Secret Agent Clank Review

Clank has always been considered the most likable character in the Ratchet and Clank series, outdoing Ratchet whenever he had the chance. He’s funnier, cuter and generally a better character, but has until now been relegated to bit parts in the series. Now he’s got his own game in Secret Agent Clank, a PSP exclusive from High Impact, the developer of Size Matters. Sadly this isn’t the incredible platforming adventure his fans have been hoping for.

Things begin when Ratchet is imprisoned for stealing the Eye of Infinity, and Clank is tasked with rescuing him. Cut scenes are as expected, with a healthy dose of humour always able to raise a smile, but the core game is very different to traditional Ratchet gameplay. Instead of being a straight out action platfom game, Clank has to rely on stealth and gadgets to get through the many dangers that lie ahead.

At the start things aren’t too dissimilar to early sections in previous Ratchet and Clank titles. Clank can smash up enemies with his melee attack and he soon acquires projectile weapons that help out during combat. The problem is that Clank isn’t best suited to brawling. He can handle a little rough and tumble with a robot enemy and withstand a small barrage of fire, but any more and he’s mincemetal. This is where his stealth skills come into play.

The ideal way to play as Clank is to move about in the shadows, out of the search lights and away from the torches carried by enemies. If you stray into one of these zones the enemies will go on alert or send in more units to try and take you out. Early enemies aren’t too much trouble, but the larger foes very quickly and easily overpower Clank. If you think you’re going to be play through the game with force, think again. If you get the opportunity to stealth kill an enemy (by walking up behind them and entering in a string of commands) then you absolutely need to take it, and if a laser can be disabled, that’s probably the best thing to do.

Adding variety are a number of other playable characters. Ratchet is indeed playable, and packing plenty of powerful weapons, but he’s stuck in dreaded arena-style stages that soon become repetitive. Next up are levels that see you taking control of the Gadgetbots, the small helpers that follow Clank’s every word. These levels have a clear puzzle slant to them and are among the best the game has to offer. The star of the show, though, is the ever present Captain Qwark, who appears in by far the oddest levels in the game and isn’t afraid to say what he thinks.

Although the stealth gameplay and kitchen sink feel to the rest of the playable characters aren’t nearly as fun as previous Ratchet and Clank games, numerous rhythm-based sections are worse, feeling completely out of place and a chore to play through. In what I can only assume is an attempt to mimic Clank’s ability to dance through obstacles, you must press buttons in time with on-screen commands that slide across the screen. Not a good idea in a platformer, stealth-based or otherwise.

On the PSP, with its single analogue stick, we’re used to dodgy cameras and Secret Agent Clank is no exception. At times it’ll position itself in ridiculously awkward places and needs almost constant attention from the L and R buttons. It’s also a shame that little improvement has been made on the visuals since High Impact’s previous PSP title Size Matters. While far from an ugly game, it’s nowhere near the standard set by recent PSP heavyweight God of War: Chains of Olympus.

Secret Agent Clank is sadly a rather forgettable game, which is something that’s a little hard to believe considering the near constant high quality the series is known for. Clank surely has a good game of his own that’s waiting to be made, but this isn’t it. Die-hard Ratchet and Clank fans will no doubt appreciate the usual high quality voice work and humour, but as a game it falls a long way short of the required standard.