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Video Game / Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction

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"...the first game to truly deliver the long-sought 'You are playing a Pixar movie' experience."
The New York Times, regarding this game

The first game of the Ratchet & Clank series to be released on the PlayStation 3, and the fifth mainline game of the series.

The duo faces off against Percival Tachyon, self appointed Emperor of the Polaris Galaxy, who is set upon the extermination of all Lombaxes. Being a Lombax himself, Ratchet naturally doesn't take kindly to that. The game goes a lot into how the rest of the Lombaxes disappeared.

The game was followed by Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty in 2008.


Almost didn't recognize these tropes in high-def!

  • Absurdly High Level Cap: As usual with the series, the maximum number of bolts you can hold at a time is far more than you need to buy all the things that you can buy in the game combined. It caps at a ridiculous amount of 999'999'999, which is by far the most in the series. Bolts are way more plentiful than ever before, but it's still an absurd amount considering that the most expensive weapon "only" costs 50'000'000.
  • Added Alliterative Appeal: This excerpt of a quote from Captain Qwark:
    Zordoom prison! A dangerous dungeon of dastardly denizens, death and destruction! A deadly den of devious, desperadoes, damaged by decades of d... uhhh... lets just say, they're criminals... To infiltrate this fortified, fortress of fear...
  • Always Chaotic Evil: Everyone Ratchet talks to considers the Cragmites to be this and consider the Lombaxes as "saviors of the Universe" due to having apparently completely exterminated the Cragmites. It could be argued that Tachyon, who is trying to bring them back, is really Lawful Evil though, after all, he is an emperor. Even with Tachyon gone, a handful of Cragmites are still around and can still potentially become a threat again, but they won't cause trouble anytime soon.
    • According to several NPCs, the Drophyds are almost as bad, though it is mentioned that Tachyon bought their loyalty with Raritanium.
    • The Kerchu seem to be this, since their position is ambiguous. (They mercilessly attack anyone who enters their territory apart from the Smuggler and several Grummel, and there isn't a single species in the universe that isn't violently allergic to them)
  • Ammo-Using Melee Weapon: The Razor Claws and Shock Ravager both require ammo.
  • Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking:
    • When Ratchet and Clank are listening to Captain Qwark's plan to bust into Zordoom Prison:
      It is here he will be confronted by an army of Tachyon troopers, a battalion of embattled bandits, and an entire school of Zombie Ninja Panda Bears!
    • The description for the upgraded form of the RYNO IV, the RYNO-4-EVER. invoked
      This weapon, should it even exist, was far too dangerous, illegal and downright gameplay destabilizing to ever be used. Ever. We mean it.
  • Asskicking Leads to Leadership: After Ratchet trashes Captain Slag his first mate Rusty Pete mourns for a minute, then turns around and swears loyalty to Ratchet under the pirate code. Quest for Booty shows that Slag offed his own captain, Darkwater, but casts doubts on Rusty Pete's sincerity as he betrays Ratchet and revives Slag at the first opportunity.
  • Beam Spam: The RYNO IV does this.
  • Breaking the Fourth Wall: The description for the RYNO-4-EVER acknowledges that it's in a video game, since it says that the weapon is "far too dangerous, illegal and downright gameplay destabilizing to ever be used. Ever. We mean it."
  • Brick Joke: One that players may not even notice their first time through the game. When Tachyon first meets Ratchet, he mocks him for being a sad specimen of a Lombax. Later, when he releases the Cragmites, we see that Percival himself is a pathetic specimen of a Cragmite, whose entire body is smaller than a normal Cragmite's head.
  • Bittersweet Ending: The game ends with Tachyon banished and the Cragmites defeated for good, freeing the galaxy from their tyranny, but may potentially terrorize the galaxy again. But then Clank is taken by the Zoni and is soon revealed to be in a coma, while under the care of Dr. Nefarious. Happily Ever After for Polaris, Downer Ending for Ratchet and his allies.
  • Book Ends: The game begins and ends on the same musical riff. It makes for one heck of a Tear Jerker ending.
