Ratchet and Clank (characters)

Ratchet and Clank are the titular main protagonists of the Ratchet & Clank video game series developed by Insomniac Games, starting with the 2002 Ratchet & Clank. Ratchet is an anthropomorphic alien creature known as a Lombax, while Clank is an escaped robot (real name: XJ-0461 or Defect B5429671) who soon teams up with him. Ratchet was intended to be a mascot character for Sony to use to compete against Nintendo's Mario, Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog and Microsoft's Blinx, replacing Crash Bandicoot and Spyro in the sixth generation of video game consoles (GameCube, Dreamcast, Xbox and PlayStation 2).

Concept and creation

Both Ratchet and Clank were conceived for inclusion in the original Ratchet & Clank. Ratchet was originally envisioned by Insomniac Games Vice President of Programming Brian Hastings as a space-traveling reptile alien who would collect various weapons as he progressed through the game; Ratchet's final form was decided upon after Insomniac looked at various terrestrial creatures, such as dogs, rats, and feline features stood out to them because of the sense of agility associated with it.

Clank spawned from an early idea involving a number of small robots attached to Ratchet, which would perform different functions. However, Insomniac realized that having the three robots was both complicated and created confusion about Ratchet's appearance, leading them to have only one robot, Clank. Ratchet tends to be headstrong and is usually not afraid to voice his opinion. In response to the negative critical reception of Ratchet's personality, Ratchet's personality was altered in Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando to be "less cocky, much more friendly to Clank, and... able to handle himself better in stressful situations without being impetuous."

In the English versions of the games, Ratchet is voiced by Mikey Kelley in the first Ratchet & Clank and by James Arnold Taylor since the second game. Meanwhile, Clank was voiced by David Kaye.

Appearances

Ratchet and Clank first appear in Ratchet & Clank, the first game in the Ratchet & Clank series, made for the PlayStation 2, where they first meet while on separate missions, both looking for help from Captain Qwark to stop the goals of Chairman Drek. Ratchet appears by himself in Jak X: Combat Racing and Jak II.

Reception

Ratchet and Clank have been generally well-received; Ratchet was voted as the sixteenth top character of the 2000s decade by Game Informer readers, and readers of Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition voted Ratchet as the 15th-top video game character of all time. GamesRadar listed Clank on their list of "The 25 best new characters of the decade", describing him as a "quiet, collected and effortlessly charming robot with cool powers and cooler personality". On Mikey Kelley's vocal performance as Ratchet in Ratchet & Clank, Douglass C. Perry of IGN commented that "while Ratchet strives for that perfect dude-like teenager vibe, the voice actor generally hits the mark." Gavin Frankle of AllGame found it hard to form an emotional bond with Ratchet or Clank, saying that Ratchet is "your typical teenager [...] who desires nothing more than excitement and adventure", and that Clank is "the stereotypical intellectual; stuffy and almost prudish to a fault".

Ratchet's personality has received mixed response, with Benjamin Turner of GameSpy being highly critical of Ratchet in his review of the first game criticizing his design and demeanor, which he called "rude and immoral." He expressed a desire to see Clank as the protagonist instead. Johnny Liu of GameRevolution described Ratchet as having a "blue-collar attitude," appreciating that he's not a "typical goody-goody" though criticizing that he wasn't fleshed out. Ratchet's in-game model in Ratchet & Clank, particularly his facial animations and fur, was praised by Louis Bedigian of GameZone, noting that it is more realistic than the game's NPCs. Critics took note of Ratchet's improved character in subsequent games. Perry appreciated that he became "a little more forgiving and a lot more palatable," while Carlos McElfish of GameZone felt his new voice actor "forc[es] a psychological reset in the minds of players."

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