Since its introduction in 2002, the Ratchet & Clank series has thrown out its fair share of mysteries. 2007’s Tools of Destruction ended with one major mystery… What has happened to Clank? In 2009, Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time will have players facing another, heavy-hearted mystery… Is this the final adventure for the Lombax and his roobotic sidekick?

Ratchet and Clank has always been an adventure with both heroes side by side saving the galaxy from all forms of peril, but our friends at Insomniac Games have thrown something new at us by completely separating our duo. If you are just catching up to the adventure, a back-story is told (via an interview with the bumbling self-proclaimed hero Captain Qwark) while the game is performing an initial setup. Dr. Nefarious has returned and has zapped Clank to The Great Clock in the center of the universe in another devious attempt to reign over the entire galaxy. Though the adventure for Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time is solid enough, there are signs that the story has worn through in its seven year run. Ratchet will uncover more clues to the fate of the Lombax species while Clank finally gets his moment of fame (minus the Secret Agent Clank storyline; we’ll pretend that never happened) with a look at both his origin and his ultimate destiny.

Platforming is what the series has been all about so gamers should already know to get ready for more running, jumping, anti-gravity traversing with Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time. Ratchet will receive a pair of rocket boots that introduces a new way of travelling plus a much needed boost for blasting over giant ravines to get those out of the way items. The lush backgrounds and totally epic outer space scenes lend that extra flair that has always set the Ratchet and Clank series apart from its other platformer competition.

Returning as a mainstay to the series, is the enormous weapon system. Through upgrades, players will find themselves spending a lot of time and bolts tweaking the game’s enormous arsenal of tools and weapons. Old classics return to the arsenal but the new weapons give the adventure a more comical spin. The Sonic Eruptor is set to become the new fan favorite since the introduction of the Chicken Ray. The Zoni, who first appeared in Tools of Destruction, return as well and serve as helpers for making upgrades to Ratchet’s starship. Each area of the game has a set number of Zoni that can be found to make upgrades possible and you’ll find yourself backtracking to find every one. Though there’s many weapons available in the game, players will find themselves sticking to a handful and almost skip out on trying to upgrade every single weapon available.

In comparison to the previous game, Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time has about the same amount of gaming content so players will find themselves clocking in about 10-12 hours of play. Though this doesn’t hurt the game, it’s very evident that the writing has suffered and therefore made the game more linear than past entries in the series.

Insomniac Games still gets much praise for the Ratchet and Clank franchise. This series is the closest to having a full Disney experience on a gaming console (sorry, Kingdom Hearts) and the visuals, dialogue, over the top scenarios and characters gives players a truly memorable experience. Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time does its job. All the loose ends are tied up and everything ends with a bang. If you’ve been following the series, or are a complete newcomer, the mix of platforming and puzzle solving will provide a truly satisfying adventure to behold.