Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One was one of the titles that really brought a smile to my face at Sony’s PlayStation Experience, held last week in London. How can you not have fun when you’re using the Vacuum 4000 to suck Captain Qwark up before boosting him to the next platform, throwing wrenches when you run out of ammo, running around madly to collect bolts and facing such interesting creatures the likes of which you’ve never seen before such as electrified zombie jellyfish.

Insomniac Games was on-hand to demonstrate new levels and content, as well as give us the world exclusive hands-on of the upcoming title. And rest assured it was well worth braving the cold chill of the Tramshed basement to enjoy some co-op (and competitive!) platforming fun, Ratchet & Clank style!

Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One was first revealed by the developer at gamescom last year, and marks the first time that players will be able to explore the Ratchet & Clank universe together. Up to four players can enjoy the action, both offline and online, as the Lombax Ratchet, robot Clank, the humorous Captain Qwark and evil Dr Nefarious. The game will feature drop-in/drop-out play, and although it will be co-op it also features a slighty competitive edge too.

Insomniac Games had promised to deliver a game with an ‘arsenal of over-the-top weapons’ as well as an ‘explosive adventure infused with the series signature humour and cinematic style,’ taking the ‘franchise to a new level of accessible fun that can be shared with friends and family.’ Well done Insomniac Games, you’ve hit the nail on the head!

The story sees heroes Ratchet & Clank teaming up with bumbling Qwark and long-standing nemesis Dr. Nefarious after Nefarious’ latest evil plan goes awry and they’re all trapped inside a mysterious machine called the Creature Creator.

The new level challenges the fearsome foursome to cross through a dangerous Seaside Village on Planet Magnus. Along the way you’ll need to work together to progress in the game, unleashing havoc with various over-the-top weapons as you tackle formidable enemies together. For example, the Vacuum 4000 is an interesting gadget that allows you to pick up tons of different things, including objects which you can hurl at your enemies…or your allies. So you may need to suck up a team member using the powerful vacuum and then shoot him across to the next platform. Now that he’s there you can tether to him and cross the divide with your other team mates. This is just one example of the puzzles and environmental dangers you’ll face in All 4 One that will keep you giggling maniacally and coming back for more.

The co-operation doesn’t end there either. You can also use the same weapons together to create even more devastating effects, ganging up on enemies with, for instance, the storm-cloud generating Thundersmack will generate storm-clouds quicker, becoming more deadly quicker. Or you could choose to use different weapons against an enemy, but still work together to eliminate them more quickly. Such as when one player uses the Arc Lasher kinetic energy whip (zap!) to stun an enemy while another player blasts it with the Warmonger rocket launcher (boom!).

However, even though there are a lot of co-operative elements in the game, you’ll also feel the competitive nature of the game enthral taking hold of you pretty soon. To start with there’s the challenge to collect as many bolts as possible during each level. As Insomniac Games pointed out during the demonstration, collecting bolts is in the DNA of the Ratchet & Clank games, but this time round it has a bit of a twist. As you collect bolts the number of bolts the team has collected as a whole will be displayed on the screen. But you’ll also see who’s the lead bolt collector and this player will receive a bonus with which to buy new weapons or upgrades.

Of course you’ll also be able to ‘accidentally’ shoot a team mate off the edge of a platform into oblivion using the Vacuum 4000. Or ‘accidentally’ release him as he’s tethered to you over a very long drop into the abyss. Just be prepared for a little retaliation and don’t forget that you do rely on your team mates to revive you should you meet an untimely end! This combination of both co-operation and competitiveness really makes the game loads of fun because you’ll never be able to drop your guard around the other players as you scamper around collecting bolts.

As you progress through the game you can expect to face a number of very interesting, very different enemies. My personal favourite was the swarg which the development team lovingly described as an electrified zombie jellyfish. Swargs tend to be quite ill-mannered beasts, especially when you’re trying to vacuum them up and shoot them into a generator to energise it. Some of them may even be armoured, which presents another completely different challenge!

Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One is a great adventure romp that’s guaranteed to be fun, both when you’re playing with a bunch of mates on the couch or online with a couple of other pals. You’ll no doubt enjoy the co-op gameplay, facing deadly enemies and solving physics-based puzzles together, all the while competing for bolts and making use of the over-the-top weapons arsenal.

Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One will be available, exclusively for the PS3, this Fall. Until then you can browse through our previous coverage to find out more about the game, or watch the gameplay trailer from the PlayStation Experience below to see the action-packed Octonok Village level.

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