Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus (known as Ratchet & Clank: Nexus in PAL regions) is a 2013 platform video game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the eighth main installment in the Ratchet & Clank series and the fourth and final installment in its Future Saga. The series is noted for the inclusion of exotic and unique locations and over-the-top gadgets, elements of the traditional Ratchet & Clank experience that return in this game.
Into the Nexus received generally positive reception upon release, although lower than previous games in the Future series, with reviewers praising its graphics, gameplay, controls, and humor, but criticizing its story and short length. The next release in the series, a reimagining of the first installment, was released for the PlayStation 4 in April 2016, while a proper sequel, titled Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, was released for the PlayStation 5 in June 2021.
Gameplay
The gameplay is similar to other games in the Ratchet & Clank series but more focused on gravity. The game features new weapons and gadgets as well as some returning ones, including the Fusion Grenade and The Warmonger. The game introduces weapons including the Winterizer, which creates a tornado that freezes enemies and turns them into snowmen; The OmniBlaster, a fast, short-range weapon, and; a Nightmare Box, a device that scares enemies, usually in forms of clowns, an eye or a pirate leaving Ratchet all sorts of weapons to eliminate them. Skill Points, Cheats and Gold Bolts make their return. Gadgets include The Repulsor, which suspends enemies in mid-air. Gravity is a vital entity, as it is used to travel to hard to reach places. Clank participates in 2D sections referred to The Netherverses which are mind bending puzzles, where Clank must navigate a treacherous maze while a Nether follows him. The main goal is for the Nether to reach the other side of the rift through the protagonist Ratchet's dimension.
Characters such as Zephyr, Cronk, Talwyn, Captain Qwark and The Plumber return, as well as the army of enemies called Thugs-4-Less. The Intergalactic Arena (named later as Destructapalooza) also returns. Raritanium is used to upgrade weapons. The game has three difficulty settings: Cadet, Hero and Legend. A Challenge Mode is available.
Plot
Some time after the events of Full Frontal Assault, Ratchet and Clank (having joined the Polaris Defense Force), along with Cronk and Zephyr, are assigned to escort criminal Vendra Prog to a remote prison to serve her life sentence, aboard the ship Nebulox Seven. While Vendra is being prepped for the handoff, she uses her psychic powers to disable the ship's power, putting the crew's survival at risk. Although Ratchet manages to fix the damage, a small army of Thugs-4-Less mercenaries led by Vendra's twin brother Neftin attack the ship and rescue her. The mercenaries blow up the Nebulox with explosives, killing Cronk and Zephyr. Ratchet and Clank escape and manage to stow away on one of their ships headed towards planet Yerek in the Zarkov Sector.
Upon landing, Ratchet informs his superior Talwyn Apogee of the situation and is urged to return. Instead, he and Clank set out to investigate the Prog siblings' activities on Yerek. They meet Pollyx, a Terachnoid scientist who once worked for their old enemy Dr. Nefarious. Pollyx reveals that the Progs kidnapped him for his research on the "Netherverse", an alternate world inhabited by a race of demonic entities known as the Nethers.
While exploring the Meero Orphanage, where the Progs lived as children, the duo come across Vendra communicating with the leader of the Nethers, a creature she calls "Mr. Eye". After being discovered, they are saved by the timely intervention of Captain Qwark, who provides them with their old ship, Aphelion. With Qwark monitoring the Progs from space, Ratchet and Clank fly to planet Kragg to compete in Destructapalooza, a tournament organized by Neftin's mercenaries, winning a jetpack upgrade for Clank.
They then head to Weeblesnog City, the capital city of planet Silox, where the Progs are experimenting with a device resembling the Dimensionator. The duo confronts and defeat Neftin, but Vendra manages to open a portal to the Netherverse, allowing Mr. Eye and his soldiers to enter the real world. Revealing his manipulation of Vendra, Mr. Eye has her cast into the Netherverse. Ratchet and Clank escape and make contact with Neftin, who instructs them to travel to his hideout on planet Thram.