Ratchet and Clank
Ratchet & Clank character
Ratchet and Clank as depicted in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (2021)
First gameRatchet & Clank (2002)
Created byInsomniac Games
Designed byDavid Guertin
Voiced byMikey Kelley (2002) (Ratchet)
James Arnold Taylor (2003–present) (Ratchet)
David Kaye (Clank)
In-universe information
Full nameXJ-0461/Defect B5429671 (Clank)
SpeciesLombax (Ratchet)
Robot (Clank)
WeaponOmniWrench 8000 (Ratchet)
OriginVeldin (Ratchet)

Ratchet and Clank are the protagonists of the Ratchet & Clank video game series developed by Insomniac Games, starting with the 2002 Ratchet & Clank. Ratchet is an anthropomorphic alien creature known as a Lombax, while Clank is an escaped robot (real name: XJ-0461 or Defect B5429671) who soon teams up with him.

Appearances

Ratchet

His first appearance was on Planet Veldin, but it is later revealed in the series that Ratchet was originally born on the Lombax home-world of Planet Fastoon in the Polaris Galaxy and later sent to Planet Veldin in the Solana Galaxy by his father Kaden to protect him from Emperor Tachyon. Growing up on Veldin, Ratchet longed to travel to new worlds and even built his own ship.

Shortly after completing his ship, Ratchet met a diminutive robot fugitive whom he dubbed Clank, who helped him to leave Veldin and fulfill his dream of traveling. From this point on, Ratchet and Clank traveled extensively through the Solana, Bogon and Polaris Galaxies, saving them on several occasions.

Clank

After meeting up with Ratchet, they travel to various planets trying to stop the goals of Chairmen Drek, and looking for Captain Qwark to help them. Along the way, Ratchet keeps drifting from the goals that Clank wants to accomplish, causing him to get upset with Ratchet's selfishness. With Clank being the only way Ratchet can pilot his ship, he makes up with him, and gets back on track. In Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando, they are living the lives of heroes and get a call from the CEO of Megacorp, wanting them to help retrieve a dangerous prototype which was stolen. In Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, Ratchet and Clank help Captain Qwark defeat his past nemesis, Dr. Nefarious. Meanwhile, Clank is shown to be a movie star, acting as Secret Agent Clank (a PlayStation Portable game was released under the same name, and focuses on the adventures of Clank under this role). A great deal of new information regarding Clank's real origins is shown in the Future trilogy. During the events of Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, Clank is often visited by mysterious beings known as the Zoni and is warned that he faces some difficult decisions regarding his adventures with Ratchet. Clank is eventually taken away by the Zoni at the end of the game. In Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time, Clank is transported to the Great Clock where he learns that his creator is, in fact, a powerful Zoni named Orvus (his alternate name is also quoted as XJ-0461) and fulfils his intended purpose as Senior Caretaker of the Clock. After the final battle, Clank is left with a hard decision on whether to continue partnering Ratchet or leave him and stay at the Clock, but he ultimately decides to leave the Clock and stay with Ratchet.

Other games

Ratchet also appears as a playable character in Hot Shots Golf Fore!, Jak X: Combat Racing, PlayStation Move Heroes, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, Mediatonic's Fall Guys and the PlayStation 4 version of Super Bomberman R, and in cameo appearances in Jak II and Astro's Playroom.[1]

Clank is one of the six playable characters in PlayStation Move Heroes, and creates a rivalry with Sly Cooper character Bentley due to both of them having high intelligence. Both Ratchet and Clank also appear as one playable character in the crossover fighting game PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. Clank appears as a playable character with Ratchet in Mediatonic's Fall Guys. Clank also appears as a non-playable character in Hot Shots Golf Fore! and the PlayStation 4 version of Super Bomberman R. Clank makes a cameo appearance in Astro's Playroom.[1]

Design

Ratchet

Ratchet was originally envisioned by Insomniac Games Vice President of Programming Brian Hastings as a space-traveling reptile alien who would collect various weapons as he progressed through the game;[2][3] Ratchet's final form was decided upon after Insomniac looked at various terrestrial creatures, such as dogs, rats, and feline features stood out to them because of the sense of agility associated with it.[4] In response to the negative critical reception of Ratchet's design and personality in Ratchet & Clank, Ratchet's personality was altered in Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando to be "less cocky, ...much more friendly to Clank, and... able to handle himself better in stressful situations without being impetuous".[5]

Ratchet tends to be headstrong and is usually not afraid to voice his opinion. During the first game he had a short temper, which he eventually learned to control in later titles. Yet at the same time, Ratchet can be self-conscious and often appears concerned with how people view him as a person. He is also deeply attached to his friends, although at times this relationship can be strained. Following the second game in the series, Ratchet becomes a well-trained commando, with great knowledge of weapons, close-quarters-combat and athletic ability.

