Ratchet & Clank: Before the Nexus is a mobile endless runner developed by Darkside Game Studios. Published by Sony Computer Entertainment America, it was released for Android and iOS on December 18, 2013, as a promotional tie-in for the PlayStation 3 title Into the Nexus.
In the game, players control Ratchet as he navigates grindrails, defeats enemies, and collects bolts to upgrade his weapons and armor. A key feature allowed players to sync their PlayStation Network account to transfer collected raritanium for weapon upgrades in Into the Nexus. The game is no longer playable on Apple devices running iOS 11 or later, as Apple dropped support for 32-bit applications.
Gameplay[]
Overview[]
Gameplay of Before the Nexus.
Before the Nexus is a 3D infinite runner where the gameplay cycle alternates between obstacle avoidance, enemy combat, and a boss fight. Using swipe and tap touchscreen controls, players guide Ratchet across three lanes, moving left and right, jumping, or gliding to dodge hazards and attacks.
During runs, players collect several items. The primary in-game currency is bolts, used for purchasing and upgrading equipment; bolts can also be purchased with real money from the in-game store in crates of 5,000 ($1.99), 13,000 ($4.99), and 30,000 ($9.99). Players also find raritanium, which can be synced with a PlayStation Network account for use in Into the Nexus, and hero bolts, which grant an extra life after being defeated. Finally, terachnoids are collectibles that unlock the powerful R.Y.N.O.m weapon once ten are rescued, with each subsequent one granting 500 bolts. All collectibles persist across runs.
Enemies[]
Enemies are reused from Tools of Destruction and A Crack in Time, with the exception of the zoom goon, which is from Into the Nexus. Ground enemies include the cerullean swarmer, tesladrone, and thermosplitter. Flying enemies like the grubsnucker, protoguard, and zoom goon, shoot lasers that hit Ratchet if he crosses the affected lane. Robotic enemies appear in cityscape sections, while organic enemies appear in areas outside the city. The zoom goon appears in both.
Gameplay of Before the Nexus.
Vendra and Neftin Prog's airship functions as a boss, behaving similarly to other aerial enemies but with a much larger health pool and a wider laser attack that covers two lanes at once. Gadgets are disabled during this encounter. If not defeated in time, the boss will retreat, making it a difficult fight without upgraded weapons. Upon defeat, the boss drops a large number of bolts and one raritanium.
Equipment[]
Gameplay of Before the Nexus.
The in-game shop sells permanent weapons, temporary gadgets, armor sets, raritanium, and bolts. Weapons and gadgets can be upgraded to v3. All weapons require ammunition, which must be purchased from the pause menu or an on-screen prompt when depleted. Ammo persists across runs and increases in cost with most weapon upgrades. The pause menu can also be used to swap weapons.
Available weapons include the default Constructo Pistol and the Buzz Blades for single-target damage, while the Constructo Shotgun and Predator Launcher provide area-of-effect damage. The R.Y.N.O.m is the most powerful weapon and cannot be upgraded.
Gadgets include returning series weapons like the Groovitron, Tornado Launcher, and Rift Inducer. Utility gadgets like the Armor Magnetizer and Bolt Multiplier assist with bolt collection, while the Reflector and Jetpack offer defensive and evasive options.
The three armor sets are based on the armors from A Crack in Time, specifically the Holoflux, Ectoflux, and Hyperflux armors. The Nexus Armor uses the Thermaflux armor's icon, however. Ratchet starts with two health points, and the armor sets increase this by one, two, or three, respectively. As the armors are the most expensive items in the shop, players may choose to save bolts for the final armor set rather than purchasing the intermediate ones.
| Category | Icon | Item | Pricing (Bolts) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| v1 | v2 | v3 | |||
| Weapons |  |
Constructo Pistol | — | 875 | 2,625 |
 |
Constructo Shotgun | 800 | 2,000 | 4,000 | |
 |
Buzz Blades | 1,125 | 2,250 | 4,500 | |
 |
Predator Launcher | 2,000 | 4,375 | 6,875 | |
 |
R.Y.N.O.m | Collect 10 terachnoids | |||
| Gadgets |  |
Armor Magnetizer | — | 750 | 1,500 |
 |
Groovitron | 562 | 1,125 | 2,250 | |
 |
Bolt Multiplier | 750 | 1,500 | 3,000 | |
 |
Reflector | 937 | 1,875 | 3,750 | |
 |
Rift Inducer | 1,125 | 2,250 | 4,500 | |
 |
Jetpack | 1,312 | 2,625 | 5,250 | |
 |
Tornado Launcher | 1,500 | 3,000 | 6,000 | |
| Armor |  |
Light Armor | 5,000 | ||
 |
Heavy Armor | 10,000 | |||
 |
Elite Armor | 15,000 | |||
| Raritanium |  |
1 Raritanium | 1,500 | ||
| 3 Raritanium | 3,500 | ||||
| 5 Raritanium | 5,000 | ||||
Gallery[]
Skill points[]
Skill points are awarded for combat, gadget use, collection, and traversal. Combat tasks include defeating multiple enemies with a single shot and eliminating bosses with particular weapons. Gadget objectives often require activating them repeatedly in a run (commonly two to four times), surviving while a defensive gadget is active, acquiring a specific number of kills in a single use, or collecting resources through their use.
