Dearest Insomniac Games,
I’m not a boot wearing man. Had I been sporting some man-heels while watching the new Ratchet & Clank trailer though, I would certainly have been shaking in them with excitement. As enthusiastic as I was about the reveal, I certainly wasn’t expecting the internet to blow it up so much. This is your chance to bring the boys back into the limelight, so tread carefully. As a self-appointed Ratchet & Clank superfan, I’d like to bestow upon you some hopes, concerns and ideas I have for the future of your wonderful creations that I’m sure my peers share.
You’re stepping on your own toes by re-imagining the original game, so go ahead and stomp them real good. Re-imagine the whole darn series. This game is the point of no return. I don’t want a sequel to A Crack In Time after this one; I want a sequel to this one. That’s not to suggest you remake all ten Ratchet games – please don’t – but build this universe with the foresight you’ve earned.
Trim the fat from the get go. Converge some ideas. How many different pistols has Ratchet had over the years? Pick one and settle on it this time, don’t reintroduce the same thing with a different name over and over. The Bomb Glove, Gravity Bomb, Nitro Launcher, B6-Obliterator, Fusion Grenade, Constructo Bomb, and Plasmabomb Launcher all do the same thing. Just choose one to keep. The same goes for gadgets, and especially planets. If we need to visit a forest world in this game and another in a sequel, just revisit the same planet. Build a new level, of course, but make me really care about and remember this place, don’t spread my attention across so many similar worlds.
Plan ahead with the story. Some of the coolest stuff in the ‘Future’ games – Tachyon, Azimuth, the Zoni – were answers to questions I never thought to ask. The fact that everything in Tools of Destruction culminated in A Crack in Time was wicked. The fact that nothing that happened in Going Commando had any bearing on Up Your Arsenal at all was a bit lame. You’ve got 13 years of lore to cherry pick this time, so here’s your chance to weave everything together a bit more intricately and create a proper narrative arc right off the bat.
Don’t forget the OGs. Okay, it’s really cool that you’ve got Stallone in the movie, and of course you’re going to want to make the most of a new character like that. While you do that though, don’t forget the old guys. Bring back Skid McMarx, Helga, Courtney Gears, Talwyn, Cronk, Zephyr and Big Al. He may not be a robot-guy per se, but I don’t want to buy a heli-pack anywhere else. Don’t try and fix what ain’t broke. Don’t forget the OSTs either. I don’t know how much pull you have with music rights, but nothing hypes me more than that original Metropolis track.
Go back to non-linear levels. If there’s one thing the first Ratchet & Clank game did better than any other, it’s level structure. Having two or three paths to take on each planet was so cool. I want to explore and find things on my own. There’s no need to go crazy with it, but a Sargasso or a Krell Canyon here and there is always nice, too. Don’t let me play through planets one at a time. The Metroidvania elements in the early R&C games were just right. Necessitate revisiting planets with new gadgets to advance, not just for Gold Bolts.
The biggest favour I ask of you is to not make the old canon redundant. Just give some implication that this new story is in an alternate dimension or what-have-you, that’s all I ask. Something more tangible than ‘this is the same story told a different way’. I’ve got 13 discs and six comics that mean something; don’t revoke that. Hey, maybe Alister’s meddling with The Great Clock caused a new timeline or something?
I’m here as an example of the passionate and dedicated fans this series has amassed, and I’m super stoked to see where Ratchet & Clank go in the future. I know you won’t let us down.
Sincere Regards,
Lliam Ahearn
PS. can u pls put sunset overdrive on ps4 thx