Unless it’s Revived, Astro Bot’s Focus on One Franchise Could Age Poorly

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Unless it's Revived, Astro Bot's Focus on One Franchise Could Age Poorly

As a seasoned gamer who’s been through countless generations of consoles, I must say that Astro Bot has truly captured my heart and rekindled my love for PlayStation. It’s like Sony listened to the whispers of nostalgia echoing from our old-school gaming rooms and brought back the magic of Super Mario Galaxy in a fresh, innovative way.

Studio Team Asobi from Sony has recently launched “Astro Bot” exclusively for PlayStation 5, leaving players amazed. This game not only revives the affection for PlayStation’s old franchises that some thought had waned in recent years, but it is also an exceptional 3D platformer on its own. Often compared to the “Super Mario Galaxy” series, “Astro Bot” has already become a must-purchase PS5 game, and many anticipate that its success might influence Sony’s handling of their legacy intellectual properties in the future.

Discussing Astro Bot at this moment can be challenging due to the recent uproar surrounding the PlayStation 5. The release of Concord was delayed shortly after its launch, the PS5 Pro was met with significant criticism, and Sony’s CFO Hiroki Totoki stated that Sony is short on original IP while Astro Bot was released promoting the opposite idea. Not only does Astro Bot showcase almost every PlayStation and PlayStation-related franchise, but it also gives a few select ones special attention – although some of these older franchises might become outdated if they don’t make a comeback soon.

Astro Bot Gives Some PlayStation Franchises A Bigger Spotlight

At the culmination of each galaxy within the game “Astro Bot”, our hero, Astro, overcomes a significant boss and saves a valuable VIP Bot. These saved Bots temporarily grant Astro their looks and abilities for the subsequent thematically fitting level. During this phase, Astro retrieves a segment of the Mothership. The Bots are introduced in the following order:

  • Spike – Ape Escape
  • Kratos – God of War
  • Nathan Drake – Uncharted
  • Kulche – LocoRoco
  • Aloy – Horizon

Apart from the games “Uncharted” and “LocoRoco”, these game bots originated from flagship series that were initially launched on PlayStation 1, 2, 3, PSP, and PS4 in reverse order. The intention seems to be a tribute to PlayStation’s past achievements. However, it may not fully capture the essence of those successes.

Ape Escape Is Astro Bot’s Odd one Out

Despite the fact that games for the PlayStation Portable or Playstation Vita were always going to be somewhat niche, Ape Escape stood out as a top choice from the PlayStation 1 era. Even though it deserved to symbolize Sony’s efforts on the PS1, Ape Escape had already lost its relevance before LocoRoco debuted in 2006. Although new games were released under the series until PlayStation Move Ape Escape in 2010 and occasional cameos followed, the last mainline title was 2005’s Ape Escape 3, marking the last time that Ape Escape truly felt like a significant first-party PlayStation franchise.

Ape Escape Has A Chance, But Not For Long

Revamping an entire level of the game Astro Bot, while keeping most of its original mechanics and style, shows that Ape Escape is still alive and kicking, but it needs to evolve if it wants to remain relevant. While dedicated fans may be passionate, their enthusiasm might not resonate with newer generations who discovered gaming after Ape Escape became a vintage game from PlayStation’s early days. The intertwining of levels between the two games in Astro Bot ensures that Ape Escape fits well, but to avoid being overshadowed, it could have benefited from being replaced by another classic Sony PS1 title like PaRappa the Rapper, Twisted Metal, or Wild Arms. To continue thriving, Ape Escape needs to prove its worth.

Where Ape Escape Should Go Next

It seems quite promising that Ape Escape might be making a comeback. Given that Astro Bot’s gameplay was an excellent platform for recreating it, the Ape Escape level appears to serve as a blueprint for a standalone game. Although fans are eager for Team Asobi to continue with the Astro Bot series, resurrecting Ape Escape feels both feasible and appealing. The PS5 could greatly benefit from more affordable single-player games, and continuing this trend with what could potentially be the best Ape Escape game ever made would be a wise move following Astro Bot.

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2024-09-18 13:33