Every Ratchet And Clank Game RANKED
“Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One” (2011)
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For the tenth release in the long running franchise, Insomniac attempted something different with its near decade old series by making the primarily single player experience a co-operative one. All 4 One featured previously unplayable characters like Captain Quark but also saw the duo teaming up with longtime nemesis Doctor Nefarious. Heroes teaming up with their enemy for an outing was and still is nothing new in the platform genre and unfortunately the addition of Doctor Nefarious joining the roster did nothing to shake up the cliche very much. While still a relative commercial success, fans and critics called out the game’s poor companion AI should you attempt to take on the adventure solo, as well as the game being just an unnecessary Ratchet & Clank experience.
“Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault” (2012)
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If you thought All 4 One didn’t feel like a true Ratchet & Clank game, may we present to you Full Frontal Assault. While the majority of the game still played like a traditional R&C game, complete with series trademark insane weapons and all, Full Frontal Assault also introduced Tower Defense gameplay sections in between the traditional run and gun gameplay. Critics did not hold back when discussing this new venture for our favorite heroes, calling out the game’s lack of story, severely short length, as well as the aforementioned poorly implemented and designed tower defense sections. The only saving grace for the title was its addictive multiplayer modes but this was unfortunately the last time a Ratchet & Clank game featured a multiplayer component to date.
“Secret Agent Clank” (2008)
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Ratchet & Clank’s second adventure on Sony’s PSP and our first entry not directly developed by Insomniac Games, Secret Agent Clank expands on the Bond parody featuring Clank in Up Your Arsenal. After Ratchet is wrongfully imprisoned, it’s up to Clank to solve the mystery and set Ratchet free. While gameplay primarily features Clank in the starring role, players still control Ratchet for arena combat sections as well as even Captain Quark as the world’s most unreliable narrator replaying some of his previous exploits. Clank had access to the most weapons and gadgets this time around, mostly centered around his Bond-like persona, but Giant Clank does manage to make an appearance. The game was moderately well received but was also sadly the last standalone adventure for Sony’s first handheld system.
“Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters” (2007)
In the world of Ratchet & Clank, size definitely matters and its impressive developer High Impact Games was able to fit what felt like a full sized R&C adventure onto Sony’s little handheld. Unlike their follow-up Secret Agent Clank, Size Matters featured a full-fledged campaign with plot twists and turns and great moments for all the characters involved. Everything the series had become famous for was here including the return of Giant Clank as well as space combat. A brief trip inside the inner workings of Clank was a particular highlight. The game was very well received and was named “Handheld Game of The Year” by numerous publications. Both Size Matters and Secret Agent Clank were later ported to the PS2 where neither title was received very favorably.
“Ratchet: Deadlocked” (2005)
The third game in the series to receive a “T” rating and the last true mainline game released on the PS2, Deadlocked took a lot of risks with the established formula that mostly paid off. Ratchet is captured and forced to compete in “Dreadzone”, a series of arena battles for a violent reality show audience's viewing pleasure, or else a collar strapped to his neck would explode. This wasn’t the same fun quirky adventure longtime fans were used to. Clank takes a backseat role in this adventure as players only ever control Ratchet, and Clank feeds them advice during battles. The title focused more on its large array of weapons and combat options than platforming and vehicular combat played a more significant role this time around. While the game was still a critical and commercial success, many took issue with Deadlocked’s decidedly darker tone, and the sidelining of Clank.
“Ratchet & Clank: Into The Nexus” (2013)
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A title that doesn’t get nearly the attention it deserves, Into The Nexus is both an epilogue to the Future Trilogy and also ties directly into the events of the series’ newest entry, Rift Apart. Ratchet continues his personal journey started in the Future trilogy of games and his quest to find other Lombaxes which eventually leads him and Clank to the Dimensionator. Into the Nexus was viewed as a return to “classic” Ratchet & Clank with more of a focus on exotic locales and all out mayhem with a myriad of ridiculous weapons at the player’s disposal. While generally well received and praised for being a return to form, many called out the game’s surprisingly short length compared to previous entries, but it was still nonetheless a worthy sendoff to the series on the Playstation 3.
“Ratchet & Clank” (2016)
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A “re-imagining” of the original 2002 release, as well as a tie-in game to the animated feature film of the same name. While undeniably a graphical powerhouse with the power of the PS4 producing visuals the series had always aimed for, somehow this “re-imagining” managed to lose what made the original adventure of this unlikely duo so engaging and timeless. While the changes to the story were made most likely to bring it in line with the movie, doing so changed the characters’ dynamics with each other and while the game was still a fantastic overall package, with its use of inventive weapons being a major standout, it lacked the heart of the original title all those years ago. While you’d be doing yourself a favor avoiding the movie, Ratchet & Clank 2016 is still a worthy adventure for the last Lombax and his little robot companion.
