Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty was (and still is) Insomniac’s only venture into the digital-download-only market. The game was developed to be the second instalment in the Future trilogy of Ratchet and Clank – set after Tools of Destruction and before A Crack in Time. Quest for Booty was Insomniac’s acid test for digital download – to see if it was feasible to create bite-sized titles at a lower cost, whilst maintaining the same high quality but with a shorter storyline. Compromising game length, though, has somewhat ruined the experience.

Quest for Booty starts off where Tools of Destruction left off, so if you haven’t played that yet, it is strongly advisable to do so, so that you know what’s going on in the story. After a bout with pirates, Ratchet is left washed up on a beach by Hoolefar island. The small settlement is the setting for almost the entire game, and Ratchet must continue his search for Clank. Sadly, although the story is well paced, the game ends up in the same place that it started – which is a disappointment and somewhat makes the game feel more like a spin-off rather than a title in the trilogy.

While the story feels a bit pointless, gameplay is unchanged - so expect classic Ratchet and Clank action!

That said though, the gameplay is completely uncompromised – expect the same wacky weapons, great platforming and challenging puzzles that you’d find in one of the full games of the series ad you won’t be disappointed. I’d even go as far to say that the actual gameplay has been improved upon (compared to Tools of Destruction) and is certainly better paced, even if you only get a small array of weapons – also from Tools of Destruction. Although there is less focus on the combat and weapons in this game, there are several added elements to the platforming side of things that keep the game feeling complete. The Omniwrench now has a detachable head, allowing you to pull objects from afar in order to make bridges or to hold creatures in place.

New gameplay features include the detachable head of the Omniwrench - providing much needed help for some of the puzzles.

The graphics are (as is the norm with Insomniac) immensely detailed, and every environment you visit is vibrant and full of life. Not only that, but the game runs flawlessly too – at a smooth 60 frames per second with no real visible screen tearing whatsoever. The character models are also intricately detailed, and giving everything a cartoon art style makes the world much more fun for kids to play (that’s not to say adults won’t have fun).

The game is very pretty to look at, but then you wouldn't expect anything less from Insomniac Games.

Overall, Quest for Booty is a great little adventure, even if it only lasts about 4 hours. There aren’t any trophies to lengthen the experience, but its definitely worth a play if you’ve enjoyed all the other Ratchet and Clank games.

Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty emulates the greatness of its predecessors, but its crippling short length lets it down. If you’re a fan of Ratchet and Clank, you’ll no doubt have a few hours of fun, but that’s just the problem – only a few hours. The puzzles are good, the voice acting is good, the gameplay is good, heck there’s nothing bad about the game itself; but don’t go expecting a full length adventure from this bite-sized snack, especially when a full meal like Tools of Destruction pulls everything off so much better.


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