Ratchet & Clank (2002 video game)

Ratchet & Clank
North American box art
Developer(s)Insomniac Games
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
Director(s)Brian Allgeier
Designer(s)Brian Allgeier
Programmer(s)Alexander Hastings
Brian Hastings
Artist(s)John Fiorito
Dave Guertin
Greg Baldwin
Writer(s)
  • Brian Hastings
  • John Lally
Composer(s)David Bergeaud
SeriesRatchet & Clank
Platform(s)PlayStation 2
Release
  • NA/AU: November 6, 2002
  • EU: November 8, 2002
Genre(s)Third-person shooter, platformer
Mode(s)Single-player

Ratchet & Clank is a third-person shooter platform video game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2 in 2002. It is the first game in the Ratchet & Clank series and the first game developed by Insomniac to not be owned by Universal Interactive.

The game follows the anthropomorphic character Ratchet meeting the robot Clank on his home planet, Veldin. Clank discovers that the villainous Chairman Drek of the Blarg race plans to create a new planet for his species, destroying other planets in the process. Clank convinces Ratchet to help him in his mission to secure the assistance of the famous hero Captain Qwark.

The game offers a wide range of weapons and gadgets that the player must use to defeat numerous enemies and solve puzzles on a variety of different planets in the fictional Solana galaxy. The game includes several mini-games, such as racing or hacking, which the player must complete to proceed. The game was very well received by critics, who praised the graphics, gameplay, voice acting, audio, soundtrack, and comedic approach to the story; some criticism was directed at the camera, the characterization (especially in regard to Ratchet's personality) and the low level of difficulty in early stages.

The game was followed by Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando. In April 2016, a film based on the game was released, preceded by a remake for PlayStation 4 based on that work.