Ratchet & Clank’s latest adventure begins when the duo is approached by a young girl named Luna who is doing a report on the two heroes for school. Never one to let publicity pass him by, Ratchet agrees to show Luna some of his moves. However, Ratchet’s exhibition is cut short when Luna is kidnapped. The only clue the two have to go on is a piece of technology built by the Technomites, a mythical group of tiny beings who, according to legend, are the reason technology works in the first place.
Size Matters is every bit a Ratchet & Clank adventure. Gameplay goes back to the style seen in the second and third installments rather than the fourth, Deadlocked. Most of the game revolves around using gadgets to overcome obstacles and blast enemies. While there is a considerable amount of platform jumping present, a majority of the action involves shooting waves of enemies. This helps to up the game’s pacing as well as giving you loads of opportunity to upgrade your weapons.
Gadgets and weapons have always been the series’ stand-out element, and Size Matters doesn’t disappoint. Most of the weapons found in the game are either new to the series or remakes of past weapons. These range from normal blasters and shotguns to more eccentric weapons like a beehive mine and acid-splattering grenades. All of the weapons can be upgraded either though use or by purchasing upgrade mods.
While most of your time is spent playing as Ratchet, Size Matters also boasts a number of other gameplay styles when playing as his sidekick, Clank. Although the spherical planet levels don’t appear in the PSP game, Clank can still transform into his giant form and take part in Starfox-styled shooter levels. Clank can also control smaller robots in order to solve puzzles, or attach himself to a “battle body” and participate in matches that resemble high school robot battles.
True to the series, several side-jobs are found on each planet, allowing you to collect a few more bolts as well as extra gadgets and upgrades. A majority of the side-jobs involve Clank as he either fights in the robot arena in robot battles or a toss the robot into the goal game. Also available is a Lemmings-like game where you need to order a certain number of robots to perform duties in order to reach the goal. Ratchet can participate in hoverboard races, though these were among my least favorite parts of the game thanks to iffy controls.
Size Matters also reintroduces armor to the series, though in a different form. Armor parts are found either in levels or by completing certain challenges. You can mix-and-match armor pieces for different damage reduction bonuses.
The single-player campaign offers more than enough game for your buck, but High Impact has taken things a step further by also offering multiplayer modes. Multiplayer matches can be played either over Ad Hoc or Infrastructure mode. In addition to standard Deathmatch and Capture the Flag modes, Size Matters also offers two team-based challenges that have you planning strategic strikes on bases with missiles or collecting cattle.
