Clank (Ratchet & Clank)
Encyclopedia
Clank is one of the titular protagonist game characters in the Ratchet & Clank
video game series by Insomniac Games
.
's adventure. Clank also has many attachments including a helipack, thrusterpack, and hydropack. He also can turn into a giant form to fight much larger enemies. He was mostly used as a character for tight spaces or areas in outer space. Throughout the series he seems to have kept a trademark laugh, which is shared by his "father", Orvus.
Clank spawned from an early idea involving a number of small robots attached to Ratchet, which would perform different functions. However, Insomniac realized that having the three robots was both complicated and created confusion about Ratchet's appearance, leading them to have only one robot, Clank. However in later games the smaller robots appeared in sections you could control Clank and they had various functions such as attacking and activating doors. It has also been shown on PlayStation Move Heroes that he has a slight rivalry with Bentley due to them having almost equal intelligence.
described David Kaye
's vocal performance as Clank in the original game as "quite engaging, and in some cases, charming, especially when he finishes a level or gains a weapon." Gavin Frankle of Allgame
found it hard to form an emotional bond with Ratchet or Clank, saying that Clank is "the stereotypical intellectual; stuffy and almost prudish to a fault". Benjamin Turner of GameSpy
, after criticizing Ratchet, cited that Clank was "the complete opposite" of Ratchet and wished that the game was named after him instead of Ratchet. Johnny Liu of Game Revolution
compared Clank to GIR of Invader Zim
and C-3PO
of the Star Wars
franchise, and analyzed him as "the straight man to Ratchet's jokes, offering clueless intellectualism to contrast Ratchet's acid-tongue humor." Clank's "awkward robot laugh" was described by Carlos McElfish of GameZone
as "impossibly cute". Jeremy Dunham of IGN said that Clank's "dry sidekick humor is in great contrast to Jak's own sidekick Daxter".
GamesRadar
listed Clank on their list of "The 25 best new characters of the decade", describing him as a "quiet, collected and effortlessly charming robot with cool powers and cooler personality". Clank was named the 5th "Best Sidekick" by IGN
, calling him "a true pal, and an obviously cool sidekick.". UGO.com listed Clank on their list of "The Cutest Video Game Characters" stating "Everyone wants a tiny robot to follow them around and do stuff for them".
Ratchet & Clank
Ratchet & Clank is a 3D platformer/shooter video game for the PlayStation 2, developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Released in 2002, it is the first game in the Ratchet & Clank series....
video game series by Insomniac Games
Insomniac Games
Insomniac Games, Inc. is an American video game developer headquartered in Burbank, California. Founded in 1994, Insomniac has released titles for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3 video game consoles. It created Disruptor, the first three Spyro the Dragon games, and the Ratchet &...
.
Character design
Co-protagonist of the series, Clank escaped from Chairman Drek's robot plant on planet Quartu—and subsequent arrival on planet Veldin—catalyzes RatchetRatchet (Ratchet & Clank)
Ratchet is the main character of the Ratchet & Clank series of video games. Ratchet is tall, 15 years old and weighs 151 lbs . In the English versions of the games, Ratchet is voiced by Mikey Kelley in the first Ratchet & Clank and by James Arnold Taylor in all the others...
's adventure. Clank also has many attachments including a helipack, thrusterpack, and hydropack. He also can turn into a giant form to fight much larger enemies. He was mostly used as a character for tight spaces or areas in outer space. Throughout the series he seems to have kept a trademark laugh, which is shared by his "father", Orvus.
Clank spawned from an early idea involving a number of small robots attached to Ratchet, which would perform different functions. However, Insomniac realized that having the three robots was both complicated and created confusion about Ratchet's appearance, leading them to have only one robot, Clank. However in later games the smaller robots appeared in sections you could control Clank and they had various functions such as attacking and activating doors. It has also been shown on PlayStation Move Heroes that he has a slight rivalry with Bentley due to them having almost equal intelligence.
Reception
Douglass C. Perry of IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
described David Kaye
David Kaye
David V. Hope , known professionally as David Kaye, is a Canadian American actor who is better recognized for his work as a voice actor...
's vocal performance as Clank in the original game as "quite engaging, and in some cases, charming, especially when he finishes a level or gains a weapon." Gavin Frankle of Allgame
Allgame
Allgame is a commercial database of information about arcade games, video games and console manufacturers.Allgame is owned by All Media Guide, along with Allmusic and Allmovie....
found it hard to form an emotional bond with Ratchet or Clank, saying that Clank is "the stereotypical intellectual; stuffy and almost prudish to a fault". Benjamin Turner of GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
, after criticizing Ratchet, cited that Clank was "the complete opposite" of Ratchet and wished that the game was named after him instead of Ratchet. Johnny Liu of Game Revolution
Game Revolution
Game Revolution or GR is a gaming website created in 1996. Based in Berkeley, California, the site includes reviews, previews, a gaming download area, cheats, and a merchandise store, as well as webcomics, screenshots, and videos...
compared Clank to GIR of Invader Zim
Invader Zim
Invader Zim is an American animated television series created by Jhonen Vasquez. It was produced by and subsequently aired on Nickelodeon. The series revolves around an extraterrestrial named Zim from the planet Irk, and his ongoing mission to conquer and destroy Earth...
and C-3PO
C-3PO
C-3PO is a robot character from the Star Wars universe who appears in both the original Star Wars films and the prequel trilogy. He is also a major character in the television show Droids, and appears frequently in the series' "Expanded Universe" of novels, comic books, and video games...
of the Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
franchise, and analyzed him as "the straight man to Ratchet's jokes, offering clueless intellectualism to contrast Ratchet's acid-tongue humor." Clank's "awkward robot laugh" was described by Carlos McElfish of GameZone
GameZone
GameZone is an American multiplatform video game website. GameZone's daily coverage includes reviews, previews, news, hints & cheats, and editorials. Additionally, GameZone offers downloads, a child-targeted website and in association with GameStop, hosts GZGameShop, an online retailer...
as "impossibly cute". Jeremy Dunham of IGN said that Clank's "dry sidekick humor is in great contrast to Jak's own sidekick Daxter".
GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
listed Clank on their list of "The 25 best new characters of the decade", describing him as a "quiet, collected and effortlessly charming robot with cool powers and cooler personality". Clank was named the 5th "Best Sidekick" by IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, calling him "a true pal, and an obviously cool sidekick.". UGO.com listed Clank on their list of "The Cutest Video Game Characters" stating "Everyone wants a tiny robot to follow them around and do stuff for them".