Astro Bot, Nostalgia, And When It’s Time To Let Go.

This article was originally posted on my Substack in September 2024 after Astro Bot launched. I'm bringing it over ahead of Metal Gear Solid Delta's release date. As such, some of the copy may be outdated when talking about dates and upcoming releases.

Astro Bot is a fantastic wee platformer, eh? It’s rare that I blast through a game (outside of the review crunch) like I had with this, but from start to finish I had a wonderful time with it. Like Astro’s Playroom before it, meeting up with little versions of that robot who happen to be dressed up as all manner of legends from the history of PlayStation’s 30-year run is of course a core part of the experience – even more so this time. 

Despite being a genuine show of love from Team Asobi to these series’ that I absolutely adored, at the time it was also a sad reminder of how varied Sony’s lineup used to be before the AAA blockbuster formula became the go-to PlayStation game. While seeing the likes of Ape Escape, Locoroco, and Gravity Rush paid tribute to is nice, it comes with the reminder that PlayStation isn’t interested in using them in a meaningful way again.  

It’s been four years since then, and in the time since Sony Interactive Entertainment shut down Japan Studio, the studio responsible for a lot of the playful IP that had been fostered over the years – including Astro Bot. At the time, it felt like an admission from Sony that it truly had no intention of returning to these smaller experiences when the big-budget cinematic blockbusters were doing so well for the company and outside of Astro, it looks like that is still the case. So with that in the rear-view this time around, the highs were higher, but the realisation was even worse. 

I’m not immune to nostalgia; the second level immediately greeting me with Metal Gear Solid bots had me giddy; the levels using PlayStation iconography is a lovely touch; and the final boss that paid tribute to all five eras was a nice trip. Hell, the best part of the game for me was getting to the end of world four expecting to get a Horizon Zero Dawn level only to be faced with Locoroco of all things (Horizon came after, which makes sense because those games are popular despite themselves).

But then again, I can’t deny that the likes of God of War, Uncharted, and other cinematic-focused titles of their ilk are good games, and that they are absolutely more popular than Ape Escape ever was. And while I think a team under Sony fostering creativity with new, smaller experiences that sometimes will hit (like Astro Bot) and sometimes won’t (hey Puppeteer) would be the perfect middle ground, it’s clear that’s not where the company wants to go. 

But then comes the other side of the coin when it comes to nostalgia. How do you let go of it? For almost 10 years I’ve had to come to grips with the fact that my favourite thing (be it film, album, book, etc.) ever made, the Metal Gear Solid series, is just finished. Metal Gear Solid 5 is the end. And while the announcement of the greatest game ever made, Metal Gear Solid 3 getting a remake did undeniably pop me, it elicits a similar feeling that Astro Bot does. It’s nice to see you again, but are you going to stick around?

Since then Hideo Kojima has gone on to create Death Stranding, which is an excellent and bold game that – despite some glaring issues – is such a breath of fresh air in the AAA game space by just doing what it wanted to do. Death Stranding 2 looks great, the idea of OD sounds interesting, and Kojima announced earlier this year that he’ll do Physint – a new action-espionage game – of course has me keen. But, when I think about it further, I know all too well that I would give it all away to have him come back for one last Metal Gear Solid. 

After all, how do you truly accept that something so important to you is just gone? I’ve been excited for games since Metal Gear Solid V came out, but not like that. I couldn’t go one day without thinking about The Phantom Pain between that GDC 2013 trailer and September 1, 2015; it really kept me going throughout that time. But the second that date hit, that was it; it was done. 

But another part of the Astro Bot thing is that sometimes you just don’t know, and that might be worse than the Metal Gear Solid problem. I don’t know if anyone realised at the time there wouldn’t be another Jak and Daxter, a new Siren, or fourth Patapon. Years go by; when will Parappa the Rapper rear his head again? My favourite band: Ween just cancelled their remaining tour dates abruptly including a massive anniversary show, will they come back? WIll I ever get to see them live?

The announcement of Devil May Cry 5 arrived 10 years after Devil May Cry 4 was released, and while we had the rough remake during that time, there was a bunch of uncertainty that it would ever come back in the form we wanted. But this week, following the likes of Hiroyuki Kobayashi, Ryosuke Yoshida, and Ryota Suzuki, series producer Hideaki Itsuno is the latest member of the Devil May Cry team to leave Capcom following Devil May Cry 5. And while the game sold well enough that I should probably expect a new one to come, I’m now hit with that uncertainty that the person who pushed this series from its second entry onwards. 

But why is that such a big deal? Devil May Cry 5 is one of the finest action games ever made and would be a more than suitable swan song for the series. Which brings me back to Astro Bot’s cameos and Metal Gear Solid’s ending: when is it time to say goodbye to something? I suppose there is an element of how something finishes that plays into it. Metal Gear went out unfinished; Devil May Cry just came back showing it had a lot left in the tank. On the opposite end I’m content with Dark Souls never coming back; the same goes for No More Heroes.

But then again, we don’t all get perfect endings, for every Breaking Bad, there’s about ten shows that went out like My Name Is Earl or Mindhunter. Obviously, the fact that they happened in the first place, and that I can always go back and play Ape Escape 3 again does give me some solace, of course. The same goes for the fact that Indie creators and smaller games will always be there to show love to those departed series’ like Wario Land with the likes of Pizza Tower. But what I wouldn’t give for a new Ape Escape game that I haven’t experienced yet. 

I think what I’m trying to say is that I really miss Metal Gear Solid.