TITLE: Lost Ratchet & Clank Mobile Game Resurrected After 19 Years
A Gaming Mystery Solved
After nearly two decades of speculation and searching, a dedicated team of fans has successfully recovered and archived Ratchet & Clank: Clone Home, a canceled mobile game that had achieved mythical status among series enthusiasts. The complete, playable version represents a significant victory for game preservation and fan dedication.
The Long Search
The quest to find Clone Home gained momentum in 2019 when YouTuber The Golden Bolt highlighted the game’s mysterious disappearance in a video that sparked renewed interest. Originally scheduled for release in 2006 for Java-enabled phones, the game was quietly canceled just before launch, leaving only rumors and speculation in its wake.
As detailed in the original coverage, college students “Emily” and “Super Gamer Omega Clank” became key investigators in the search. Their breakthrough came when they located someone who had the game stored on a Sony Ericsson W880i phone, though encrypted protection initially made extraction seem impossible until a recent technical breakthrough allowed the team to safely crack the encryption and preserve the game for future generations.
Surprising Origins and Quality
Recent evidence suggests the game may have been developed not by Handheld Games as previously assumed, but by a company called JavaGround, which produced Sony’s final Java (J2ME) titles. The Golden Bolt theorizes the game might have been briefly available on mobile networks like Cingular or Sprint before being pulled, explaining how a handful of users managed to download it before its official cancellation.
Those who have played the recovered version describe it as surprisingly polished and even superior to its predecessor, Ratchet & Clank: Going Mobile. The game features eccentric elements that make it a unique addition to the series’ 17-title canon, including nonsensical plot elements, solid gameplay mechanics, the ability to play as two different Lombax characters, and the memorable “Ewezie” weapon that transforms enemies into sheep.
Preservation Triumph
The cancellation likely stemmed from potential legal disputes between Sony and Handheld Games, though the exact reasons remain speculative. Regardless of its troubled history, the recovery of Clone Home stands as a testament to fan perseverance and the importance of game preservation, ensuring this lost piece of gaming history is now accessible to all who wish to experience it.
