Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction

This article uses content from the Ratchet & Clank wiki.

Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, titled as Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction in Europe and Australia and Ratchet & Clank Future in Japan, is an action/shooter game, and is the sixth game, the seventh chronologically, in the Ratchet & Clank series and the first game in the Ratchet & Clank Future series. Released exclusively on the PlayStation 3, it is one of the most highly received games on the system. It has received high praise for the graphics and gameplay.

Story

At the start of the game, Ratchet and Clank were on planet Kerwan to try out one of Ratchet's new vehicles, but then Clank received a distress call from Captain Qwark, who was at the Planetary Defense Center. Before Ratchet and Clank got there, Metropolis was suddenly attacked by a race of aliens called the Drophyds. They worked for Emperor Percival Tachyon, the last of the Cragmites, and the most evil threat in the universe. The Cragmite Emperor was hunting down Ratchet who was revealed to be the last Lombax in the known universe and the greatest threat to Tachyon's Empire. Tachyon tried to make a deal with Ratchet that if he got to kill Ratchet and destroy Clank he left Metropolis alone. They tricked Tachyon and fled into his warship. Having escaped from Kerwan in an imperial warship, Ratchet & Clank fell into cryostasis due to the ship's autopilot system while they travelled to the Polaris galaxy.

They crash-landed on planet Cobalia in the Polaris galaxy. Clank had a vision where he was flying in Stratus City and the Zoni were surrounding him saying, "His past is inside." The vision ended when Ratchet woke him up. The duo made their way to a spaceport, where they met the Smuggler, who told them that he took them off of Cobalia if they got a Gelatonium Plant working again and so he gave the Gelanator to them to do the job. Ratchet and Clank got the plant running again and the Smuggler gave the ride he promised but only took them as far as Strarus City on planet Kortog.

The Smuggler ejected Ratchet and Clank onto the surface of Startus City, because a lifeform scan on his ship detected the Lombax. After fighting through the city, the Zoni upgraded Clank with the Robo-Wings, when Ratchet and Clank flew to the Hall of Knowledge with the Zoni's guidance. There they learned that Fastoon was a Lombax planet. They then fled in an escape pod to the planet before reinforcements arrived.

The two landed on the devastated Lombax home world. Ratchet wondered where all the Lombaxes were and Clank told him that the planet was deserted years ago. They found an old ship named Aphelion, where they found five Lombax Flight Components scattered around the area. Clank made his way through a Raritanium mine with the help of the Zoni, and obtained a sixth one. They then repaired Aphelion, who told them what happened on Fastoon. Aphelion played a holo-vite that Ratchet received, which told him about the Imperial Fight Festival on planet Mukow.

They soon found that Qwark had sworn loyalty to Tachyon after fighting in a tournament on Mukow. Qwark was given an infobot as a prize. The infobot revealed that Tachyon was plotting to search the entire Polaris Galaxy to find the Lombax Secret. Tachyon thought the secret was hidden in the Apogee Space Station in the Nundac Asteroid Ring.

Heading to the Nundac Asteroid Ring, they found the Smuggler who gave them the launch code to a pod that would take them to the Apogee Space Station if they gave him three Leviathan Souls. Ratchet and Clank killed the Basilisk Leviathans, collected the souls and gave it to the Smuggler, who gave them the code. Ratchet and Clank rode the pod to the station's Maintenance Hub, traversed it and rode the elevator to the intern of the station. There they fought through the security system and almost made it until the final door locked. The Zoni upgraded Clank with the Geo-Laser and they then cut the wall open. Cronk and Zephyr tried to attack Ratchet, but ended up running into each other. Talwyn then appeared and threatened to send Ratchet the airlock. Zephyr then said, "Put that Lombax in his place!" This made Talwyn realize that Ratchet was a Lombax and she told Cronk and Zephyr to lower their weapons. Talwyn then told Ratchet of Max Apogee and how space pirates raided the station and stole a pyramid-shaped artifact. Ratchet recalled the Smuggler mentioning pirates on planet Ardolis, so they flew to the Pirate Base located on Ardolis.

