The Ratchet & Clank series byInsomniac Gameshas been on a roller coaster ride throughout the last few decades. It has experienced weird spin-offs, co-op play, many crazy weapons, and even time-related puzzles that Clank has been involved with.
Ratchet & Clank Celebrates 20th Anniversary with Free Armor Pack, Five Classic PS+ Premium Games
The villains throughout the series have also been standouts, including Dr. Nefarious. All in all, this is a series that has had its ups and downs. Here are the top Ratchet & Clank games since the series' inception in 2002.
7Ratchet: Deadlocked/Gladiator
Starting off strong isRatchet: Deadlocked, otherwise known as Ratchet: Gladiator. It is a mission-based Ratchet & Clank game that has the lombax facing swarms of enemies with a creative suite of weapons and vehicles. The platforming is intense, and the storyline feels a bit darker than past games as Ratchet tries to survive when other past heroes haven’t.
What helps alleviate that tension is the hilarious comedic relief from the commentators Juanita and Dallas who have plenty of great banter together. There are plenty of standout moments within the narrative, and each of the bosses deliver. Unfortunately, there isn’t the planet exploration we’re accustomed to from past games, leaving this lower on the list.
6Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction showcased how beautiful this series can be in HD. When it first came out, many compared this game to the works of Pixar, due to its gorgeous animation. The Groovitron made its first appearance in this game, and when it’s unleashed, your enemies will all dance in a unique fashion. Ever since then, it’s always been a great “weapon” to use in a pinch. Unlike Ratchet: Gladiator, there is more exploration in this game, letting you explore the galaxy inside the ship.
Unfortunately, despite some great weapons, Tools of Destruction pales in comparison to other games in the series. The villain isn’t memorable in the slightest, and many of the worlds are dark and grey, leaving you with an empty feeling. The game’s opening world Kerwan is certainly a highlight, however, with its bright and beautiful city landscape.
Another writer on this website, Jeremy Peeples, also thinks the story works well inTools of Destruction. “The story’s grander stakes wouldn’t have come across nearly as well if the cast wasn’t up to snuff, and while this isn’t the most dramatic story told, it’s still a fantastic kid-friendly story that also works for adults given its references that kids won’t get, but adults will get a kick out of.”
5Ratchet & Clank (2016)
Forget the original game on the PS2 (which lacks precise aiming and a worse voice actor for Ratchet) and play the 2016 remake instead. It is based on the movie interpretation and looks incredible because of it. This remake has a big-budget feel with pretty environments and blockbuster moments that eclipse the original PS2 release. Some of the mini-games are very fun in this, such as Ratchet riding a hoverboard and performing tricks in a race, or trying to outpace a huge enemy as Clank in a Crash Bandicoot-like fashion.
The visual effects of the game are impressive, especially with the new Pixelizer weapon, which turns enemies into 8-bit-like pixels. The puzzle segments with Clank are also standout as he tries to use the mini-bots to his advantage. “Ratchet & Clank is more than just a mere remake of the 2002 classic as Insomniac Games took big risks and they paid off,” saidour review.
4Ratchet & Clank 2: Going Commando
Going Commando still holds up to this day, even if it has to be streamed via PlayStation Plus Premium to be played on a modern system. This classic entry in the series has great writing, plenty of fun platforming, and a great selection of weapons at your disposal. One of the game’s highlights is letting you explore a big open space and collect resources by beating up enemies on the field.
If you collect a lot of these resources, you’ll get a bunch of bolts. It also has some fun mini-games, such as battling in a giant mech version of Clank and battling enemies in space. One of the fun weapons of this game is the Sheepinator, which has you transform your enemies into weak sheep you can take out in one hit. The Minirocket Tube was also introduced in Going Commando, letting you blast foes with explosive rockets. This was my first entry in the series as a kid and I’ve been in love with the series ever since.
3Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time
Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time is a milestone game in the platforming franchise. It introduced the engaging narrative thread of Ratchet finally meeting one of his kind and discovering that the lombax are somewhere out there.
There are also some interesting story concepts that come about around Ratchet’s friend Clank, who finds more about the mysterious Zoni. Clank has some fantastic time-bending puzzle elements that break up the action of Ratchet’s adventures to find his friend. A Crack in Time also brought about large environments that Ratchet can explore with his hover boots, which felt thrilling to use at the time of its release.
It had some interesting weapons as well, such as the Sonic Eruptor, which had a creature belch towards Ratchet’s foes. The Chimp-o-Matic was also a funny weapon which turned your foes into monkeys. A Crack in Time stepped up the planetary exploration by having mini-planets to explore, all of which had unique platforming elements and puzzles to solve. Our sister site GameRant calls this one of thebest mistaken identity games.
2Ratchet & Clank 3: Up Your Arsenal
One of the best platforming antagonists made their debut in Up Your Arsenal, and that’s Dr. Nefarious. His outrageous banter mixed with his straight man butler Lawrence is some of the greatest comedic writing the series has to offer. Courtney Gears, a parody of Britney Spears, is also a hilarious, albeit aged, antagonist that acts as a great boss fight later on in the game. As Ratchet, you’re hired to help Starship Phoenix against the evil Dr. Nefarious.
The levels are as exciting as ever, adding new elements like different suits and robots to help you out in battle. Insomniac Games really got into its prime with Ratchet & Clank 3: Up Your Arsenal with its stellar mix of action platforming and epic storytelling. The multiplayer modes were actually surprisingly fun back in the day.
1Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart feels like the crescendo of the series, taking everything that fans love about the series and completing Ratchet’s storyline up to this point, while beginning a new tale for another lombax and robot. The storyline is certainly intriguing as we look at an alternate world in which Dr. Nefarious has succeeded and acts as a powerful leader of the galaxy. The storyline gets dramatic as both Ratchet and Rivet deal with their pasts.
The graphics are incredible for this PS5 game, adding in plenty of details to the sci-fi universe. It looks so vast, pretty, and otherworldly. All the weapons that Ratchet uses feel powerful to utilize. Tackling the virus nests as the little robot is a fun distraction, and exploring every nook and cranny of each world is absolute bliss. The Clank puzzle sections are also creative as you manipulate Clank’s possibilities in the Meta-Terminal and attempt to shift their direction.
What stands out the most in this game, however, is how you can shift into portals. With the PS5’s SSD, you can teleport to new areas in a matter of seconds. It’s quite incredible, and this has you explore otherworldly areas with creative platforming segments and cool collectibles to find. Thankfully, you can play this fantastic experience on the PS5 and PC.
“Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart utilizes the power and functionalities of the PS5 to deliver a must-own experience while also standing as an excellent game on its own,” saidour review. If there isn’t another Ratchet & Clank game incoming, this is a beautiful conclusion to the series. It’s a great goodbye to one of my childhood heroes, Ratchet.
