Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus

Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus, known as Ratchet & Clank: Nexus in PAL regions (Japanese: ラチェット＆クランク INTO THE NEXUS Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus), is an upcoming game for the PlayStation 3 scheduled for release in November 2013 in a disc-based format, and also through PlayStation Store digital downloads. It has been labelled as a "traditional" Ratchet & Clank experience, longer than Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty, but shorter than Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time, and more similar to the latter as opposed to the recent multiplayer focused Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One and Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault. Into the Nexus will serve as an epilogue to the Ratchet & Clank Future saga.

Overview
Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus returns to Ratchet's personal story and acts as an epilogue to the Ratchet & Clank Future saga. The game is single-player and story driven, returning to traditional Ratchet & Clank gameplay. It is a shorter adventure then a full length release but is the longest downloadable-on-release Ratchet & Clank game, being much longer than previous short adventure Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty. The plot involves Ratchet and Clank being stranded at the edge of the galaxy after two criminals escape from a detention facility. They find an inter-dimensional event that threatens the universe and Ratchet is forced into deciding what is really important.

Every physical copy of the game will come with a download code for Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty.

Gameplay
Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus is a single-player platform adventure game. The game will feature a variety of weapons and gadgets typical to the Ratchet &amp; Clank series. It is a more traditional Ratchet & Clank game with Creative Director Brian Allgeier stating he wanted to "make Ratchet feel like Ratchet again".

Some environmental changes, such as earthquakes, effect the gameplay.

Among the gadgets included are ones compatible with one of the game's themes of gravity. Various puzzles will include zero-g space using gadgets to navigate the area. Clank puzzles will also involve gravity and will allow the player to control Clank in different ways to complete areas known as Netherverses which are 2D platforming based action puzzles, in addition to his use to Ratchet's moves with his Heli-Pack.

The game will feature travelling between planets and exploring the darkness of space. There is significant freedom allowing the player to travel between planets and chose paths or even explore open areas. Some sections are optional while others can be explored in whatever order the player chooses.

Skill points, cheats and gold bolts are included in Into the Nexus as is the game mechanic of collecting bolts to purchase weapons. Raritanium is collected to upgrade weapons in addition to experience gained when using each weapon.

Previous Ratchet & Clank games
Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus includes elements from previous Ratchet & Clank games such as arena combat and upgradable armor. GrummelNet weapon vendors include a firing range allowing weapons to be tried before purchase, similar to the VR deck in Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal. Into the Nexus has a focus on replay value, including Challenge mode.

The control system is similar to the one used in Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault.

There will also be an area similar to the Insomniac Museum.

Trophies
The game will include PlayStation trophies and will have a platinum trophy.

Difficulty
Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus has three difficulty settings: Cadet, Hero and Legend. There is also a challenge mode.

Insomniac Games Tweets
On July 9, 2013 mysterious Tweets appeared on Insomniac Games referencing Thugs-4-Less. The first Tweet was a link to the Ratchet & Clank wiki's Thugs-4-Less Henchman article. Shortly after a link to a Thugs-4-Less Prison clip from Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando was Tweeted. Later that day two more related Tweets were made. The first asked who Thugs-4-Less' next employer would be, with another link to a YouTube clip from Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando. The second used the hashtag "#THUGLIFE" and an image of a Thugs-4-Less Henchman. The PlayStation official Twitter page Tweeted an image to Insomniac Games on July 10, 2013 with the text "When Worlds Collide Heroes Return". Insomniac Games then posted the image stating there would be big news on July 11, 2013.

Announcement trailer
On July 11, 2013 Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus was announced and a trailer was released. thumb|left|Announcement trailer.

Production
The game will be released on November 12, 2013, and November 20, 2013 for PAL regions, on the PlayStation 3 in both disc-based formats and also digitally through the PlayStation Store.

Gameplay development
During early development a prototype level was created to ensure the game felt as it should for a traditional Ratchet & Clank game. One of the game's key themes is gravity with various puzzles and gadgets based around the use of gravity.

While developing the game inspiration for many of the gameplay features were taken from previous games in the series. The developers played through many of the previous games and took inspiration to bring back many favorite featured and also to tweak the game engine.

The 2D sections using Clank were inspired by a concept of turning Clank into a shadow. Insomniac Games' creative director Brian Allgeier used a projector to demonstrate Clank changing gravity. This eventually developed into the 2D Netherverses with gravity changing mechanics.

The game uses Insomniac Games' newest PlayStation 3 engine.

