Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus

Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus closes out a long era of the series on PlayStation 3 and was created at Insomniac Games as a smaller, more compact episode set shortly after the previous major installments of the series. The story follows the duo Ratchet and Clank as they escort a dangerous prisoner, only for their transport ship to be attacked and the pair dragged into a confrontation with a mysterious entity arriving from another dimension.

Gameplay-wise, the game stays true to the series' tried-and-tested formula – a combination of platforming action, shooting with a wide array of inventive and often comedic weapons, and light puzzle elements that make use of Clank's special abilities. Into the Nexus adds new gravity-manipulation mechanics, letting the player pass through sections with inverted or sideways gravity and requiring them to adapt both movement and weapon aiming, and it expands the weapon roster with new combinations of effects and upgrades. Compared to the larger earlier installments, the game is shorter and more linear, which the studio presented as a deliberate return to the more compact experiences of the series' early days, with an emphasis on finely tuned individual levels rather than a sprawling open world with many planets to explore.

Reviews rated the game very positively as a dignified and nostalgic send-off to the PlayStation 3 era, praising its humor, visual presentation, and the inventiveness of its weapon system; as a minor criticism, reviewers mainly noted the short playtime compared to the price of a full-priced title. Into the Nexus is still remembered fondly by fans today as one of the series' most accomplished smaller entries and as a fitting full stop on a decade of Ratchet and Clank's adventures on PlayStation consoles. Many players also appreciated its compact scope precisely because the game could be finished in a reasonable amount of time without losing momentum, something that was sometimes missing from the series' more expansive, open-ended installments, and it therefore remains a popular choice even for newcomers looking for an entry point into the world of Ratchet and Clank.