They’re back — ratchetier and clankier than before — but otherwise largely unchanged. Ratchet & Clank 2: Locked and Loaded (released in the US as Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando) reunites the familiar Lombax-and-robot duo for another round of intergalactic chaos. This time, the odd couple is hired to rescue a cute and seemingly beloved laboratory pet stolen from Professor Fizzwidget. The thief is a mysterious figure clad in mask and cape, and chasing them leads you on a circular journey across the galaxy — a steady stream of addictive 3D platforming mayhem, punctuated by twisted humor and playful narrative turns.
Armed with Ratchet’s trusty wrench and an ever-expanding arsenal of guns, you smash and zap your way through hordes of enemies across thematically diverse levels. The series continues to impress with its richly detailed worlds. These environments are animated well beyond what you’d expect from the era, featuring fully realized 3D cityscapes as backdrops. Ships fly past in the distance, only for you to later discover that they aren’t mere background dressing at all — they’re fully interactive, and can even be destroyed for extra currency.
A handful of levels are devoted entirely to ship-to-ship combat in space, but most of the game unfolds on planetary surfaces. Aside from a couple of gladiatorial arenas, the overall level structure closely mirrors that of its predecessor: a central hub area branching out into multiple paths, each leading to rewards or story progression. Navigation is rarely an issue — survival, however, can be.
From a gameplay perspective, not much has changed since the first game. Insomniac Games has removed several annoyances and added a handful of welcome features, including a much larger weapon roster and light RPG-style progression. Weapons now level up simply by being used, a clever incentive to experiment rather than stick to a single favorite. Defeating enemies also grants experience toward permanent health upgrades, smoothing the difficulty curve for struggling players.
Several quality-of-life improvements further polish the experience. A dedicated strafe button and automatic pausing when opening the quick-select wheel both make combat feel more fluid and less frustrating.
Locked and Loaded maintains — and slightly elevates — the high level of polish established by its predecessor, further cementing the series as a showcase of PlayStation 2–era technical excellence. Its stylized aesthetic has aged gracefully, something made especially clear by how effortlessly the characters translate to the 2012 HD remaster I played.
Many fans consider this the high point of the franchise. Anyone starting here would likely find it difficult to go back to the original. Personally, though, the sequel feels a bit too familiar. In retrospect, I struggle to clearly distinguish the two games — the mechanics, pacing, and structure blur together. What’s missing for me is the euphoria of novelty.
In that sense, Locked and Loaded feels more like a modern expansion than a true sequel: a new story built squarely within the framework of the existing game. It introduces too few new systems to fully justify its standalone status. That said, this was very much the sequel philosophy of the early 2000s. Take a great game, sand down its rough edges, and ship a refined follow-up a year later. The upside, of course, was getting two high-quality entries in quick succession.
I do enjoy the core action-platforming slightly more this time around. The pacing is finely tuned, with faster, more challenging levels that feel less geographically stretched. On the downside, I’m less fond of the many side mechanics and gadgets. I never failed to curse the sight of the two — why does it have to be two? — different lockpicking mini-games, both demanding an absurd level of spatial awareness. Even selecting the correct gadget from the pause menu can feel like an unwelcome interruption to the adrenaline rush. I’m also disappointed to find myself disliking the Clank sections, both at his normal scale and in his oversized form.
Even so, Locked and Loaded is undeniably a strong sequel. I had plenty of dizzying fun and laughed out loud more than once. The cutscenes lean heavily into spoof-heavy science fiction, often to great effect. One standout moment has you arriving at a planet just in time to see the thief escape. Clank wonders aloud why they’re always late — only for both characters to turn and look directly at the camera, silently accusing you of spending too much time exploring.
But why wouldn’t you explore? The levels are densely packed with things to discover: mini-games, secrets, branching paths, hidden bolt stashes, and weapons to buy and upgrade. Leaving a planet rarely means you’ve exhausted it. Insomniac has poured a remarkable amount of effort into this content, and skipping it feels almost disrespectful. Some mechanics, like the tractor beam, are frustratingly underused — as if thrown in at a discount — but even so, exploration remains deeply rewarding.
Above all, Ratchet & Clank 2 solidifies the franchise’s core appeal: the joy of discovering increasingly creative ways to destroy things. The weapon upgrade system reinforces this loop perfectly. Breaking objects yields bolts, bolts buy stronger weapons, stronger weapons accelerate destruction — and the wheel keeps spinning.
It almost sounds like a twisted political statement when you spell it out like that. Don’t worry, I won’t dwell on it. Ultimately, I enjoy Ratchet & Clank in much the same way I enjoy the comfort-food spectacle of modern blockbuster franchises: it doesn’t change the course of my life, but for a while, it makes the journey a whole lot more fun.
[Screenshots from MobyGames: www.mobygames.com]
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