Plot development
The plot maintains the Ratchet & Clank series' expected humor but also has a scarier direction while exploring the darkness of space. It continues Ratchet's personal story-arc and acts as an epilogue to the Ratchet & Clank Future saga. Into the Nexus was written by TJ Fixman. The villain's connection in finding their species is a key part of the plot in Into the Nexus and it follows previous Ratchet & Clank games in connecting Ratchet with the villains. The plot is also about Ratchet coming to terms with his decisions in Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time.

Title
The title shares some similarities with a cancelled project from 2006 titled Ratchet & Clank: NEXUS but no other similarities with the project are present. A working title for Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus was Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nether Regions referencing both the exploration of the darkness of space and acting as an innuendo common to the Ratchet & Clank series.

PlayStation Vita
A PlayStation Vita version is possible but Insomniac Games are being cautious after previous problems in developing the Vita version of Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault. On July 19, 2013 Amazon France listed Ratchet & Clank Nexus on PlayStation Vita for release November 4, 2013. It was removed shortly after.

Soundtrack
The composer for Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus is Michael Bross who also composed the music used in the announcement trailer. The music is orchestral with spooky elements to go with the theme of some haunted areas.

Voice cast

 * Ratchet - James Arnold Taylor
 * Clank - David Kaye
 * Qwark - Jim Ward
 * Cronk - Daniel Hagen
 * Zephyr - Paul Eiding
 * Talwyn - Ali Hillis
 * Plumber/Smuggler - Jess Harnell
 * Vendra Prog - Nika Futterman
 * Neftin Prog - Fred Tatasciore
 * Dave B. Mitchell

Plot
Ratchet and Clank were escorting the dangerous criminal Vendra Prog to the Vartax Detention Center. After Vendra's twin brother Neftin Prog attempted a jailbreak where they both escaped, Ratchet and Clank were stranded in an abandoned sector at the edge of the galaxy. Ratchet and Clank arrived at the planet Yerek intending to track down Vendra and Neftin.

On Yerek they found several abandoned cities that were seemingly haunted. Eventually they find that it is the Nethers escaping into their dimension through Nether Rifts. In tracking down Neftin and Vendra, Ratchet and Clank received help from Pollyx who had been kidnapped. Thugs-4-Less were protecting Neftin and Vendra Prog and Ratchet and Clank also received assistance from Talwyn Apogee as they infiltrated the Thugs-4-Less outpost.

They eventually found an inter-dimensional event that threatened the universe and Ratchet was forced into deciding what was really important.

Characters

 * Apogee, Talwyn
 * Battery Bot
 * Clank
 * Cronk
 * The Plumber
 * Pollyx
 * Prog, Neftin
 * Prog, Vendra
 * Qwark, Copernicus Leslie
 * Ratchet
 * Smuggler
 * Tachyon, Percival
 * Zephyr

Weapons

 * Fusion Grenade
 * Mr. Zurkon
 * Nether Blades
 * Nightmare Box
 * Omniblaster → Dual Omniblasters
 * Omniweapons
 * OmniWrench
 * Temporal Repulsor → Quantum Repulsor
 * Turret
 * Vortex Grenade
 * Warmonger
 * Winterizer

Gadgets

 * Grav-Tether
 * Gravity Boots
 * Hoverboots
 * Rift Cracker
 * Swingshot

Armor

 * Pyronox Armor

Vehicles

 * Aphelion
 * Nebulox Seven Prison Ship

Other technology

 * Bolt crank
 * Cryosleep
 * Heli-Pack
 * Mag-surface
 * Nanotech
 * Spotlight
 * GrummelNet vendor

Species

 * Lombax
 * Markazian
 * Nethers
 * Serathoid
 * Terachnoid
 * Teratrope
 * Thug

Planets

 * Kragg
 * Yerek

Galaxies and sectors

 * Polaris
 * Cerullean Sector
 * Zarkov Sector

Dimensions

 * Ratchet's dimension
 * Nether Dimension

Other locations

 * Vartax Detention Center

Yerek

 * Azeril Caverns
 * Meero City Center
 * Meero Orphanage
 * Meero Ruins
 * Thugs-4-Less outpost

Organizations

 * Thugs-4-Less

Events

 * Destructapalooza

Currency

 * Bolts
 * Gold bolt
 * Raritanium ore
 * Raritanium

Crates

 * Ammo crate
 * Crate
 * Explosive crate
 * Nanotech crate

Astronomical objects

 * Asteroid