    • There are two cutscenes in the game involving one half of the duo recovering consciousness as the other stands over them asking if they're alright, both involving Tachyon: Ratchet does it to Clank near the beginning when they've crashed on Cobalia after escaping from Tachyon, and Clank does it to Ratchet at the end after they have defeated Tachyon and returned to their dimension.
  • Catching Some Z's: If subtitles are turned on, Ratchet's snoring during the Hypersleep cutscene is subtitled as Zs.
  • Cheat Code: Enter "Square, Circle, Square, Circle Up, Up, Triangle, Down, Up" to get the Convict Ratchet skin (plus a message from the Helpdesk).
  • Comically Missing the Point:
    Qwark: "This isn't the time for vanity, it's time to show the galaxy how utterly AWESOME I am!"
  • Continuity Cavalcade: You can ask the IRIS supercomputer tons of questions about the past games, like who the hosts of Dreadzone were, for example.
  • Cliffhanger: Clank is taken away by the Zoni at the very end of the game.
  • Crate Expectations: Lampshaded.
    Cronk: Hey, I just finished stacking those, you vandal!
  • The Dictatorship: Emperor Tachyon rules much of the Polaris Galaxy with an iron fist and whose empire is built around a Cult of Personality. Anyone who so much as associates with a Lombax is severely punished, and making fun of his name and stature is punishable by death. And, every planet in his empire is spammed with propaganda boards.
  • Difficult, but Awesome: Two weapons fit firmly into this category, the Tornado Launcher and the Razor Claws. The former is controlled using Sixaxis, but is very powerful and has a wide variety of uses, some of which aren't immediately obvious (like keeping it stationary to act as a makeshift shield, controling it while using a different weapon, or simply bringing bolts and raretanium closer to you). The latter gains power the more enemies you kill in a row without taking damage, and as it is a melee weapon, this is easier said than done. It also boosts both Bolt AND Raritanium drop rates, and since it runs off the same principle as the Challenge Mode multiplier, you can rack up HUGE amounts of cash with it provided you're good at No Damage Runs.
  • Disappeared Dad: Max Apogee, Talwyn's father. We end up never finding out what happened to him.
    • We do, however, learn that Angela (from the second game) was seen with him before he vanished.
      • However, in the comics Zogg tells Talwyn that her father (paraphrased) "... abandoned you, fleeing into another dimension, to save a lombax he barely knew!"
  • Disney Villain Death: The Kerchu Guardian and Tachyon end up falling to their deaths. Of course, it's subverted in the latter's case, as he's revealed to be alive in the comic series.
  • The Dragon: A strange case. IRIS reveals that the Pirates were built by Tachyon when he was a child, to help scavange materials for his army. After they had outlived their usefulness, he abandoned them on a remote planet, after which they kind of acted on their own from then on. So technically speaking Captain Slag is a fomer Dragon gone rogue. It's clear Tachyon never trusted him from the start though, as he built the Holo-Pirate Disguise so he could spy on Slag and make sure he wasn't pulling a Starscream on him. He would later offer the disguise as an arena prize in hopes of luring Slag to his death.
  • Dub Induced Plothole: In the original English version, Qwark's answering machine has an option for repeating the message in Spanish. The Spanish dub keeps this the same, even though the default message was already in Spanish in that version.
  • 11th-Hour Superpower: The RYNO IV, especially if you complete the whole holoplan, give the plan to the Smuggler, and fly all the way back to Fastoon for the final boss.
  • Embarrassing First Name: Tachyon's first name is "Percival".
  • Enemy Civil War: Kerchu City is an entire level centered on this. Of course, both sides will attack you mercilessly, but until they see you they'll focus in beating the crap out of each other.
  • Eviler than Thou: According to Aphelion, the Cragmites were this, and Tachyon did not know how evil his race was. Averted however, because once Tachyon released the Cragmites from their imprisonment, they accepted him as their emperor.
  • Fake Defector: Rusty Pete joins Ratchet after Slag's defeat, mostly so he can quickly double-cross him in Quest For Booty. He lampshades the shameless insincerity of his Heel–Face Turn when asked about his motives.
    Rusty Pete: What? Can't a pirate who's never told an honest truth in his life go blatantly out of his way to help the guy who killed his best friend and captain?
  • Fantastic Racism: Tachyon's hatred towards the Lombaxes, despite being raised by them, is so huge, that you can often hear anti-Lombax propaganda throughout the game, up to "It" Is Dehumanizing.