Clank

XJ-0461, originally designated Defect B5429671 (a sentry-bot in the original game, or a warbot in the re-imagined continuity), nicknamed Clank, is an escaped robot defect from Chairman Drek's robot plant on planet Quartu. After a high-speed chase, he crashes near a plateau on planet Veldin and catalyzes Ratchet's adventure. Clank is charming in nature and has many attachments including a helipack, thrusterpack, and hydropack. Under certain circumstances, he can grow into a giant form to fight much larger enemies. He is mostly used as a character for tight spaces or areas in outer space, since he does not require oxygen.

Clank spawned from an early idea involving a number of small robots attached to Ratchet, which would perform different functions. However, Insomniac realized that having the three robots was both complicated and created confusion about Ratchet's appearance, leading them to have only one robot, Clank. However, in later games the smaller robots appeared in sections where the player could control Clank, and they had various functions such as attacking and activating doors.[6]

Voice portrayal

In the English versions of the games, Ratchet is voiced by Mikey Kelley in the first Ratchet & Clank and by James Arnold Taylor since the second game.[7][8][9]

Reception

On Mikey Kelley's vocal performance as Ratchet in Ratchet & Clank, Douglass C. Perry of IGN commented that "while Ratchet strives for that perfect dude-like teenager vibe, the voice actor generally hits the mark."[8] He described David Kaye's performance as Clank as "quite engaging, and in some cases, charming, especially when he finishes a level or gains a weapon."[10] Gavin Frankle of AllGame found it hard to form an emotional bond with Ratchet or Clank, saying that Ratchet is "your typical teenager [...] who desires nothing more than excitement and adventure", and that Clank is "the stereotypical intellectual; stuffy and almost prudish to a fault".[11]

Benjamin Turner of GameSpy was highly critical of Ratchet in his review of the first game, citing his uninteresting design and rude and immoral demeanor as reasons for his ire. After criticizing Ratchet, he stated that Clank was "the complete opposite" and wished that the game was named after him instead.[12]

Ratchet

Ratchet's in-game model in Ratchet & Clank, particularly his facial animations and fur, was praised by Louis Bedigian of GameZone.[13] Johnny Liu of GameRevolution noted that Ratchet "starts out with a blue-collar attitude, but he's mostly there for deft observations and cutting remarks" and appreciated Ratchet not being "pigeonholed as a typical goody-goody", but concluded that he wasn't very fleshed out.[14]

Critics took note of Ratchet's improved character in subsequent games. Perry commented that Ratchet "is no longer an angry, selfish teenage furry creature from outer space. He's a commando, a little wiser, a little more forgiving and a lot more palatable. Though still furry..."[15] Carlos McElfish of GameZone, describing Ratchet's in the previous game as a "laughably confident, smart-alecky hot-shot", commented that Ratchet's new voice forces a psychological reset in the minds of players.[16] Jeremy Dunham of IGN noted that Ratchet's "Why me?" delivery is "spot on".[17] Ratchet was voted as the sixteenth top character of the 2000s decade by Game Informer's readers.[18]

In 2011, readers of Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition voted Ratchet as the 15th-top video game character of all time.[19]

Clank

Benjamin Turner of GameSpy, Johnny Liu of GameRevolution compared Clank to GIR of Invader Zim and C-3PO of the Star Wars franchise, and analyzed him as "the straight man to Ratchet's jokes, offering clueless intellectualism to contrast Ratchet's acid-tongue humor."[20] Clank's "awkward robot laugh" was described by McElfish as "impossibly cute".[21] Dunham said that Clank's "dry sidekick humor is in great contrast to Jak's own sidekick Daxter".[22]