Collection challenges scale from destroying crates to gathering bolts in amounts ranging from 10 to 1,250, collecting enough raritanium in a run, or scoring between 15,000 and 75,000 points. Traversal objectives involve changing rails within a limited distance, staying on one rail for long enough, or traveling distances up to 9,000 meters, sometimes with added restrictions such as avoiding bolts or damage.
Additional goals include acquiring gadgets, using Hero Bolts multiple times in a run, using the Swingshot, and freeing a terachnoid.
Achievements[]
The game includes 20 in-game achievements, which are offered for completionist purposes and provide no in-game benefit.
| Name | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Liberator | Free all ten terachnoids. |
| So Boss! | Defeat Vendra and Neftin Prog. |
| Who? | Watch the credits. |
| Groovy | Use the Groovitron five times. |
| Jet | Use the Jetpack ten times. |
| Space | Use the Rift Inducer five times. |
| Windy | Use the Tornado Launcher five times. |
| Ground Defense | Kill 200 ground enemies. |
| Air Defense | Kill 200 flying enemies. |
| Secret Weapon | Kill 50 enemies with the R.Y.N.O.m. |
| Moneybags | Spend 2,000 bolts. |
| Smasher | Destroy 1,000 crates. |
| Well Traveled | Travel 25,000 meters. |
| Rainy Day | Collect 25,000 bolts. |
| Not So Rare | Collect 20 raritanium. |
| In-Sync | Sync raritanium with a PlayStation Network account. |
| Tech | Purchase all gadgets. |
| Protected | Purchase all armor. |
| Unlockist | Fully upgrade all gadgets. |
| Well Armed | Fully upgrade all weapons. |
Plot[]
Stone Stonefield giving a Polaris News report.
The game opens with a Polaris News report from Stone Stonefield on the mysterious disappearance of terachnoid scientist Fleebar Snuttleblast in Axiom City, Terachnos. Initially believed to be at a Captain Qwark vid-comic convention, Snuttleblast was actually abducted by the twin criminals Vendra and Neftin Prog, who were also suspects in a recent theft at Pollyx Industries.
On Terachnos, Ratchet witnesses the Prog's cruiser attack the city. This initiates a pursuit across grindrails, cityscapes, and buildings. During the chase, Ratchet defeats numerous enemies and rescues several abducted terachnoids. Ultimately, Ratchet confronts and defeats the twins, capturing Vendra in the process.
Development[]
Ratchet & Clank: Before the Nexus logo.
The game was developed by Darkside Game Studios and published by Sony Computer Entertainment America on December 18, 2013. The musical score only consisted of a few tracks from Tools of Destruction, which were composed by David Bergeaud, with Brian DeLucente composing the music for the Groovitron.
Technical information[]
The iOS version required iOS 5.1 or later, was optimized for the iPhone 5, and occupied 60.6 MB of storage space. The Android version required version 2.2 or later and took up 47 MB of storage. As a 32-bit application, the game is not compatible with iOS 11 and subsequent versions.
Critical reception[]
Ratchet & Clank: Before the Nexus received mixed reviews upon release. The mobile tie-in holds a Metacritic score of 54/100, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[1] Some reviewers praised its presentation and fan appeal: for example, Modojo rated it 7/10, calling it "an enjoyable endless runner with fun visuals and plenty of stuff to collect".[2] Gamezebo (6/10) noted that it was "a typical endless running game with a couple of issues as well as a couple of smile-worthy surprises," suggesting that fans of the series might enjoy it despite its simplicity.[3] In contrast, other outlets were more critical. TouchArcade concluded, "I expected better" from the franchise's mobile outing, noting the lack of any voice acting or humor.[4] Critics generally faulted the game's shallow design and reliance on endless-runner tropes rather than the series' trademark platforming.[1]
Several reviews highlighted technical and performance issues, particularly with controls. Multiplayer.it criticized the title for "broken shooting mechanics" and touch controls that "don't work as they should".[5] Similarly, Everyeye.it described the game as hampered by "a bad control scheme" and "very poor structure".[6] Gamezebo also reported that the touchscreen controls occasionally caused Ratchet to get stuck or respond slowly during evasive maneuvers, though it noted that the graphics themselves ran smoothly.[3] No major outlet reported widespread crashes or platform-specific bugs.
Overall, critics regarded the game as visually faithful and briefly entertaining for fans, but ultimately criticized it for simplistic endless-runner gameplay and finicky controls.[1][5][6]
Citations[]
References[]
- (2013). "Ratchet & Clank: Before the Nexus for iPhone/iPad Critic Reviews". From Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 16, 2025.
- Workman, Robert (2013, December 19). "Ratchet And Clank: Before The Nexus iPad Review". From Modojo. Archived from the original on September 16, 2025.
- Oxford, Nadia (2013, December 20). "Ratchet & Clank: Before the Nexus Review". From Gamezebo. Archived from the original on September 16, 2025.
- Musgrave, Shaun (2013, December 18). "‘Ratchet & Clank: Before The Nexus’ Review – Mr. Zurkon Did Not Vote For This". From TouchArcade. Archived from the original on September 16, 2025.
- Pugliese, Tommaso (2013, December 20). "Ratchet & Clank: Before the Nexus Run & Gun". From Multiplayer.it. Archived from the original on September 16, 2025.
- Fossetti, Francesco (2013, December 20). "Recensione Ratchet & Clank: Before the Nexus". From Everyeye.it. Archived from the original on September 16, 2025.