  • The Farmer and the Viper: Emperor Tachyon was taken in by the Lombaxes and raised from a hatchling, in spite of being a Cragmite. Once he discovered his heritage, he immediately set about plotting the return of the Cragmites, starting with enacting a mass genocide of the Lombaxes, killing many and driving the survivors to flee to another dimension. Ratchet rightfully calls him out on it.
    Ratchet: The Lombaxes raised you! How could you do this to them?!
    Tachyon: Those filthy creatures had the gall to pity me!
  • Fiction500: Defied with Tachyon. Despite doing whatever it takes to eliminate Ratchet, and find the Dimensionator to summon the Cragmites and aid them in destroying the universe, he outright states in Stratus City that his money isn't unlimited.
  • Global Currency Exception: Weapon upgrades cost Raritanium rather than Bolts.
  • Haiku: Courtesy of Tachyon:
    The Lombax will die
    A fiery, awful death
    Cupcakes are yummy
  • The Heartless: The Cragmites, according to everyone in Polaris, especially the Smuggler
  • Hellhole Prison: Zordoom Prison, run by Emperor Tachyon. People can be thrown in for slightest disobedience to his authority (and making fun of his Embarrassing First Name or stature actually warrants a death penalty), the pardons are extremely few and far between, the prison announcer mentions torture chambers and sensory deprivation tanks, the guards are numerous, sadistic, and armed to the teeth... overall, it's considered to be the worst prison in the universe.
  • Heroic Comedic Sociopath: Mr. Zurkon (From Tools and Crack) takes great delight in destroying his enemies, and will grumble and complain if there is no one on screen to kill. In Crack, he even wants to take shots at NPCs:
    Mr. Zurkon: Why can't Mr. Zurkon shoot puny Fongoids?
  • Hypocritical Humor: Ratchet pokes fun at the fact that the Lombaxes' greatest, most dangerous creation is a hat, claiming that there's no way a Lombax would create something so ridiculous. Clank then goes on to list all of Ratchet's boneheaded inventions, including electro-shock undergarments (Ratchet tries to justify that last one as "Stunderwear", claiming it to be a huge seller on Umbris).
  • Indy Ploy: Briefly in the first level.
    Clank: Ratchet, the Planetary Defence Center is 200 cubits below us. How do you propose we get down?
    Ratchet: I don't know. I'm kinda winging it right now.
  • Inexplicably Identical Individuals: The Grummels. Explained by stating that they are clones of the last Grummel.
  • It May Help You on Your Quest: The Plumber gives Ratchet and Clank a 3 3/4 Centicubit Hexagonal Washer in his singular appearance. They use it to fix the Dimensionator and escape from a collapsing alternate dimension at the end of the game.
  • Keep It Foreign: A subtle reference during the cutscene "Radioactive Amoeboids... Please Press Two". The fourth option on Captain Qwark's answering machine is for him to answer in Spanish. In the (Latin-American) Spanish dub, this is changed to Castilian (i.e., European Spanish).
  • Kick the Dog: After Emperor Tachyon reveals that the Lombaxes fled their own dimension to escape his wrath, with the hope he would spare Fastoon if they did so, he continues with this; "Only two stayed behind... The keeper of the Dimensionator... and his infant son. " *waits a moment to let to the realization sink in for Ratchet* "I took great pleasure in destroying your father, Lombax- pity he sent you to Solana before we could meet."
  • Last of His Kind: In this game, Ratchet is revealed to be the last of the Lombaxes (though see Series Continuity Error below) and Tachyon is the last of the Cragmites which, by happenstance were exterminated by the Lombaxes. All this is revealed to be false by the end of the game. Or at least true for their home universe. Later on, the Cragmites are now back in their universe.
    • A Crack in Time reveals the existence of a second Lombax, General Alister Azimuth, who has been in hiding since Tachyon defeated the Lombaxes. As of the end of the game, Ratchet is back to being the last Lombax in their home universe once more.
  • Leaning on the Fourth Wall:
    • Delivered by the Plumber; "Almost didn't recognize you boys in high def."
    • And then there's the description for the RYNO 4-Ever, which states that it is "too gameplay-destabilizing to ever be used. Ever."
  • Lightning Lash: The shock ravager, a whip of pure electricity , which upgrades to the more powerful lightning ravager.
  • Man Hug: Ratchet and Clank almost have one on Reepor before they realize that Talwyn is watching. They settle for a brofist instead.