“Ratchet & Clank: Quest For Booty” (2008)
More of an interlude than a full blown sequel in the Future saga, Quest For Booty focuses solely on Ratchet’s journey to find Clank after he was taken by the Zoni at the end of Tools of Destruction. Far shorter than most Ratchet and Clank titles, but thankfully also priced accordingly, Quest For Booty also focused more on puzzle solving and platforming gameplay than the traditional run and insane gunplay of most of the mainline entries. The only title on our list only made available digitally, Quest For Booty might have been a smaller adventure than a true follow-up but nonetheless is an important entry that helped bring our favorite galaxy saving duo together again.
“Ratchet & Clank” (2002)
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By the time Ratchet & Clank released on the PS2, gamers had already been introduced to the platforming shenanigans of Jak and Daxter, but where that title focused more on traditional platforming, Ratchet and Clank brought an entire arsenal of unique weapons and gadgets unlike any platforming game up to that point. The odd pairing of a Lombax, and a malfunctioning little robot seemed at odds with one another, but as their journey continued and their friendship grew, the pair became instantly endearing in the hearts of players. While there were undoubtedly some rough edges that future entries in the franchise would smooth out and expand upon, for their first adventure together, these two definitely hit the ground running. And even managed to outlive their competition in the process.
“Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction” (2008)
As the first entry in the franchise on Sony’s brand new hardware, Insomniac Games set out to create a benchmark title that could finally match their graphical ambitions they set out to achieve on the PS2, and boy did they deliver. With vibrant and diverse worlds, fun new and interesting allies with their own backstories, and a more personal story for both Ratchet and Clank, Tools of Destruction cemented the series as a mainstay and a bold new direction for the franchise. Lauded by critics for its consistently inventive gameplay and weapons, the game went on to win numerous awards and was commercially one of the best selling titles in the series up to then.
“Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando” (2003)
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Arriving only a year after the first Ratchet and Clank game, it's impressive just how much the team at Insomniac was able to improve on the formula laid out in the original. The simple addition of a strafe mechanic opened up all new combat opportunities and made mowing down the many hordes of enemies with your ever increasing inventory of weapons a blast. Literally. Going Commando also improved story-wise with better writing and the character dynamic between Ratchet and Clank was also vastly improved. The title also expanded on its mini game selection as well by introducing more vehicle sections as well as the ability to level up your weapons simply by using them, granting them experience to become even greater weapons of destruction. Ratchet and Clank laid the groundwork but Going Commando made the series one of the best franchises in Sony’s library.
“Ratchet & Clank : Rift Apart” (2021)
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The latest entry in the long running franchise, Rift Apart plays like a greatest hits of everything that came before it as well as implementing some new and exciting mechanics only possible on the new PlayStation 5 hardware. Picking up right after the events of Into The Nexus, Doctor Nefarious separates our heroes with his stolen dimensionator and begins ripping holes throughout space and time, leading Clank to find and team up with another Lombax, Rivet. The ability to warp across the map added new strategic depth to combat encounters and while the story might not have hit as many high points as previous entries, still managed to be an emotional journey for our heroes new and returning. The gunplay and platforming are as solid as ever, and the diversity of the worlds is second to none; here’s to another two decades of adventures with our favorite odd couple.
“Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time” (2009)
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As the last main chapter of the future trilogy, A Crack In Time more than delivered on the promises of the previous two entries. The story of Ratchet’s search for the Lombaxes and Clank’s true destiny come to a head and both have to make heartbreaking decisions that could impact them forever. While a good majority of the game has the two separated, both get new abilities to help them compensate for traversing the world without one another and A Crack In Time features some of the best puzzle design in the series for Clank’s exploration and eventual repair of the Great Clock. A Crack In Time played to the series’ strengths and while it might not have innovated as much as previous entries, its focus on the personal relationships and journeys of these two unlikely heroes is still regarded as one of the greatest in the series.
“Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal” (2004)
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Going only from strength to strength, the team at Insomniac Games definitely lived up to their namesake and managed to once again one up themselves despite all the previous improvements made in Going Commando. Up Your Arsenal expanded on all that came before despite its relatively short development time, with more weapons, bigger environments, impressive 2D sections featuring Captain Quark’s early adventures, as well as not only the introduction of series mainstay villain Doctor Nefarious, but was also the first title in the series to feature online multiplayer. Almost 2 full decades later and 14 mainline games, Up Your Arsenal is still the benchmark the series has been chasing and we can’t wait to continue to follow the exploits of a Lombax and his robot companion.
