As a major first-party PS5 exclusive for 2024,Astro Bothad a lot of heavy lifting to do in terms of carrying the torch for the platform’s success. Thankfully,Astro Bothas proven to be well worth the wait, continuing whatAstro’s Playroomstarted by delivering a loving tribute to the history of the PlayStation and the platforming genre as a whole. One ofAstro Bot’s great selling points is its veritable treasure trove of references calling back to characters and environments from across the history of Sony’s first-party franchises, with one specific level making a strong case for the return of a franchise that’s been dormant for over a decade:Ape Escape.
Initially making its debut on the PS1 in the summer of 1999,Ape Escapewould go on to become one of Sony’s flagship franchises and a well-respected game within the platforming genre. Additionally, the initialApe Escapeended up serving as a “proof of concept” of sorts for the Sony DualShock, showcasing how essential the PS1’s new controller would be in future games much in the same way thatAstro Botdoes forthe PS5’s DualSense. More than just a passing reference,Astro Bot’s “Apes On The Loose” level contains a perfect slice of classicApe Escapegameplay, and it’s high time that the series makes a return.
Astro Bot’s Ape Escape Segment Captures What Made the Series Special
With bothAstro BotandApe Escapebeing first-party Sony platformers, a reference was practically a guarantee, butAstro Botgoes a step further to include an entire level that perfectly encapsulates what madeApe Escapespecial in the first place. The PlayStation was home to several great first and third-party 3D platformers,Crash BandicootandSpyro the Dragonamong them, butApe Escapewas something different entirely. More than just a platformer,Ape Escapewas a compelling mix of platformer and stealth, mixing as manyelements ofMetal Gear Solidinto its gameplay as it borrowed from Nintendo’sSuper Mario 64playbook.
Rather than simply shoehorn a reference to the series into a level and call it a day,Astro Bot’s “Apes On The Loose” levelshifts the gameplay a bit to almost become the first newApe Escapegame in nearly 15 years, albeit for one brief moment. Players need to sneak, break line of sight with the apes, use the environment to their advantage, and several other gameplay tricks they would have had to utilize when playing the original trilogy ofApe Escapegames, and that brilliant blend of stealth and platforming is a formula that proves to still hold up in a modern context. That the level caps off with a sort of mini-boss battle against Spectre is just the icing on the cake.
Astro Bot Primes Ape Escape For a Triumphant Return
While otherPS1-era platformershave gotten revivals in the form of remastered series collections or even brand-new numbered entries in their franchises,Ape Escapehas mysteriously been dormant since 2010. Even then, the lastApe Escapegame,Ape Escape Move, isn’t even a mainline entry in the franchise, with the final numberedApe Escapegame arriving on the PS2 way back in 2005. It’s been nearly 20 years since the release ofApe Escape 3, and ifAstro Botproves anything, it’s that the PlayStation is overdue for anApe Escape 4at some point in the near future.
Thesuccess ofAstro Botand its near-universal acclaim illustrates the poignancy that the platforming genre still holds in the medium. As one of the oldest and most important genres in gaming, platformers tap into a sense of fun and joy that lies central to why many players enjoy video games in the first place.Ape Escapecontinues to be looked back on as the greatest 3D platformer on the PlayStation by many, and the small slice of its gameplay players get to experience inAstro Bot, combined with the franchise’s unceremonious absence across multiple console generations, make it primed for a return.
