Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time first impressions

A cracking time is to be had with the new Ratchet & Clank adventure - get a glimpse of the future, now...

The intergalactic team of Ratchet and Clank make their triumphant return to PlayStation 3 after the spectacular double dose of adventure that was Tools of Destruction and Quest for Booty. Although in A Crack in Time, they seem to be one short of a duo...

It takes two

The events of Quest for Booty have left Ratchet without his little mechanical buddy - kidnapped by his old enemy, Dr Nefarious. The quest to find Clank hasn't quite left the Lombax mechanic all alone, though. He's joined by another Lombax, the mysterious General Azimuth, who has ties to their past - and possibly holds the key to their future.

Which is handy, as one of the big themes of A Crack in Time is... time. This is one adventure which spans the fifth dimension, as well as the sixth, meaning plenty of wild fun that will throw you into exciting and varied scenarios, literally time and time again.

Developer Insomniac Games is keeping its cards close to its chest regarding the time-based gameplay elements, with only a tempting teaser of sections where Clank (you didn't think he'd be missing for the whole show, did you?) has to solve puzzles with multiple versions of himself from the past - leading to some comical and head scratching scenarios.

Cracked it

Even with much of the temporal brain ticklers still under the covers, there's already plenty to get excited by in A Crack in Time thanks to a blinding blend of space combat, platform style exploration and good old fashioned weapons-based action.

A couple of the early stages have you and Azimuth running the rule through a chaotic invasion of the Vullard settlement, forcing you into action against the aggressive Agorians who are armed with some rather large and brutish means of persuasion...

One mission during the invasion has you tracking down and defeating Agorian Beast Riders in Krell Canyon with General Azimuth (who is swift and efficient in taking down his foes), before later trying your skills against flame spewing mechanical Hydra Tanks, all across a richly colourful and high quality cartoon style setting that looks like it could have come straight from a cinema screen, especially as the sights and sounds of spaceships and battles from the invasion explode around you.

Destruction has never been so varied

This is the perfect excuse to have Ratchet try out his usually impressive range of weaponry - and like the game itself they promise to be bigger, badder and better than ever before. While taking on Beast Riders and Hydra Tanks, there's a destructive selection at your disposal, with high speed ricocheting Buzz Blades, explosive rockets from the Negotiator, the frog belching Sonic Eruptor and the enemy freezing CryoMine Glove among the assortment.

Ratchet also boasts his handy Omniwrench for smashing enemies as well as other less aggressive yet just as useful handiwork, his agility enhancing Swingshot, and the speedy new Hoverboots to help perform tricks off ramps and speed around levels with extra manoeuvrability - especially handy when confronting an angry weapon wielding Agorian.

With lots more to discover in the time-jumping Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time, as well as an emotional story which promises to tug at the heartstrings, make sure you don't miss a moment by coming back to au.playstation.com as the seconds tick towards its release...