Developer: Insomniac Games
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform: PS3
Ratchet & Clank: Nexus – Review
Ratchet & Clank have always been a part of nostalgia brought into modern times. The duo’s extreme galactic escapades have always combined the same run’n gun platforming made famous during the ps1 and – partly because this franchise itself – ps2 era with high octane action and techniques hailing from modern animation films.
Nexus – or Into the Nexus depending on where you’re based – is no different. This might be the last R&C game on our current generation, but at the very least it paves a golden way for whatever the future may bring.
Story
Nexus starts with our heroes escorting Vendra Prog, a wanted criminal, towards space prison. As you can imagine, things go horribly wrong, in hindsight, waking up a telekinetic mastermind from cryostasis might not have have been Ratchet’s greatest idea ever.
There are some explosions, Ratchet’s vessel ends up in little bits and pieces and two of his robot friends end up dead. Reason enough for our duo to hunt down Vendra and her brother, and partner-in-crime, Neftin.
As always, there are some twists, although in this case it is a rather huge monster from another dimension called Mr. Eye who gets unleashed by the Prog-siblings;
Graphics
Nexus has brought no real graphical updates compared to the previous R&C-game, A Crack in Time. That being said, the game still looks as engaging as you’ve come to expect of the franchise.
I would like to pay some special attention to Mr. Eye, the game’s final boss, who looks absolutely stunning and terrifyingly threatening at the same time.
Sound
Nexus’ soundtrack is varied, offering spooky themes, especially during the encounters with Vendra and Mr. Eye, but also introducing more comical notes when necessary. The music manages to complement the game perfectly, without becoming too obtrusive.
The same goes for the voice-acting. Most voices will, by now, sound familiar to fans of the franchise, and Vendra and Neftin’s voices portray their characters decently enough.
Gameplay
Ratchet & Clank: Nexus is still very much a game in the spirit of the franchise. You still collect thousands of Bolts in order to buy an arsenal of over-the-top guns and gadgets than will make short work of any enemy. Fan-favourite Mr. Zurkon is back, as are some other old faithfuls. New this time around is a weapon that turns enemies into snowmen, including some mini-bosses, which makes for some hilariously oversized snow-puppets.
Guns are still upgraded by using them and they can be upgraded even further by collecting and spending crystal-like substances called Raritanium.
The run & gun-gameplay is nearly perfect. Ratchet jumps and shoots without any hiccups and at no time does the action feel anything but smooth.
One slight complaint I have are the puzzles found throughout the game. Mainly the parts where Clank enters one of many rifts, which act as portals to some sort of two-dimensional world. They are a far cry for the inventiveness found in A Crack in Time‘s riddles, ending up as nothing more than intermissions where you wiggle the right-stick around in order to control gravity.
Ratchet & Clank visit five worlds in total, each having their own scenery, ranging from poisonous swamps to abandoned cities. The best thing about each environment is how it never wears out its welcome, but still manages to introduces some slight backtracking and hidden routes, in order to grab some collectibles.
That being said, Nexus is one of the shorter games in the series, so prepare to see those credits rolling pretty early on. Unsurprising then, that this is a budget title.
A game’s length isn’t necessarily detrimental to the amount of fun to be head. And even with is shorter length, even if Nexus’ story feels more like a side-quest than one of our heroes’ true exploits, the guns are amazingly fun to toy around with. Combine them with great platforming and ideas and gadgets that never wear themselves thin, and you get the perfect counterweight to all those high-octane triple-A games that take themselves overly serious.
Conclusion
Ratchet & Clank: Nexus feels like a goodbye. True, the ending leaves plenty of room for more intergalactic adventures, but there’s a clear melancholic note throughout it all.
There’s no denying, though, that this game is still as brilliant as its predecessors, with all the same lovable characters, over-the-top weaponry and special quirks that lifted this franchise to great heights. And while Nexus may be a tad on the short side, it at least won’t leave you hanging.
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