Ratchet & Clank - Episode 9: Thrust into Action

In today's episode of the "Ratchet & Clank" playthrough, we make our way through Pokitaru, where we obtain the thruster-pack, as well as the O2 mask after shooting down some ships. As I've mentioned throughout the playthrough, one thing that I like about this game is that there's every weapon has at least one moment where it gets to shine. For example, while the suck cannon, which we obtained towards the start of the adventure, is pretty much outclassed for most of the game, it thrives on Pokitaru since it can suck up those pufferfish enemies, which take two hits with your wrench to kill, are surprisingly fast, and appear in sizable swarms. Though when dealing with the pufferfish on the vehicle portions, it's best to just stick with the pyrocitor (or the bomb glove if you can get on top of the vehicle's windshield). And while on the topic of weapons, Pokitaru's where you're able to buy one of the most powerful weapons in the game: the visibomb gun. Essentially, this weapon operates like the cruise bubble from "Battle for Bikini Bottom" in that you can launch a missile that you can control and deals heavy damage to enemies. However, unlike the cruise bubble, which has a time limit, you can control the visibomb's projectile for as long as you want, so long as it remains doesn't go out of range, which isn't saying much since that range is very generous. As such, as long as an enemy's present in the level, the visibomb can defeat them with ease. However, there are a couple of drawbacks to the visibomb. For one thing, as you can probably guess, if you get hit while controlling the missile, the attack is canceled. So suffice to say, the visibomb's the last weapon you want to use in an active fight. In addition, visibomb ammo isn't cheap, with it costing you a whopping 2,000 bolts if you restock all 20 ammo from the shop. Thankfully, visibomb ammo can be found in ammo crates, so that price tag isn't a death sentence, but it does mean that you just can't spam the visibomb. On a different subject, in order to progress the game, you'll need to buy the thruster-pack, which at first looks like an outright upgrade to the heli-pack, but functions quite differently. Firstly, while the heli-pack and thruster-pack have the same basic functions- a high jump, a long jump, and the ability to glide- these functions are done at different speeds, with the former performing them more slowly, the most notable of which is the high jump, which has a brief pause halfway into Ratchet's ascent. As a result, for areas with a greater focus on platforming, it's arguably better to use the heli-pack since it's easier to position Ratchet. Next, there's the function's that are exclusive to the thruster-pack- specifically, the air dash and the strafe. For the former, it's essentially operates like the long jump, but in the air, and as for the latter, it's a clunkier version of the strafing mechanic that's been present in every game after this one. While the thruster-pack also has a ground pound move, which is the reason why you're required to purchase it in the first place, it's pretty much negatable since it's only needed in a very small handful of situations. So with that said, for situations where you're looking to be more precise with your platforming (or you just prefer how it moves), the heli-pack is your best option, but if you want to move around quickly or have more control when on the ground, then the thruster-pack has the advantage.