Secret Agent Clank

Gameplay

Unlike previous Ratchet & Clank games, Clank's gameplay is more like Ratchet's. In the past, playing him was more about solving puzzles; now, he is a full on action character with weapons and gadgets of his own. Also featured are interactive rhythm sections where the player must press a sequence of buttons correctly to sneak through an area undetected. Giant Clank, wherein Clank transforms into a monster-sized fighting machine, also makes an appearance.

Gameplay

The game is a spin-off and focuses on the adventures of Clank and his secret alter-ego, Secret Agent Clank.

Story

The game begins at the Boltaire Museum, which houses a precious gem known as the Eye of Infinity. The gem, however, was stolen and Ratchet is at the scene of the crime. Skeptical about his involvement, Clank infiltrated the Museum to find out more about the precious Eye of Infinity. But much to his dismay, Clank find only coordinates to Asyanica Rooftops. Meanwhile, in jail, Ratchet is forced to fend off his inmates in a battle to stay alive.

Clank then travels to the Asyanica Rooftops, but is held captive. He then sends his Gadgebots to free him. Once freed, he sets to find information about Number Woo, the owner of Asyanica. Although he admits he took the Eye of Infinity, he actually gave the gem to a fellow villain, Countess Ivana Lottabolts. While this is happening, concurrently Captain Qwark is writing an autobiography about the adventures that never happened. He defeats a monster terrorizing the city. Meanwhile, Clank heads to her snowy domain and asks her for the Eye, but in the process is challenged to a dance of death, After avoiding all the traps during the dance, Ivana says the Eye has been taken to Rionosis and it is in the possession of a Kingpin. Armed with the information, Clank escapes on his snowboard.

En route to Rionosis, Clank gets a distress call that Ratchet is in trouble. Ratchet is forced to fend off more inmates in the Prison Cafeteria. Clank lands in Rionosis and begins to tail the Kingpin however he manages to escape. Clank is forced to jump on numerous gondolas to reach safety. Clank finds out that the Eye is taken to the Casino. Concurrently, Qwark arrives in Rionosis to continue his autobiography where he defeats the Jack of All Trades. Meanwhile, Clank reaches the Casino's Main Room however he is denied entry due to him not having a password. Back in jail, Ratchet meets Slim Cognito. Slim trades the password with Ratchet on condition that he defeats his associates. Once he is successful, Clank gets the password (which is "Monkey Pickle Pants") and is challenged to a game of poker in exchanged for the box goods he saw earlier in the Casino. But once again the gem has been taken to another destination, this time in the Venantonio Labs. At the end of Venantonio Labs is a mad scientist who was ridiculed for his inventions. With the help of the scientist, Clank escapes on a speedboat to Fort Sprocket, the real location of the Eye of Infinity. Concurrently Qwark arrives in Venantonio and "reminisces" his days of performing in the mermaid play.

In the Jail showers, Ratchet meets the Plumber who was called to fix a broken pipe. He accidentally throws the pipe to another fellow guard. Enraged, the guard, together with the fellow inmates engage in battle yet again. Meanwhile, Clank reaches Fort Sprocket. He makes his way to the main vault but is trapped. He contacts his Gadgebots to release him. Once inside he finds the Kingpin went to the Spaceship Graveyard. Clank ventures into the Graveyard and the kingpin finally reveals himself - it is Klunk, Clank's evil doppeganger from Up Your Arsenal. Klunk proceeds to destroy Clank he manages to escape on a Giant Clank Pad. Qwark arrives in the Graveyard and talks about his adventure in saving the orphanage nuns. Meanwhile, there is chaos in the Jail and Ratchet is forced to defend the other inmates from the enemies. Clank manages to locate Klunk's base of operations on Hydrano. It turns out it is an underwater base. After exploring, Clank finally is face to face with Klunk. Klunk reveals he wanted success by destroying every planet in the universe but saving it in time by Clank (who resembles Klunk) the plot thickens when Klunk will make it seem as if the fake Klunk (Clank) destroys the planets only for Clank (portrayed by the real Klunk) to thwart his plans. They engage in battle. Mid way through the battle. Klunk says the Eye of Infinity is poised in the center of the universe, either way if Clank or Klunk dies, Klunk will still succeed in his plans. Qwark manages to move the Eye from destruction and saves the galaxy.

The game ends with Ratchet and Clank back in their Megapolis apartment using a vacuum cleaner which resembles Klunk. The camera focuses on the vacuum cleaner's filter. The eyes reactivate, implying he is still alive.

Other playable characters

Besides Clank, both Ratchet and Captain Qwark are playable in the game, as are the Gadgebots. Qwark's gameplay segments are based on dubious accounts of his own exploits and are more action-based. Ratchet's segments in prison are more like the gameplay of previous games in the series. The Gadgebot segments require switching between Gadgebots to solve puzzles.

Weapons and gadgets

Clank has six weapons in his inventory: the Tie-a-Rang, Cuff Link Bombs, Tanglevine Carnation, Blowtorch Briefcase, Thunderstorm Umbrella, and Holo-Knuckles. Also, throughout the game, Clank will find weapons that Ratchet can use. Clank secretly put the weapons in cakes, then sends them to prison for Ratchet to pick up. Clank has the opportunity to gain access to a snowboard and other vehicles. The player can upgrade Clank's "Clank-Fu" fighting moves and weapons, similar to the weapons-leveling system in traditional Ratchet & Clank games. The player can learn new techniques, as well as various finishing moves.

Development and release

The game was in development since before the release of Size Matters. In July 2007, rumors of the game's existence surfaced when David Bergeaud, who composes music for the Ratchet & Clank series, accidentally revealed the game in his online resume. The actual game was not confirmed by Sony until a pre-TGS 2007 conference.

Reception

Secret Agent Clank received mixed to positive reviews. Ranging from a 6.5/10 from IGN to an 8.5/10 from Game Informer. Most scores fall in the 6-8 level with a Metacritic score of 72/100. The PlayStation 2 version received lower score reviews.