Ratchet and Clank made their way to the treasure room and recovered the artifact, but saw Captain Slag and Rusty Pete flying to the room on a sail barge, so they hid behind a treasure chest. Slag's potent sense of smell told him that there was a Lombax in the room. Talwyn then appeared and threw a smoke bomb, when Ratchet and Clank dropped down a hole and made their way to the Skull Radio Tower. Outside the tower, they met up with Talwyn, Cronk and Zephyr. Talwyn couldn't make the artifact work, so Ratchet asked her if she needed help, when she then gave it to Ratchet. The artifact hovered over his hands and when he pressed one of the sides, a 3D map of a planet appeared, which Talwyn recognized as Rykan V. They then flew to the planet, but first fought through a fleet of ships in the Rakar Star Cluster.

Ratchet, Clank, Cronk and Zephyr performed a HALO jump and fought through Tachyon's forces to fight to a spaceport, where they separated. On the spaceport, Ratchet and Clank bought a Gyro-Cycle from the Smuggler, who said he got it from a Lombax who modified it with a Terrathruster. They then made their way to a room with the Gyro-cycle, where they met up with Talwyn, Cronk and Zephyr. Ratchet then unlocked the door to the room, which was filled with nothing useful, except an ancient holo-vid projector, which revealed to them that the Lombax Secret was a helmet called the Dimensionator and told them to report to the testing facility on planet Sargasso for test subjects.

They then travelled to planet Sargasso, where they tried to find a testing facility once run by the Center for Advanced Lombax Research as stated in a HoloVid. The Smuggler pointed out a incapacitated Robo-Wings pad and offered to give them a Decrypter to fix it for three leviathan souls. After killing three Grunthors, they headed back to the Smuggler and traded. Ratchet then successfully got the pad working with the Decrypter and the duo flew off towards the facility with the Zoni's guidance. Once at the testing facility, Ratchet and Clank encountered the Plumber once again. The Plumber then said that no possible weapon could wipe out an entire species, so he gave them a 3 ¾ Centicubit Hexagonal Washer, and then left by flushing himself down a large toilet. Clank was doubtful whether the Cragmites were vaporized at all. Qwark then contacted the heroes on their way back to Aphelion and said he may have found a clue.

After battling through another tournament on Mukow, Qwark gave them a holo-vid displaying IRIS, the largest supercomputer in the Polaris galaxy, which Ratchet then believed to know where the Dimensionator was. After downloading the coordinates to IRIS's location, Clank then went inside the computer to repair it. The Zoni appeared yet again and Clank had a vision of Talwyn being locked away in Zordoom Prison. Ratchet then learned about Tachyon's origins. He was frozen in an egg and found by Lombax Trillium miners on the Kreeli Comet who then raised him on Fastoon. However, once he learned of his Cragmite heritage and origins, he waged war against the Lombaxes. Ratchet then had an argument with Clank regarding the Zoni.

The duo then travelled to Zordoom and freed Talwyn from her cell, when they began to split up. Once Ratchet and Clank got back to Aphelion, Talwyn contacted them and said she found Cronk and Zephyr in the scrap compressor. They then flew towards planet Jasindu, but first fought through Slag's fleet in the Verdigris Black Hole.

Ratchet and Clank landed on Jasindu where the pirates were at war with the Kerchu. They made their way to a grind rail, traversed it while a large robot controlled by Kerchu tried to kill them, and destroyed the robot in an arena. An elevator built into the arena ascended with the Dimensionator. Captain Slag and his pirate fleet then arrived and took the Dimensionator and threatened to kill Ratchet and destroy Clank if they followed him. But Aphelion tracked them to Slag's Fleet in Ublik Passage.

The heroes willfully followed them to their fleet hidden in the Ublik Passage and defeated Captain Slag. Ratchet was then given the "honor" of becoming the new Captain of the space pirates by Rusty Pete. Ratchet refused and said he just wanted the Dimensionator. Qwark then popped out of a pirate crate, took the Dimensionator and vowed to throw it into a black hole. He then flew away in a pod. Ratchet asked Rusty Pete where the pod would fly, and he answered that it landed on planet Reepor, the Cragmite home world. Rusty Pete considered Ratchet the captain.

