Last on our list of PlayStation gems to go back to is the Ape Escape series. The first two games and the Academy and On the Loose spin-offs are all playable on your PS5. If you’re too young to have played the PlayStation classics and were wondering what the first tribute level in Astro Bot was all about, it was an elaborate reference to these platformers. The series has been on ice since 2010, so it’s nice to see Sony at least acknowledge it in Astro Bot.
Looking back at a lot of these games is bittersweet given the state of PlayStation’s first-party games right now. The PS5 has been mostly defined by carnage for PlayStation Studios between cancelations and studio closures, so looking back at some of the more experimental and original games the company used to bring out feels bad. You, too can get nostalgic about what once was by looking at all those characters in Astro Bot, I guess.
