and armor. All levels have more than one weapon kiosk (in this game, they also fully heal you), which is used to buy new weapons, ammo, and upgrade them with the Raritanium you find from certain enemies and crates. Weapons will also level up automatically (and gradually) the more you use them, resulting in increased fire power and new abilities.

The majority of the platforming will be done by using Clank. Clank sits on Ratchet's back like a backpack, and is equipped with a built-in, mini helicopter that comes from his head, which is used to hover over small gaps, and jump extra high to reach normally unreachable platforms. To traverse larger gaps, Ratchet will use the Swingshot, which will grab onto certain hooks in the sky, and swing him to the other end. Other than using it as a weapon, Ratchet will use his wrench to open certain doors, by grabbing onto unscrewed bolts, and turning them until the closed door opens.

Sometimes Ratchet will also have to use certain devices to get through an area; a good example is the Gelanator, which shoots jello-like platform-sized cubes of green goo. You use this device to stack the cubes on top of each other, reach high platforms, weigh down buttons (which open doors), and pass large expanses of liquid (lakes of goo). These goo cubes are also bouncy, and can propel you several feet into the air. But you have to watch out for the gel-eating robo dogs, which will destroy your work, who you'll have to disable before moving on.

A few key moments in the game put you in the shoes of Clank. Clank can enter smaller places than Ratchet, and activate devices to further progress certain levels. Although Clank isn't equipped with guns, he can hit things with his fists, and control groups of fellow robots. These robots imbue Clank with the power to levitate over small gaps and slow down time, in order to enter fast closing doors and speeding traps/obstacles. Clank can also issue commands to the robots, with the quick weapon select screen, and can order them to attack enemies, fix objects, open locked doors, and create bridges.

There's one planet that gives you access to the arena. The arena is a place where you can compete in multiple matches, which pit you against dozens of opponents, with a variety of obstacles and objectives. After completing an event, you'll earn a set amount of bolts. Other than just fighting enemies, the arena has specific objectives, like beat enemies before time runs out, don't get hit even once, finish the round before you're knocked out by gas, etc. In addition, this game includes a few starship levels in space, where you dogfight with space pirates. These levels are on tracks (which means you can only move a set amount, while it takes you through the level like a rollercoaster), and have you constantly dodge and shoot the enemy, while trying to collect Raritanium, bolts, and escape the area.

New to this game, is the addition of several Sixaxis (the built-in tilt control in every PS3 controller) mini-games like: use the Decryptor to open certain locked doors, which will bring you to a mini game where you have to tilt a ball by using the remote on a mini circuit board--your objective being to act as an electrical bridge to a moving current; use Clank's wings to fly through rings and tilt the remote to steer Ratchet in the air; cut through certain walls by tilting the remote and moving the cutting laser along a set path; and while freefalling to a planet, use the remote to tilt Ratchet and dodge incoming missiles.

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