Ratchet, Clank, Cronk and Zephyr performed a HALO jump and fought Tachyon's forces. Cronk and Zephyr then took control of two large cannons, while Ratchet, Clank and Talwyn tried to find a way inside the stronghold. They then split up, when Ratchet and Clank made their way to a raised platform and found Tachyon wearing the Dimensionator while he had Qwark under the clutches of a leg from his walking throne. Tachyon summoned the Cragmites from exile. Ratchet was knocked unconscious and he was then separated from Clank. Clank found his way back to Aphelion with the help of the Zoni. They showed him another vision of Ratchet standing in front of a portal on Fastoon before a muffled scream was heard. Ratchet then traversed his way back to Aphelion and found Talwyn and Zephyr repairing a broken Cronk. Ratchet was devastated when he thought that Clank had perished. Clank then flew down with the Robo-Wings and the two of them were reunited. Aphelion said that her sensors had picked up a Cragmite armada rapidly approaching Meridian City on planet Igliak. Talwyn told Ratchet that Meridian City was the capital of the Polaris Galaxy and that they needed to hurry while she and Zephyr repaired Cronk.

Ratchet and Clank then travelled to Meridian City, fought off Tachyon's forces, Gyro-cycled through the Sector-3 Construction Zone, flew through a tunnel and found Qwark cowering in a closet at the end point. Clank then believed that Tachyon may be headed for Fastoon, based off his vision from the Zoni. Ratchet then willingly agreed to go there, finally seeming to believe Clank about the Zoni.

Ratchet, Clank, Cronk and Zephyr performed another HALO jump and destroyed five Magna Cannons so Talwyn could land. Once they fought through Tachyon's Cragmite army on Fastoon, Ratchet, Clank, Talwyn, Cronk and Zephyr arrived in the Court of Azimuth, an old Lombax citadel. Tachyon then revealed a large amount of information about Ratchet. The Lombaxes took shelter behind the walls and used the Dimensionator to flee to another dimension after Tachyon invaded Fastoon. Only two Lombaxes stayed behind, the keeper of the Dimensionator and his infant son (who Ratchet realises was himself). Ratchet's father was revealed to have been killed by Tachyon but not before sending Ratchet to Veldin, which explained how Ratchet came to be on the planet. Tachyon then opened a portal to the Lombaxes' dimension and gave Ratchet the chance to join them. Ratchet however realised that no one would be safe as long as Tachyon had the Dimensionator, so he vowed to destroy the device. Ratchet and Clank then battled Tachyon with some assisting gunfire from Talwyn, Cronk, and Zephyr. After they got Tachyon to about ¾ of health, the Dimensionator opened up a portal which sucked Tachyon in. Clank admitted to Ratchet that wormhole devices were dangerous. Ratchet said that it was not like a holo-film, when Tachyon grabbed Ratchet's hand with a leg from his throne and took them with him. They ended up on a large asteroid. Tachyon then was defeated and he declared that only he knew Ratchet's real name, his father, and his purpose and was then sucked into a black hole. Ratchet and Clank then landed on an asteroid where they defeated Tachyon. After the battle, the whole place started collapsing into a black hole. Ratchet tried to use the dimensionator but noticed that the Primary Reflux Coil for the device was missing. Clank then held up the 3 ¾ Centicubit Hexagonal Washer the Plumber gave them on Sargasso which Ratchet put in the Dimensionator. Ratchet and Clank then used the Dimensionator to "find home". Ratchet then awoke surrounded by Clank, Talwyn and Cronk and Zephyr.

Back on Apogee Space Station, Rusty Pete tried to teach Qwark how to become a pirate, and Cronk and Zephyr pretend to redo the battle between Ratchet and Tachyon. Ratchet wondered if Tachyon told the truth about his purpose and father. Clank told Ratchet that Tachyon was telling the truth and that Ratchet had filled his purpose by vanquishing Tachyon. The Zoni appeared once more, visible to everyone. They then trapped Clank in a psychic field and took him through into a dimensional portal only to tell him who he was and who he became. Ratchet tried to stop the Zoni, but the portal ejected him to the ground. The Zoni then mind-melded Clank and he "willingly" went with them. The game ended with Ratchet staring upwards at where Clank was taken, speechless.