GamesRadar listed Clank on their list of "The 25 best new characters of the decade", describing him as a "quiet, collected and effortlessly charming robot with cool powers and cooler personality".[23] Clank was named the 5th "Best Sidekick" by IGN, calling him "a true pal, and an obviously cool sidekick.".[24] UGO listed Clank on their list of "The Cutest Video Game Characters" stating "Everyone wants a tiny robot to follow them around and do stuff for them".[25] They also listed him as one of their favourite video game robots.[26] Game Informer called him the 3rd greatest wingman of the past decade, saying he "is often a more interesting character" and that "Clank's unique personality shines through it all, giving as much of a reason for players to come back as Ratchet's explosive gunplay."[27]

References

  1. 1 2 "Every cameraman reference in Astro's Playroom". Gamepur. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  2. ↑ McLaughlin, Rus (October 30, 2007). "IGN Presents The History of Ratchet and Clank". IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on March 14, 2010. Retrieved July 21, 2009. Additional pages archived on January 1, 1970: Page 2, Page 3, Page 4.
  3. ↑ Big Gaz (December 14, 2002). "Ratchet and Clank Interview". Gameplanet. Archived from the original on September 5, 2009. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  4. ↑ Talon, Durwin S. (2004). "David Guertin on Comics & Video Games". Comics Above Ground: How Sequential Art Affects Mainstream Media. TwoMorrows Publishing. pp. 80–82. ISBN 1-893905-31-4. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  5. ↑ Turner, Benjamin (May 8, 2003). "Ted Price on Going Commando". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 3, 2011. Retrieved June 21, 2009. Additional pages archived on January 1, 1970: Page 2, Page 3, Page 4.
  6. ↑ Talon, Durwin S. (2004). "David Guertin on Comics & Video Games". Comics Above Ground: How Sequential Art Affects Mainstream Media. TwoMorrows Publishing. pp. 80–82. ISBN 1-893905-31-4. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  7. ↑ "Mikey Kelley Voice-Over". Mikey Kelley Voice-Over.
  8. 1 2 Douglass C. Perry (2002-11-04). "IGN: Ratchet & Clank Review". IGN. Retrieved 21 July 2009. The voice acting is solid, if not familiar, too. While Ratchet strives for that perfect dude-like teenager vibe, the voice actor generally hits the mark. Clank is also quite engaging, and in some cases, charming, especially when he finishes a level or gains a weapon. Many of the supporting characters offer the same kind of commercial quality voices found in Jak and Daxter, and some of the times they're quite funny. Other times they just sound commercial. The quirkier ones are best (such as the weird athletic woman at the end of the stunt course), but few stand above the standard and obvious stereotypes.
  9. ↑ "Bio".
  10. ↑ Douglass C. Perry (2002-11-04). "IGN: Ratchet & Clank Review". IGN. Retrieved 21 July 2009. The voice acting is solid, if not familiar, too. While Ratchet strives for that perfect dude-like teenager vibe, the voice actor generally hits the mark. Clank is also quite engaging, and in some cases, charming, especially when he finishes a level or gains a weapon. Many of the supporting characters offer the same kind of commercial quality voices found in Jak and Daxter, and some of the times they're quite funny. Other times they just sound commercial. The quirkier ones are best (such as the weird athletic woman at the end of the stunt course), but few stand above the standard and obvious stereotypes.
  11. ↑ Frankle, Gavin. "Ratchet & Clank". Allgame. Macrovision Corporation. Archived from the original on February 16, 2010. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
  12. ↑ Benjamin Turner (2002-11-13). "GameSpy.com - Review". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 14 September 2004. Retrieved 21 July 2009. First, Ratchet sucks. Based on design alone, Ratchet is not a very interesting lead character. However, he's even worse when you start to see his personality come out in the cut-scenes. He's rude, childish, and has a decided lack of the moral fiber needed to be a hero. Clank is the complete opposite, and after a bit I began wishing the game was called Clank & Ratchet. Or Clank & Some Other Character Altogether (Who's Also Not Blinx).
  13. ↑ Louis Bedigian (2002-11-12). "Ratchet & Clank Review - PlayStation 2". GameZone. Archived from the original on 7 June 2003. Retrieved 21 July 2009. When getting up close and personal with Ratchet, you'll be amazed at how smooth his animation is. His facial expressions are top-notch. Like a character from a computer-generated movie, Ratchet's eyebrows raise when he is excited, while his mouth moves perfectly in-sync with what he is saying. Even his eyes move realistically! This is true for the other, non-playable characters as well. However, none of the NPCs are as realistic-looking as Ratchet. Ratchet's skin (if you can call it that -- it looks kind of furry) has nice, vibrant, detailed textures that make him look even better.
