Reviewed: July 12, 2008
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Publisher
Sony Computer Entertainment

Developer
High Impact Games

Released: June 17, 2008
Genre: Action
Players: 1

8
8
8
8
8.4

Supported Features:

But apparently High Impact Games didn’t think one tiny robot could carry an entire game so we also get playable cameo appearances by Ratchet and, in his first playable performance, Captain Qwark. Designed much like previous Ratchet & Clank games, there is a linear path of core story-driven missions and numerous challenge modes such as arena battles and even a killer snowboarding sequence that steals the entire show…at least for this reviewer.

After the console-quality opening movie is over we learn that Ratchet has gone off the deep end and turned into a criminal. He is caught trying to steal a gem and thrown into a maximum security prison. When he wakes up the next day he has no knowledge of the events, so we suspect he was framed, and now Clank must use all of his spy gadgetry and knowledge to solve the crime and prove the innocence of his friend.

The bolt system is still in place, so anything you smash turns into springs, bolts, nuts, and such and this translates into currency you can use to buy new weapons and power-ups for you and Ratchet. Yes, you can buy weapons for Ratchet and send them to him in prison disguised as a cake, and he can use those items in his own playable arena battles. Ratchet’s story isn’t nearly as involved as Clank, and is mostly a matter of survival.

The third story deals with Captain Qwark who is following Clank around the galaxy taking credit for all of his accomplishments. Qwark’s playable levels unfold as humorous and exaggerated retellings of fabricated events as related to his personal assistant in charge of writing Qwark’s biography. So even if Clank doesn’t actually finish off a boss fight in some epic battle, you’ll still have the privilege and pleasure of doing so as Qwark.

Clank has some nifty spy gadgets that have names nearly as clever as their functions, and as with past Ratchet & Clank games, the more you use an item the more powerful it becomes as you start to level it up. We start with the Tie-A-Rang, basically a bow tie that can be used as a throwing weapon. Given the nature and name of the weapon and the implication that it should come back, I had to wonder why I had an ammo counter and had to resupply. Cuff-Link Bombs are tiny explosive devices that can be thrown as a grenade or placed as a proximity mine.

The Blackout Pen may look like a fancy fountain pen but the dark matter ink is capable of blacking out security cameras and even laser emitters. The Tanglevine Carnation is a vicious plant weapon capable of entangling and disabling any device that displays the proper interaction icon. Jet Boots enable Clank to double-jump as well as hover and even dispense mini-bombs below him. There are other gadgets and devices like the Holo-Monocle, Hypno-Watch, as well as standard weapons for Ratchet like the Lacerator, Bee Mine Glove, Shard Gun, Walloper, and the Mine Launcher. Many weapons can be modified and upgraded.

One of the more interesting spy tools are the Gadgebots. These are tiny remote controlled droids that you can give commands to and solve various puzzles or help Clank out in certain combat situations. The first time you get to use these little guys is when Clank is captured and you must free him with the Gadgebots sent by HQ.

Despite the abundance of weapons, Clank will also need to use stealth tactics to accomplish some missions. Early on you will learn how to sneak up and perform a stealth takedown move using a random four-button combo. Later, you will get to trail suspects at a safe distance and even wear disguises. The stealthier you are the more stealth bonus you will receive.

As expected from any secret agent adventure, you’ll find plenty of exciting chases ranging from cars and boats to daring snowboard escapes and even running along the tops of hover-trains. Clank also gets to play cards and romance the ladies. There is a particularly memorable ballroom dance number that plays out a bit like Guitar Hero, where you match the streaming patterns of face button symbols to the music.

This implementation of music and button matching repeats itself in another memorable scene where a variation of the Bond theme is playing and you must match the musical note stream successfully to get Clank through various laser traps and defeat patrol bots. It’s pretty cool when you hit all the notes and watch Clank literally dance through the lasers like Catherine Zeta-Jones in Entrapment. Music even plays a part in the adventures of Captain Qwark, but you really need to experience that one for yourself.

Secret Agent Clank is full of these seemingly random and unconnected gameplay styles and elements, so you are never sure what to expect next. In the last Ratchet & Clank game they had a cool rail-slide mini-game to pick locks. In this game Clank has a special key with three prongs that dispense colored tiles into four slots below. You slide the key back and forth dropping colored tiles into the slots trying to pair up like colors and make them disappear in some sinister version of Tetris. When all the blocks are gone the lock is successfully picked.

While Secret Agent Clank is lots of fun, there are times when I think the designers tried to do too much, or at least cover too much story. You never seem to settle in with any of the characters long enough to get immersed in the gameplay. Just about the time you are feeling the secret agent vibe you are whisked away to prison or forced to fight some boss battle as Qwark. At least many of the tiered arena battles and mini-games allow you to return to the story without beating all the stages.

In addition to pacing and continuity, there are some logic issues such as being asked to play stealthily and use Clank-Fu for most of the game, then being forced into weapons-only boss fights near the end. Fortunately, some of that Ratchet gameplay experience bleeds over into the Clank story and you can hopefully make use of the skills learned in prison.

Despite the lack of a linear story I really enjoyed all of the segmented moments in Secret Agent Clank. After an hour you get used to showing up at random planets or even switching off to another character for a few stages or an even longer series of arena battles. For the most part you are free to return to the core story after the first diversion, or you can stick around and earn bonus items and spare bolts. This certainly isn’t the Ratchet & Clank we are used to, but it’s fun nonetheless.

The level designs are interesting. Some levels are gorgeous with detailed scenery while others are simple in design with simple architecture and flat-shaded textures. Other levels come alive with small details like the stealth pursuit mission through town with all sorts of pedestrians and street vendors and chickens hanging out of balconies…seriously. I loved the city level where a giant Qwark fights a giant dragon monster in a classic Godzilla-style sequence.

Special effects are awesome with gorgeous space backgrounds, swirling black holes, giant asteroids, and such, and when you go indoors you get flashy neon, blinking computers, and more red and gold security lasers than we’ve seen in all the Bond movies combined. There is a lot of detail in many sequences, which only makes it stand out more when there are other scenes with far less detail.

The sound effects are excellent with lots of smashing noises followed by the metallic clinks of picking up the debris. All of the gadgets and weaponry have unique and futuristic sound effects, plus the manmade and natural environments all present a convincing sound design with ambient city noise or the sound of wind and swish of snow on the downhill snowboard challenge.

The music is classic spy stuff with some not-so-subtle references to the James Bond theme. There is specific music for action moments and totally different and suspenseful music for the stealth sequences. I loved the way they incorporated the actual soundtrack into rhythm-based gameplay that controlled the movements of the characters. In these portions of the game the music really does drive the action.

There are special bolts hiding around the various levels and various cheats to unlock. These may keep you coming back for a while, but chances are you probably won’t replay the entire game anytime soon. At least there will be something waiting for you when you do return.

It’s just a shame that the designers couldn’t focus more on Clank and less on all the side plots and diversionary characters. It really breaks up the core story and takes the focus off our leading man…errr…robot. Qwark and Ratchet are great supporting characters, but they received way too much screen time in a game that I had hoped was going to focus on Clank and define his role as a secret agent.

If you are looking for the next big spy adventure, then this might not be the best game to fill those needs, but if you are diehard fans of Ratchet & Clank then you won’t be disappointed with some classic platform gameplay mixed in with some really new and original ideas. It’s definitely worth checking out.