Ratchet and Clank Tips

Insomniac Games’ reboot of the Ratchet and Clank franchise finally arrived for PlayStation 4. While this isn’t entirely a new adventure in the series – it’s loosely based on gameplay elements from the original Ratchet and Clank – it’s still retooled for a new generation of players (along with die-hard fans to enjoy).

This is a fun, space-sized universe, and we have tips that will make your battle against Drek’s evil army all the more enjoyable.

Run and Gun

As you first begin your adventure in Ratchet and Clank, you won’t have too many weapons to work with – just your trusty wrench, which you can use for melee strikes and throwing at certain enemies. However, as the adventure goes on, you’ll gain access to more weapons, especially when you stop by the vendor and shop around.

The first weapon you’ll pick up is the Combuster. This is your routine blaster, holding approximately 44 shots at first. You’ll also get access to a Fusion Grenade, in which you can carry eight; and many more weapons, depending on what you’re in the mood for. There’s even a gun that lets you transform enemies into sheep!

When it comes to aiming, you can hold down the L2 trigger and use the analog stick for aiming. Once you see a red reticule lit up on an enemy, this assures that your shots will land. Blast them a few times and they should go down for good. You can also hit the circle button and hit enemies that are right in front of you, in case you want to go for a quick shot.

There will be different types of enemies, so here’s the best way to handle them. Those robots that get up close – including wasps and robot dogs – can easily be knocked down by your wrench strikes, so you can conserve ammo. As for when to blast enemies, save your Combuster shots and grenades for tougher robots, as well as flying enemies that require more ammunition to bring down. Utilize your manual aiming with L2 to hit them with maximum efficiency.

Also, while you’re in manual aiming mode, you can use the left analog stick and the double jump button to get out of harm’s way. This will enable you to dodge their attack while you keep wailing away on them.

Getting Around

You’ll also be introduced to the Swingshot in the beginning of the game. This is a laser-activated grappling hook that will enable you to grab onto lit-up green orbs in the game and swing from one place to another. At first, it’s pretty basic to use, but then you’ll see sections with two orbs in a row, requiring you to get your timing down so you can swing from each one.

The best thing you can do in this scenario is wait until you get through the first swing, then immediately let go and use the circle button to grab onto the second orb. This will allow you to swing safely across large gorges, and continue on your way.

You’ll also run into Al after you rescue the city and escape the explosion in the Hall of Heroes. He’ll modify Clank so that you can hover jump. This is useful for reaching higher platforms (by simply pressing the R1 button) and hovering across large gaps from up above (by hitting the jump button, X, twice). Make sure you utilize Clank as often as you can, he certainly doesn’t mind.

Taking Flight

Another early sequence in the game will introduce you to space flight, in which you control a ship and shoot down enemies while completing certain objectives. In this case, it’s with saving the city of Novalis. Shooting down early transport ships will be easy, as you’ll be able to see them marked on the map, line them up with your targeting, and then press R2 to fire enough laser shots to bring them down.

Eventually you’ll be asked to bring down a warship, and regular bullets won’t be enough to damage it. In this case, you’ll need to use a magnetization system to suck up Warbots on the ground, then shoot them towards the Warship to make it vulnerable. You’ll need to repeat this process three times, and eventually it’ll come down.

When it comes to finding Warbots, check in the main hall area, which should be in the center of the stage. They’ll be hard to miss, since they’ll be hanging around and shooting their guns. Get the ship close enough to activate your tractor beam (without hitting the structure itself), and activate it to snag a few. Once you have enough, track down the Warship, target it in your crosshairs, and hit the square button to send them flying. Repeat two more times and it’s done for.

Don’t Forget Your Bolts and Power-Ups

Finally, be sure to keep on the lookout for crates. These will hold extra bolts that you can use to buy more ammunition, health, and new weapons. You’ll also see glowing crates that will refill your health right off the bat, as well as special ammo crates that will fill up your stock for free.

Keep an eye out for collectible cards as well. You’ll earn these sporadically over the course of each mission, and you can check your collection at any time by pressing the Options button. You’ll occasionally run into duplicate cards, but if you find five of them, you can trade them in for an all-new card. Keep track of your stock and trade in as often as you can.

The more cards you collect, the more bonuses you can unlock, including weapons and other goods – so keep an eye out!

Be sure to check out the history of Ratchet and Clank, including our first look at Into the Nexus and a look back at Full Frontal Assault.