  14. ↑ Johnny Liu (2002-11-01). "Ratchet & Clank review for the PS2". Game Revolution. Retrieved 21 July 2009. Ratchet starts out with a blue-collar attitude, but he's mostly there for deft observations and cutting remarks. I appreciate how he hasn't been pigeonholed as the typical goody-goody, but he's not very fleshed out. Clank is somewhere between Gir of Invader Zim in form and chatty C3PO in function. He's the straight man to Ratchet's jokes, offering clueless intellectualism to contrast Ratchet's pissy humor.
  15. ↑ Douglass C. Perry (2003-11-11). "IGN: Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando Review". IGN. Retrieved 21 July 2009. And perhaps what I like best, despite the eccentricity of the comment, is that Ratchet is no longer an angry, selfish teenage furry creature from outer space. He's a commando, a little wiser, a little more forgiving and a lot more palatable. Though still furry…
  16. ↑ Carlos McElfish (2003-11-21). "Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando Review - PlayStation 2". GameZone. Archived from the original on 6 October 2008. Retrieved 21 July 2009. The many instances of dialogue are excellently voiced, all the trademark inflections and quips that the original game established are successfully carried over to Going Commando, including Clank's impossibly cute, awkward robot laugh. Ratchet sports an entirely new voice, forcing a psychological reset in the minds of players (He is no longer the laughably confident, smart-alecky hot-shot he was in the original game). Thank God.
  17. ↑ Jeremy Dunham (2004-10-28). "IGN: Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal Review". IGN. Retrieved 22 July 2009. Captain Quark in particular is pretty hysterical, with the Bill Clinton-esque Galactic President one of the more endearing characters. Clank's dry sidekick humor is in great contrast to Jak's own sidekick Daxter (for those of you that play both games), while Ratchet's "Why me?" delivery is spot on.
  18. ↑ Bryan Vore (December 3, 2010). "Readers' Top 30 Characters Results Revealed". Game Informer. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  19. ↑ Marchiafava, Jeff (February 16, 2011). "Guinness Names Top 50 Video Game Characters Of All Time". Game Informer. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  20. ↑ Johnny Liu (2002-11-01). "Ratchet & Clank review for the PS2". Game Revolution. Retrieved 21 July 2009. Ratchet starts out with a blue-collar attitude, but he's mostly there for deft observations and cutting remarks. I appreciate how he hasn't been pigeonholed as the typical goody-goody, but he's not very fleshed out. Clank is somewhere between Gir of Invader Zim in form and chatty C3PO in function. He's the straight man to Ratchet's jokes, offering clueless intellectualism to contrast Ratchet's pissy humor.
  21. ↑ Carlos McElfish (2003-11-21). "Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando Review - PlayStation 2". GameZone. Archived from the original on 6 October 2008. Retrieved 21 July 2009. The many instances of dialogue are excellently voiced, all the trademark inflections and quips that the original game established are successfully carried over to Going Commando, including Clank's impossibly cute, awkward robot laugh. Ratchet sports an entirely new voice, forcing a psychological reset in the minds of players (He is no longer the laughably confident, smart-alecky hot-shot he was in the original game). Thank God.
  22. ↑ Jeremy Dunham (2004-10-28). "IGN: Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal Review". IGN. Retrieved 22 July 2009. Captain Quark in particular is pretty hysterical, with the Bill Clinton-esque Galactic President one of the more endearing characters. Clank's dry sidekick humor is in great contrast to Jak's own sidekick Daxter (for those of you that play both games), while Ratchet's "Why me?" delivery is spot on.
  23. ↑ "The 25 best new characters of the decade". GamesRadar. December 29, 2009.
  24. ↑ IGN Staff (March 28, 2006). "Top 10 Tuesday: Best Sidekicks - PS2 Feature at IGN". IGN. Archived from the original on February 10, 2012. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  25. ↑ Chris Littler (October 12, 2010). "The Cutest Video Game Characters - UGO.com". UGO.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2010. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
  26. ↑ Meli, Marissa. "We Love These Video Game Robots Even Though They Can't Love Back". UGO.com. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  27. ↑ Biessener, Adam (November 22, 2010). "The Top 5 Wingmen Of The Decade". Game Informer. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
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