To celebrate Ratchet and Clank's 20th anniversary, PlayStation added pretty much every title in the series to PS Plus Premium. Finally, fans of the series can play the entire thing from start to finish. All the PS2 and PS3 entries are here, and players can even check out the Ratchet and Clank remake through the PS Plus Collection. That is not the only batch of goodies that PlayStation offered during the 20th Anniversary as players can also snag some new armor sets in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, and it also dropped a bunch of concept art from throughout the series for anyone interested in going behind-the-scenes.
The release of almost all the Ratchet and Clank titles to PS Plus Premium may give some players a reason to replay the series or check it out for the first time. With 16 different Ratchet and Clank games, it can be pretty daunting to know just where to start the playthrough. While players can jump into the series wherever they want and still have a great time, if they want to get the best experience then they may want to start at the beginning, so that they do not miss a single bit of this galactic adventure.
The Original Series
Ratchet and Clank is one of the most recent additions to PS Plus Premium, and it is a long time coming. This title kicked off the adventures of the Lombax and his trusty robot friend. Ratchet and Clank must team up to stop Supreme Executive Chairman Drek from stripping planets for pieces to build his own utopia. It is filled with colorful characters, some pretty fun gameplay, and serves as a great start to the series. If players want to experience a more updated version then they can check out the PS4 Ratchet and Clank remake that served as a tie-in to the movie, but many fans consider the original version to be superior to its remake.
Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando continues the adventures of Ratchet and Clank in a brand-new galaxy. After the events of the first title, the duo are hired by Megacorp to retrieve an artificial creature that had been stolen by a mysterious figure. Ratchet receives some commando training, hence the title, and Clank becomes an accountant. It expands upon the bombastic nature of the first one, and introduces players to a brand-new galaxy filled with wild adventures and adversaries.
Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal brings players back to the original galaxy for another high-stakes adventure, Dr. Nefarious attempts to invade the Solana galaxy with an army of beings known as the Tyhrranoids, and it is up to Ratchet and Clank to stop him. The cast of characters is as funny as ever, and the gameplay is not half bad either. This was also the first time that Ratchet and Clank offered online multiplayer, but that service has been terminated.
Ratchet and Clank: Deadlocked is the final game in the original series, and it might be one of the strangest. Ratchet and Clank get kidnaped by the media mogul Gleeman Vox, and Ratchet is forced to compete in a bloodsport called DreadZone. The gameplay is very different from the titles before it as Insomniac chose to put a heavier emphasis on gunplay over the platforming that the series was known for. Clank is also not playable this time around with the focus being put on Ratchet and his fight for survival. It is a fun end to the original series, but many fans feel it is a step-down from what came before.
The Future Trilogy
Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction kicked off the PS3 era of Ratchet and Clank and was the first in the Future Trilogy. The crown prince of the Cragmites Emperor Tachyon is after Ratchet because he may be the last Lombax in the galaxy, and this forces Ratchet and Clank to flee the galaxy. They escape to the Polaris Galaxy, and must uncover the secret of the Lombax before Tachyon can. It is a return to form for the Ratchet and Clank series, and expands the series in fun and interesting new ways.
Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty picks up right where Tools of Destruction left off and follows Ratchet as he pursues Clank and his kidnapers. It is a much shorter title than previous ones, and replaces Clank with newcomer Talwyn Apogee. The story is filled with space pirate madness, and serves as a nice bridge between titles. It has almost everything that players would expect from a Ratchet and Clank game, but half the size.
Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time continues the Future Trilogy with a story that delves even deeper into the secrets of the galaxy. The story sees the return of Dr. Nefarious after Ratchet and Clank beat him in Up Your Arsenal. It is a mind-bending story that sees Clank try to fix time itself while Ratchet learns the history of his people. The game alternates between these two stories, and many fan favorite characters like Captain Qwark make their appearance. It is a pretty wild chapter in the Ratchet and Clank series, and some fans consider it one of the best in the franchise,
Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus serves as an epilogue of sorts to the Future Trilogy, and it marks the end of the PS3 era of the series. The story follows Ratchet and Clank as they deliver notorious criminal Vendra Prog to prison. Vendra's twin brother Neftin and his band of thugs break her out of prison, and Ratchet and Clank are forced to chase them across the galaxy. It is a pretty decent entry in the series, albeit a bit short. It serves as a nice extra chapter in the story of the Lombax and his robot friend, and also helps to set up Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart.
After playing the entire original series and Future Trilogy, players should jump into the PS5 entry Rift Apart. PS Plus also includes Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One and Full Frontal Assault, but neither of them really have a specific spot in the series, They are fun little adventures for those who want some more Ratchet and Clank fun, and would be good ways to kill time during the long wait for Insomniac's next chapter in this series.