  • Market-Based Title: In Europe, both Tools of Destruction & Quest for Booty dropped the "Future" from the title.
  • The Music Meister: The Groovitron, a miniature disco-ball shaped device that forces every NPC on the screen to dance until it runs its course. Notable in that every species/significant NPC has a unique reaction to it— you even get a skill point for targeting everything that can dance.
  • Mythology Gag
    • Several in Zordoom Prison. Listening carefully to the announcer reveals that Slim Cognito and Ace Hardlight are inmates. There's also a bit of foreshadowing in the mention of a Vorselon, Flint.
    • And then there's the absolutely massive list of questions you can ask the IRIS supercomputer, many of which are obscure trivia from earlier games only the most devoted fans will know.
    • One of the Skill Points in this game is called "Wrench Ninja 3." The last two Wrench Ninja Skill Points were back in Going Commando.
  • A Nazi by Any Other Name: Tachyon's hold over Polaris has a very fascist-like feeling. However, while the lombax genocide and the subsequent conquering of other planets is very much like how Nazi Germany tried to conquer Europe in World War II, by the time of the game, the planets under Tachyon's control have strict rules with death penalties quite common, and a cult of personality around Tachyon himself, similar to modern-day North Korea.
  • Ninja Pirate Robot Zombie: When Ratchet and Clank are being briefed by Captain Qwark on the plan to bust into Zordoom Prison, he claims that they'll have to fight some "Zombie Ninja Panda Bears", although none of them ever appear.
  • Noodle Incident: What Ratchet was thinking when he invented the Anti Matter Bathroom Buddy or electroshock undergarments, the world will never know. All Ratchet has to say for himself is that "Stunderwear" was a huge seller in Umbris.
  • No-Sell: Electricity-based weapons (the Shock Ravager, Razor Claws and Mag-Net Launcher, but strangely NOT the lightning bolts fired from the upgraded Tempest Launcher) have no effect on electrified enemies. A similar situation exists with Shielded enemies and (almost) all non-explosive weapons, but electrical attacks penetrate them.
  • Oh, Crap!: "We are so screwed..."
  • One-Steve Limit: Averted — Despite having similar names, the Cragmites of this game have nothing to do with the Kragmites introduced in The Adventures of Captain Starshield webcomic.
  • Paper-Thin Disguise: The tournament in this game is held by the antagonist, so Qwark rigged the teleporter that takes Ratchet into the arena to equip him with a disguise, said disguise being pink glasses and a pink-tinted mustache.
  • Pivotal Boss: Crushto sits in the middle of the arena and tries to shoot you, as well as use his breath to push you off of the platform.
  • Permanently Missable Content: Trying to get the "Everybody Dance Now" skill point? Good luck doing that if you miss any of the enemies on the Apogee Spade Station or Rusty Pete at the end Ublik, you'll have to go back to your last save point, if not start over. Don't forget about the penguins!
  • Prison Level: After the Zoni inform Clank of Talwyn Apogee's, Ratchet must infiltrate Zordoom Prison, located on Planet Viceron, to free Talwyn and her robots, Qwark gives them a rundown on the schematics and plan beforehand.
  • The Purge: The Reveal in the climax is that the lombaxes were subjected to genocide by Tachyon, and that the survivors used the Dimensionator to flee the universe, thinking if they're gone, Tachyon wouldn't be of a threat to the rest of the universe. They were wrong.
  • Recurring Riff: There's at least one that can be tracked through the game— in the opening cutscene all the way through the ending. note . If you're listening, you can even hear it in Quest For Booty after being shot to Hoolifar, while Ratchet's still waking up.
  • Repeated Cue, Tardy Response: Emperor Tachyon has finally gotten ahold of the Dimensionator, a device that will allow him to free the Cragmites, the imprisoned race of which he's a member. He says, "The time has come for the Cragmites to rise again!" punctuating the last word by pulling the lawnmower-like ripcord on the device. Nothing happens.
    Tachyon:...To rise again! (pulls the cord, nothing happens.)
    (Cut to the heroes looking bored)
    Tachyon: (Twitchy Eye) To rise AGAIN! (pulls the cord, portal opens)
  • Repurposed Pop Song: The Groovitron tracks (1 and 11) have been heard being used by Rite Aid and even The Daily Show.
  • A Riddle Wrapped in a Mystery Inside an Enigma: Zephyr describes the Lombax Secret as "a cipher, wrapped in an enigma, smothered in super secret sauce!"
