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Ratchet and Clank: Quest For Booty Review

by GaryTun

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The search is on for the most valuable treasure in the galaxy: Clank!

The swashbuckling action in Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty begins one year following the intense ending in Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction. Ratchet’s desperate search for Clank resumes with a bang as he finds himself engulfed in ship-board combat — only to be cast adrift and washed up on the shores of a remote island on the planet Merdegraw. Our Lombax hero must overcome life-threatening challenges, encounter hostile new alien races and even form an allegiance with dreaded Captain Slag’s first mate, Rusty Pete. All in the pursuit of clues that lead Ratchet to the treasure of Captain Angstrom Darkwater, Slag’s former commander and keeper of the only known link to the mysterious Zoni: the Fulcrum Star.

Players: 1
Released: 2008

Review September 2008 – by Keith Murray.

Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty represents a brave move by developers Insomniac as they split their bona-fide, guaranteed million seller title into a bite-sized chunk for a reasonable price.

The story continues straight from the last retail release, Tools of Destruction (ToD) and Ratchet is still searching for his robot side-kick Clank, who has been spirited away by a mysterious race called the Zoni. The game itself is split into three acts, staged across three different locations and that which culminates in the series trademark boss encounter’s with the usual witty, hilarious dialogue evident in cut scenes.

A worry might’ve been that quality would’ve been sacrificed in the attempt to bring this in at an acceptable download size. Thankfully this isn’t the case as it feels like a full-blown chapter from a disc-based release. The sometimes ropey SIXAXIS control elements that were evident throughout ToD are limited to the tornado launcher weapon, and feel tightened up compared to the previous release.

The game itself isn’t as action heavy as most Ratchet & Clank games can be. The beginning and end sequences of the title are the weapon-orientated parts that fans of the series will be familiar with, while the platforming and puzzle-solving in the middle completes the overall package. This works well within the context of this pared down release, while still introducing new elements so it can’t be accused of skimping on the feature list.

The latest addition to Ratchets armament is the ability to throw his spanner (which isn’t a euphemism for something else) and he can also latch onto jump pads / upturned platforms and the like. By pushing in the relevant direction on the right analogue stick he can orientate it in the direction required.

Throughout the game, the player is treated to some stunning visuals. While ToD was no slouch in the looks department, Quest for Booty is utterly gorgeous; vivid and rich with detail. Whether it’s the initial fight on flying barges or when the player first sets foot on Hoolfer Island, the eye-popping graphics will grab the attention of even the most jaded player.

For the price of admission, and coming in at just over roughly four hours of playtime, Quest for Booty is an entertaining diversion for fans while Insomniac works on the next disc-based title in the series. Whether it provides an introduction for people who are new to the series is another matter entirely.

Quest for Booty doesn’t quite show off the sheer scale or breadth usually on offer in “proper” Ratchet & Clank titles and as such it’s highly recommended that prospective players check out the previous titles before jumping in.