Gameplay

Tools of Destruction retains much of the basic gameplay found in previous Ratchet & Clank games, the game being primarily a shooter-platformer. The player controls Ratchet most of the time, with some sections using Clank, as they explore various worlds to complete missions, using Ratchet's wrench and other exotic weapons gained during the course of the game. At times, Ratchet may enter free-fall, or with an upgrade to Clank, will be able to fly; during these periods, the player uses the tilt functionality of the SIXAXIS controller to maneuver Ratchet. The tilt-sensing abilities of the SIXAXIS are also used to control some weapons and gadgets, such as steering the path of a mini-tornado fired out from the Tornado Launcher/Tempest Launcher, cutting open walls with the Geo-Laser, or steering a metal ball to override circuitry with the Decryptor. Other exotic weapons include the Nano-Swarmers, similar to Going Commando's Mini-Turret glove, and the Plasma Beasts, which produce single-use synthenoid creatures with an attack pattern similar to the first game's Mine Glove. More conventional weapons include the Negotiator, a rocket launcher that marks the first time the series has used an RPG for the rocket launcher weapon, instead of a bazooka; the Combuster, a standard blaster pistol, and the Alpha Disruptor, an extremely powerful laser cannon, but expensive to upgrade and with low ammunition. Notably, this is a Lombax weapon found in a testing room on Planet Sargasso and not purchased from a vendor. The weapon it upgrades into (the Alpha Canon) is the most powerful in the game's arsenal in terms of single shots with a damage level of over 10,000. The weapons menu information screen claims that because of its power, it was once believed to be the Lombax Secret, although this plays no part in the story. Another weapon of notable origin is the Pyro-Blaster, a flamethrower very reminiscent of the Pyrocitor from Ratchet & Clank, engineered by the Kerchu, whose Pyroguards use flamethrowers against their enemies. However, a zoom-in sniper rifle was not included in the game's arsenal for the first time since it was introduced. One of the game's cheats allows Ratchet to use pirate swords, axes and similar weapons in place of his wrench, although its use is not affected. On Rykan V, Reepor and Fastoon, Cronk and Zephyr (and Talwyn on the latter two and after breaking her out of Zordoom Prison) accompany Ratchet and fight with him. While immune to damage, their weapons are far less potent than Ratchet's. As with previous games Going Commando, Up Your Arsenal, Deadlocked and Size Matters, there is an arena area. This is called the Imperial Fight Festival, found on planet Mukow, and uses the same elements as previously. Like in Ratchet & Clank, Going Commando and Size Matters, the player will have the ability to pilot a ship against enemy forces, in this case, space pirates. However, in this game you will not be able to upgrade your ship or control it on your own. It has a set course which can not be flown away from which takes away some of the players freedom. Furthermore, the ship's weapons, armour and appearance cannot be upgraded as in previous games in the series.

At times, the player will control Clank in a mode similar to previous games, using robotic creatures called Zoni to fight foes, remove debris or reconstruct bridges, and to power devices in the level. Clank possesses the ability to slow down time as well during these sections, allowing him, for example, to make his way under a rapidly closing door as well as levitate.

Weapons gain experience as previously implemented in the series, but in addition, the player can collect Raritanium crystals and use them to upgrade the weapon in additional ways beyond the experience path; weapon improvements are presented in a tree-like structure and require that all previous upgrades be obtained for that weapon first before later upgrades can be purchased. However, this system is very different from Deadlocked's Alpha & Omega mod series. Here, you simply buy an upgrade (similar to the Alpha Mods with upgrades such as more ammo, faster shooting, greater damage, larger blast radius), it immediately becomes active, & another upgrade is available for purchase. Once a certain group of upgrades are unlocked, they'll open up the equivalent of that weapons Omega mod, such as Napalm, Freezing, or Fire. Unlike Deadlocked, however, each weapon, with the exception of the RYNO IV, has a specific Omega mod designated just for itself and, while this allows for more variety than Deadlocked, the aspect of freedom for the player in configuring & experimenting with these upgrades is now entirely missing.