  • Roboteching: The RYNO IV's Beam Spam kind of does this, only it looks a lot more uncontrolled. It's difficult to explain.
  • Sealed Evil in a Can: The Cragmites.
  • Sequel Hook: The end of both Tools of Destruction and (especially) Quest for Booty.
  • Series Continuity Error: This game reveals Ratchet to be the last of the Lombaxes... but in Going Commando, Angela Cross is one too. Whoops.note  Though seeing as this information is revealed by Tachyon (who is a mix of Small Name, Big Ego, Manipulative Bastard, and Unreliable Narrator), it's unclear how literal this was meant to be taken. Either way it was proven to be false with the introduction of Alister Azimuth in A Crack in Time.
  • Shout-Out: This game's shout-outs are listed on the page for the whole franchise.
  • Skyward Scream: Rusty Pete does this after Ratchet destroys Captain Slag.
  • Space Pirate: Captain Slag and his crew.
  • The Starscream: Quest for Booty reveals Captain Slag was one to Captain Darkwater. And he succeeded. And then the two end up sharing a body...
  • Sudden Downer Ending: Out of nowhere, Clank gets kidnapped by the Zoni at the end of the game for unknown reasons.
  • Take That!: Talwyn's two robot pals have the following conversation poking fun at the Xbox 360. Roughly paraphrased:
    Zephyr: "Ah, a chance to show off my superior online capabilities!"
    Cronk: "Yeah, too bad your CPU has a 43% failure rate."
  • Teleport Spam: The Cragmites. A variation, they're phasing in and out of the dimension. You can see them moving, you just can't damage them until they fully re-emerge.
  • Tempting Fate: "Qwark may be a lot of things, but I'm sure he wouldn't surrender the Dimensionator just to spare his own life."
  • Too Awesome to Use: The Alpha Disruptor. You get it for free on Sargasso, and it deals jaw dropping damage out of the starting gate, capable of killing any normal mook in one hit and able to bring down massive enemies like Leviathans in just a few shots—and further upgrades make it the most powerful weapon in the game, even moreso than the R.Y.N.O. IV. Unfortunately, its awesome power is quickly set back by three major handicaps—first, it has truly abysmal ammo (4 at first, upgradable to 5). Second, it has a very slow rate of fire without buying expensive raritanium upgrades and the weapon requires charging before firing a shot, making it difficult to hit fast moving targets with it. And third, it only fires in a straight line like a Sniper Rifle, which makes it great for hitting huge targets like bosses and leviathans, but very impractical for dealing with large, spread out crowds or individual mooks—and while it does have an auto lock on function, this makes it even harder to use against a crowd of enemies, since it can lock onto the wrong target by accident.
  • Video Game Cruelty Potential: In Tools of Destruction, if you destroy a robotic suit with a Drophyd in it, the Drophyd will fall out and kind of lay there... until it sees Ratchet, at which point it will freak and quiver with fear. You can then either hit it again or step on it to finish it off... for bolts.
  • Video Game Flamethrowers Suck: Averted with the Pyro Blaster. While its a fairly expensive weapon and starts off with a short range, it has a good ammo capacity and deals very good damage out of the starting gate. Its range, ammo and damage are quick and easy to upgrade, too.
  • Villainous Legacy: The Cragmites had an empire that terrorized the universe for a long time, until the Lombaxes imprisoned them. Their legacy lived on through Emperor Tachyon's empire. Later on, they join Big Bad Emperor Tachyon to finish what they started.
  • Villain World: Tachyon's empire covered around 80% of the Polaris Galaxy, with Meridian City as the capital of the 20% still free from his fascism.
  • Visual Pun: Toss a Groovitron at the centipede-like enemies on Cobalia, and they do The Worm.
  • Weather Report: While landing in Meridian City to stop Tachyon's genocidal attack with the newly-summoned Cragmites, Aphelion gives out the weather report when prompted (Partly cloudy, 72°F, and a good day for krill fishing).
  • Wolverine Claws: The Razor Claws weapon.

I'm feeling like (I'm feeling like)
My senses really feel it
Can't touch the sky (Can't touch the sky)
I'm gonna need it, feel it (need it, feel it)

Alternative Title(s): Ratchet And Clank Tools Of Destruction

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Wormhole

Tachyon is seemingly Hoist By His Own Petard, giving Ratchet and Clank a moment of relief, until he suddenly pulls the duo in with him.

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