Nestled within Sony Interactive Entertainment’s prestigious catalog of first-party developed video games lies a now dormant series that had previously proven itself across several installments to be not only a breeding pool for innovation, but an absolute joy to play. This illustrious series shocked the gaming landscape with its compelling use of the brand new PlayStation DualShock Controller’s dual analog sticks; the left stick being used for precise character movement while the right stick provided dynamic control of the protagonist’s eclectic arsenal of tools. With each mainline installment iterating and raising the stakes drastically compared to its direct predecessor, the series underwent rapid evolution, as well as experimentation via several spinoffs, until ripening to perfection with its third and final mainline entry. I am speaking, of course, of Ape Escape.
Although the Ape Escape series has seen its fair share of remasters/ports added to the PlayStation Plus platform, with the notable exclusion of the exquisite Ape Escape 3, as well as a couple of recent cameos in Astro Bot and Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, we have received no indication that a proper new entry is anywhere on the horizon. With the overwhelming success of the aforementioned Astro Bot, you would think that a fresh, similarly joyous Ape Escape entry would be a no-brainer from Sony, so why is the series currently being left out to soak in the rain?
The most likely answer is simply that Sony feels the Ape Escape series has already fulfilled its purpose, with no meaningful further innovations to be made. It could also be that Astro Bot, yet again, is in many ways an Ape Escape spiritual successor which would make any new entry in the monkey-capturing series redundant. My personal take, however, is that Sony doesn’t believe that a majority of today’s gamers would be accepting of Ape Escape‘s unique control scheme.
It can be easy to forget that a time existed not long ago where a majority of 3D video games did not utilize the right control stick to manage and manipulate the in-game camera as has become the industry standard today. In the PS1 and PS2 eras, it was much more common for games to either utilize fixed camera angles, have the camera adjust itself automatically depending on the movements of the player, or to have a button dedicated to refocusing the camera in the direction that the player’s character is facing. Ape Escape as a series utilizes that latter approach which vitally allows the right control stick to be used entirely for free range motion of the various tools in the game: nets, bats, slingshots, boomerangs, remote-controlled cars, you name it. A majority of the fun in these games revolves around being able to move your character while freely controlling the exact movements of your tools; corralling monkeys with the RC car while moving in closer with your character is an absolute blast, trust me.
If Sony were to attempt a new entry without maintaining the original control scheme, it would frankly not feel like an Ape Escape game. I believe that Sony has acknowledged this while also having the realization that a majority of modern gamers would not be comfortable with this method of control and would likely criticize the game heavily for this outdated control scheme; hence, the series has remained shelved. This is, of course, just my own theory. I would personally love to be proven wrong and shown that an alternate and more modern control scheme can still capture the magic of Ape Escape. I would also welcome a new entry featuring alternate control methods, with both classic and modern configurations available.
What do you think? Would you be accepting of a new Ape Escape game that didn’t have the tools controlled by the right control stick? Would you prefer that the camera be moved there instead? Why do you believe the series has remained dormant for so long? Please share your thoughts with us on our Boss Rush Facebook Group or our Boss Rush Discord.
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