The name’s Clank… Secret Agent Clank Review
Developer: High Impact Studios | Platform: PS5 (PSP) | Playtime: 9:55 | Platinum: 12:25
I’ve been a fan of this series since I was a child and have played most of the N games that have released. Yet there’s 4 that have alluded me even as an adult – not through rarity but opportunity and time. One of them is Secret Agent Clank, a spin off released on the PSP. Thanks to PS Plus premium, I was given the chance to play it for the first time. Despite what I’ve heard, I had a decently good time with it.
As the name suggests we’re taking control of robotic companion Clank this time around, donning his Secret Agent identity from Ratchet and Clank 3 (One of the other games I’ve somehow not gotten around to). Ratchet has been arrested for a crime he didn’t commit and Clank must prove his innocence while also recovering the stolen Eye of Infinity – a precious gem with devastating power. The plot is as spy movie as they come and the game absolutely plays into this. Throughout the story you’ll find homages to Spy thriller greats with a classic R&C flair.
On the gameplay side of things, Clank plays more like the traditional Ratchet gameplay opposed to what Clank sections in previous games were like. Clank has a melee combo and access to weapons that upgrade much like you’d expect from the series. These weapons work fine if the games stealth isn’t to your style and to the games credit – there’s only one or two sections that are instant fail stealth. Generally speaking you can go guns blazing or sneaky if you want. I’m not gonna make the claim that stealth mechanics here are revolutionary because they’re not – you can stealth kill enemies, enemies lose aggro after a little while, you can interact with specified objects in the environment (Plants, Market stalls and the like) as well as an ink pen that can cover laser trip wires or cameras. Breaking these moments up are vehicle challenge stages as well as the real spy stuff – dodging tripwires, dances of death, casino with a twist. These come in the form of rhythm challenges which are fine enough and the visuals that go with them are good but they feel like they go on for an age. Clank sections wouldn’t be complete without the gadget bots so it’s a good thing they return too. Operating a little bit differently than they have done, you’ll control one of the three or four and issue commands much like Clank would but also being able to switch between bots. These sections were fun but really basic, I wish there was more.
It’s not just Clank and the bots having all the fun – Ratchet gets his time too. While Clank is off being a super spy, Ratchet is fending for his life in prison, fighting off baddies from previous entries. The prison stages take the place of arenas from previous titles. They’re fun, even if enemies do feel somewhat tanky at times. While Clank’s movement feels better here, Ratchet feels as he did in Size Matters, so take that how you will. Finally we reach the final branch of gameplay (From the outside looking in, it seems like things are spread a bit thin – ambitious is a charitable appraisal, bloated and unfocused if not) which involves Captain Qwark. The story provides loose justification for his presence – he’s following in Clank’s footsteps, claiming ownership over his activities and spinning a dramatic yarn to a fledgling author. These are fine enough, but the game would suffer zero consequences if they were just not in the game at all.
In all the ways it counts, this is a Ratchet and Clank game – down to the Titanium Bolts and Skill Points. There’s a lot of skill points, perhaps the most in the series even when compared against Gladiator (I’ve not actually checked this). It’s not a knock on the game, but it’s amusing how much of Size Matters is reused here asset wise, how much I noticed – Gadgetbot swings, the Pygmy tribesmen, the spit from the venus fly traps. Efficient game design is to be lauded, not criticised.
I’ve heard fans bag on Secret Agent Clank for being a bad game but I think it’s important to make the distinction between “Worst by ranking” and “Worst game everrrrrrr!!!!”. I’ve not played all the games yet so I can’t say for certain but generally speaking, I quite enjoyed Secret Agent Clank. Mission accomplished.