In addition to weapons are objects known as "devices". While they are selected and used similar to weapons, they may or may not directly damage foes but instead provide an effect beneficial to the player. The "Groovitron", for example, is a disco ball that causes all foes to dance for a brief time, allowing the player to deal with them while distracted. The carrying capacity of such devices are generally very low (2 or 3 units for each). Device vendors in addition to weapon vendors can be found in the game, and device ammo can be found in Raritanium chests, although these are usually hard to find or placed in hidden places.

Armor can be bought from an armor vendor on certain planets. Each upgrade to the armor decreases the amount of damage the player takes from enemy weapons. Each armour upgrade costs a large amount of bolts. In Challenge Mode, a bonus set of armor is available- the Trillium Armor, engineered by the Centre for Advanced Lombax Research during the Great War. The final armor in "standard mode" is the Terraflux armor, worn by Cragmite assassins during the same conflict. The other two sets are the Helios armor, designed by the Kerchu. While the actual Kerchu wear no conventional armor, this suit does bear some resemblance to the fire-wielding vehicles used by their Pyroguards. The final armor is named the Blackstar Armor. It is named after Captain Blackstar, who is mentioned in Up Your Arsenal. In the "historical" holovid game "Booty is in the Eye of the Beholder", he is named as the leader of a band of ghost pirate robots who are vanquished by Captain Quark, and would have been the boss at the end of the level. The suit clearly resembles the robotic space pirates who appear during Tools of Destruction. Though even with armor your health depletes quickly and in a matter of hits. Unlike on Ratchet and Clank:Going Commando your health is a bar instead of nano bars. Unlike previous games with a health bar it tends to level up faster but does not affect vastly on how fast you die, depending on the enemy.

Beyond the main gameplay, Tools of Destruction features an arena with several challenges, "Gyro-cycle" courses that use a turbo-charged bike, and on-rails space combat. The Gyro-cycle is provided by the Smuggler on Rykan V, who mentions that he bought it from a Lombax pilot. If questioned after selling the vehicle, he tells Ratchet that the Lombax's ship had been shot down by Emperor Tachyon after the Battle of Fastoon. This and his comment about his appearance- "Say, he even looked like you!"- imply that this pilot may have been the Keeper of the Dimensionator- and Ratchet's father.

Tools of Destruction is the first game where Ratchet, Clank and other characters converse with one another with lipsynced dialogue during gameplay, out of cutscenes. Also, in various scenes, Talwyn, Qwark (self-appointed overseer of Operation Deathwish, the mission to break in and out of Zordoom Prison), the Smuggler, Cronk and Zephyr can all contact Ratchet by comlink. On Sargasso, Zephyr provides the initial warning about the Grunthor leviathans and mentions that he once lost a rotator socket to one of the beasts. Captain Slag and the Drophyd Commander can also be heard on levels where Space Pirates and Imperial troops appear, respectively (although pirates appear in Kerchu City, Slag provides no COMs dialogue). The captain broadcasts warnings if Ratchet has been discovered and announces events such as after-dinner entertainment and trips to Zordoom Prison (to visit the pirates' mothers). The Drophyd Commander orders troops to attack Ratchet and keeps tabs on his movements. In addition, when using the Holo-Pirate Disguise on the Kreeli comet and in Slag's Fleet in the Ublik Passage, Ratchet can hear conversations between Space Pirates. These include complaints about how Rusty Pete has various benefits from his post as First Mate, while the regular pirates don't even have dental insurance, rumors about Ratchet's abilities that are circulating among the buccaneers, & a certain group of space pirates of the Kreeli Comet can be overheard talking about they met with a beautiful Cazare named Sasha while raiding this amazing Starship.

There are 13 Gadgetron Holo-Plans (Hidden in Boxes on Various Planets) After getting all thirteen the player can give them to the Smuggler and he will make the R.Y.N.O IV. With every other fragment collected, the Smuggler will provide a new comment on how the weapon functions (for example, it contains a device used to manipulate dark matter) - by the penultimate piece, he is contemplating that the weapon "may be too hot for even me to handle".

Appearances [edit] Characters Romulus Slag.

