Secret Agent Clank is another Ratchet game that follows the same formula, but with some added elements in the mix.
Story 8/10
The story is nice, humorous, unpredictable and very predictable at times, but it works really smoothly, with all the plot twists and mysteries and such.
Gameplay 8/10
Secret Agent Clank follows the same formula of a Ratchet game and from the very beginning, you might get the feeling of "Hey, this feels just like that time when I *insert a scene from an earlier Ratchet game here*". But it just comes to show that using the same gameplay style over and over and over doesn't always make it boring and old. Although we have a bit more than just running and gunning here. As the name suggests, youre a secret agent, which means that avoiding a fight might sometimes be useful. If you sneak behind an enemy and enter a certain combo of buttons, you can knock the enemy out in a single blow. Then we have a bit more advanced close combat fighting style than in the earlier Ratchet games. You can upgrade and add more moves to your combos. Sometimes the close combat fighting does feel a bit useless and clumsy, but it is a nice feature. And besides playing as Clank, you also get to play as Ratchet, Captain Qwark and even the Gadgebots on some levels. Ratchet levels are exactly like those arena battles we play in the earlier Ratchet games. Qwark's levels vary from fighting against a super blackjack dealer, to opera performancing. In the Gadgebot levels, you control 3 Gadgebots, use them to solve puzzles and usually end up saving Clank. And finally, we have these rhythm sections in some levels, where you have to listen to the beat and press buttons in order to advance. Some of them are brutally difficult and just plain unfair, which drags the score down just a little bit. And when you get to the Challenge mode after you beat the game, it's this time really a Challenge mode. All the enemies will get a lot more aggressive and sturdy, ultimately killing you in about 2 hits. But it's nice to have a real challenge in a Ratchet game.
Music 7/10
The music in this game is good, gives you the sneaking agent feeling. But unfortunately, many of the tracks sound a bit of the same, and aren't really memorable. I would've given a 6/10 to the music, but then I remembered Qwark's opera. I recommend you to go listen it somewhere, it's pure genius.
Graphics 7/10
Let me put this short. Theyre good, but could've been a lot better.
So I'm giving it an 8/10. I do recommend you to purchase this game if you see it anywhere. If you however are not really into the usual Ratchet & Clank genre, then this may not be for you. But it is a great game. Let me end this review with an overview of the pros and the cons.
+Familiar gameplay
+New features to the gameplay
+Multiple playable characters
+Qwark's opera
-Brutally difficult at times
-Pretty short
-Repetitive music