Company Cross References / Ratchet & Clank

Game recognizes game.

As one of PlayStation's longest standing partners, the folks at Insomniac Games love to put in references to their old works as well as other PlayStation games into the Ratchet & Clank franchise.

For times when works by other companies are referenced, please see the franchise's dedicated Shout Out page.

Other Titles by Insomniac Games

• Going Commando
  • The Zodiac shares its name with a weapon from Disruptor, Insomniac's very first game. The connection goes further as both are late-game superweapons that can take out all enemies in sight targets with one shot (albeit in differing manners). Allegedly the Going Commando weapon was even referred to as the "Zodiac Mk. II" in development, however this has never been confirmed. Doubles as a Production Throwback.

• Up Your Arsenal
  • One of the shots in "Qwark Personal Log Entry 101,301" is of Al trying to teach Qwark a basic math question, looking very similar to a picture◊ from Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!'s epilogue where the Professor attempts to do the same with Crush. Also doubles as a Production Throwback.

• Deadlocked
  • Among the few survivors listed on the Dreadzone Rank-O-Meter is Agent Zero, a character from Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!.

• Future: Tools of Destruction
  • The main villain Emperor Tachyon was more than likely inspired by Ripto from Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!, as both are characters that have small bodies and big heads, are hot-tempered, wield a scepter, have plans to conquer the world/universe, and have a hatred towards the lead character's race.

• Future: Quest for Booty
  • The moon above Merdegraw seen in the opening is pulled directly from Insomniac Games' 2002 - 2016 logo◊.

• Future: A Crack in Time
  • Just like the above, this game's Insomniac Museum takes the form of the Insomniac Moon, which true to its name takes the form of the moon from Insomniac's pre-2017 logo. A couple of other references are present in the Moon as well:
    • Among the conference rooms named after Ratchet & Clank characters there's a couple of rooms that are instead named after Resistance, those being the Hale Conference Room and the Chimera Conference Room.
    • There is a Behind the Scenes infobox in the QA office that states that the Tetramites were directly based on The Swarm from Resistance 2.

• Ratchet & Clank (2016)
  • The Proto Drum has identical functionality to the Pulse Mine from Sunset Overdrive.
  • When Ratchet and Clank enter Big Al's Roboshack, Ratchet geeks out over 4 posters on the wall. In order, they are for "My Blaster Runs Hot" (the film that Captain Qwark starred in prior to A Crack in Time), "Fongoid with a Stick" (a reference to "Girl with a Stick", a game idea that Insomniac Games came up with and then scrapped before creating Ratchet & Clank), "Speero the Space Moose" (a reference to Spyro the Dragon, evidenced by Speero's purple and yellow suit and similar name), and "Intransigence: Fall of Blarg" (a reference to Resistance: Fall of Man).

• Rift Apart
  • Among the objects that the RYNO 8 weapon will drop are an Overcharge barrel and Fizzie from Sunset Overdrive, and Merryn's submarine from Song of the Deep.
  • The currency replacement cheat from the reimagining returns along with most of the replacements. The only one to not return is "Adorable Toruses," having been replaced with cans of Overcharge.
  • Inside the jukebox at Zurkie's are figurines of Sasquatch and Friends from Sunset Overdrive.
  • A small orb with Insomniac's current logo is hidden on every planet in the game. Hitting the orb will cause it to explode into burst of confetti, though finding them doesn't count towards game completion.

---

Other PlayStation Franchises

• Going Commando
  • On planet Damosel in Going Commando, after Ratchet and Clank collect a Hypnomatic part they perform Item Get! animations almost identical to the ones Jak and Daxter did whenever they found a Power Cell in The Precursor Legacy - complete with that game's music cue for it.
  • Numerous posters of the duo in their Jak II incarnation are also found throughout the game. In a tit-for-tat shout-out, a poster featuring Ratchet and Clank can be spotted in Haven City's northwest corner in Jak II.

• Up Your Arsenal
  • Planet Daxx is another clear one to Jak and Daxter, as it's Daxter's nickname throughout the series. Ratchet even pauses and repeats the name to himself upon hearing Al say it, which he never does with any other planet.
  • A Pipo-Saru monkey skin can be unlocked with a cheat code in the Japanese version of the game as well as the HD version on PS3.

• Deadlocked
  • Jak is an unlockable skin in the game's multiplayer in his Precursor Legacy incarnation, though only for player 2. Naughty Dog would respond in kind by making Ratchet an unlockable racer in Jak X: Combat Racing.
  • The Pipo-Saru monkey skin returns in the Japanese version (albeit based on a different monkey this time around).

• Future: A Crack in Time
  • To another Naughty Dog franchise, when Qwark suggests "A leisurely stroll through this uncharted jungle."

• The Movie
  • Two of the images Clank pulls up when trying to figure out what species Ratchet is are of Daxter and Sly Cooper (the latter also counting as an Orphaned Reference / Production Foreshadowing).

• Ratchet & Clank (2016)
  • One of the cheats lets you replace bolts with other currencies, two of which appear reminiscent of other PlayStation games:
    • "Metal Currency", which is reminiscent of the coins from the Sly Cooper series;
    • "Spherical Spheres", which look similar to the pickups from God of War, as well as Eco.

• Rift Apart
  • The Lombax Lorbs in general are a reference to the Precursor Orbs from Jak and Daxter, being ancient relics from a past civilization and sharing similar designs.
  • The currency replacement cheat from the reimagining returns retaining the Sly and Jak / God of War replacements.
  • The RYNO 8 weapon will pull in objects and characters from other game franchises:
    • Jak and Daxter, as well as a Precursor Orb.
    • Sly, Bentley, and the Cooper Van from Sly Cooper.
    • A jeep, a plane, and the Phurba Dagger from Uncharted.
    • A Sawtooth and Thunderjaw from Horizon.
  • Mags' details several dimensions that he visits in the Lombax Lorbs:
    • III: "The First Dimension" — A dimension with vivid colors where he encounters a creature with a mask and cane pulling a heist.
    • IV: "So Many Stories" — A dimension with a creature made of old relics that could break apart.
    • V: "Time Management" — A dimension filled with "really, really smart cubes."
    • VII: "Live Commentary" — Dimension 31x7 where he sees two creatures: One firing a gun while spinning, and the other hanging on his shoulder giving live commentary. The former also counts as an Ascended Meme.
    • IX: "A Pleasant Feeling" — Dimension 242y8, the "cutest dimension I've ever seen" where the inhabitants are all made out of wool who can make anything. He also notes that a really pleasant voice followed him around.