   Main article: List of characters

   * Apogee, Talwyn
   * Clank
   * Cronk
   * IRIS
   * Plumber, The
   * Qwark, Copernicus Leslie
   * Ratchet
   * Rusty Pete
   * Slag, Romulus
   * Smuggler
   * Tachyon, Percival
   * Zephyr
   * Zoni 

Technology

Weapons

The following weapons are available in Ratchet & Clank: Future: Tools of Destruction:

• Combuster
• Fusion Grenade
• Plasma Beast
• Tornado Launcher
• Shock Ravager
• Predator Launcher
• Shard Reaper
• Buzz Blades
• Nano-Swarmers
• Alpha Disruptor
• Pyro Blaster
• Negotiator
• Razor Claws
• Mag-Net Launcher
• RYNO IV

Combat Devices

Combat devices were limited use items with immense power or advantages, they were left out of previous games to keep balance but were to be featured in Tools of Destruction as special items for tight situations.

• Groovitron
• Golden Groovitron
• Visi-Copter
• Transmorpher
• Mr. Zurkon
• Death Springs
• Leech Bomb
• Confuzzler Gas
• Mega-Leech Bomb

Gadgets

• Swingshot
• Geo-Laser
• Heli-Pods
• Holo Pirate Disguise
• Gelanator
• Robo-Wings
• Decrypter
• Grind Boots
• Gravity Boots
• Charge Boots
• Bolt Grabber
• Gyro-Cycle

Planets and locations

• Kerwan - Metropolis
• Cobalia - Cobalia Spaceport
• Kortog - Stratus City
• Fastoon - Lombax Ruins
• Mukow - Imperial Fight Festival
• Nundac Asteroid Ring - Apogee Space Station
• Ardolis - Pirate Base
• Rakar Star Cluster
• Rykan V - Rykan V Spaceport
• Sargasso
• Kreeli Comet - IRIS
• Viceron - Zordoom Prison
• Verdigris Black Hole
• Jasindu - Kerchu City
• Ublik Passage - Slag's Fleet
• Reepor - Cragmite Ruins
• Igliak - Meridian City

Production

The game was first announced at the 2006 Game Developers Conference, where a Ratchet & Clank next-gen tech demonstration was shown for the PlayStation 3. Many new worlds and weapons were introduced into the game like in previous installments of the series. It is also a platform game, as Insomniac wanted to stop the series from becoming the more weapon-based combat game it had become in the previous games Up Your Arsenal and Deadlocked.

There are reported to be a total of 31 weapons, gadgets, and combat devices,[2] further divided into 15 weapons, 8 gadgets, and 8 devices. Unlike Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal, the player cannot unlock weapons from previous games using a memory card.

Reception

The game was universally well received, earning an average score of 89 out of 100 on Gamerankings.com, and has won numerous "game-of-the-month" awards from various different magazines and web-sites. It received 98 out of 100 on PS3M (PlayStation 3 Magazine) and was highest rated PS3 game for several weeks after its release.

Sequel

During the Sony Conference at E3 2008, a short downloadable sequel was announced titled Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty. After Clank's mysterious abduction by the Zoni, Ratchet set off to find Captain Darkwater, a Pirate and an apparent expert on Zoni culture. He discovered Darkwater was dead, but his clues were scattered around Hoolefar Island. Ratchet was helped by Talwyn and together they explored Planet Merdegraw. In the game, there would be four locations for him to search for clues; the Pirate Fleet, Hoolefar Island, Morrow Caverns and Darkwater Cove. An all new wrench mechanics allowed Ratchet to push, pull, and manipulate objects around him. As a mix of Light/Dark gameplay, Ratchet had to illuminate dark areas with Heliogrubs and use his wits (and wrench) to survive. The player must solve pirate puzzles, mix and brew, manipulate shadows and play tunes to find hidden booty. The game also welcomed all new enemies and offers up to four hours of gameplay for a smaller price. Quest for Booty was only available on the PlayStation Network, but had been confirmed it would launch on both the PlayStation Network and Blu-Ray Disc for Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. In the last scene, Ratchet discovered one of his old enemies was holding Clank captive in the Breegus Nebula, who was none other than Doctor Nefarious from Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal who tried to turn all of Solana into robots and would be returning in the next game as Ratchet declared he would save him.