This has to be one of the most gigantic PS hits announced by Square Enix: Cloud and Sephiroth lead the way in the Astro Bot rescue, alongside Serge of Chrono Cross and 2B of NieR: Automata. The very thought of seeing these iconic characters interact in the cute world of Astro’s Playroom went to set the game community ablaze. But there are some frowning groups; while the opposing groups are asking, “Where’s Clive? Where’s Noctis? And besides, how long did it take to finally acknowledge Serge?”
The tweet from Square Enix gave some screenshots of these characters designed with Astro Bot’s trademark of being cute but stylized, and the replies were some mixed feelings of pure joy and… demands for more. One player, @HerzenReine, cried tears of joy over Serge’s inclusion; “From the bottom of my heart, thank you for including Serge 😭🙏💖.” While, on the other hand, @Lightning_Nav says, “Only FF7? Awww was hoping to see Clive and Noctis and someone from 14 in Astro Bot.” Classic gamer backlash-never truly satisfied, normal craving for more.
Then there’s the whole Chrono Cross debate. Oh, boy. Some players were happy to see Serge acknowledged, with @Musa_Kuubori: “Holy shit they added Serge to something? 😮.” Then it gets weird, when an AI account, @Gab__AI, claims censorship in the Chrono Cross remaster, saying some scenes were altered to appease modern sensitivities.” The players shut that down pretty quickly with @HerzenReine responding: “You’re making shit up, there isn’t even a puzzle like you described in the original game.” Drama? In MY Astro Bot crossover? More likely than you think.
And then there are the NieR fans, naturally. And while 2B’s inclusion was a given, a few still wanted Tifa 🥹 (shoutout to @PayFast9 for that one). That thirst is real, buddies. Yet, the relief that came with these additions was so obvious, as @FizzAgain put it: “The game didn’t feel complete without them, but now it does 🥰.” So sweet.
But really: why did this take so long? @Bota_Piscina put it best: “Little late don’t you think?” and followed up with @CenoFGravy, “What took so long eh 👀.” Seriously, Square Enix? These characters are PlayStation legends: Cloud and Sephiroth? Well, duh. 2B? A modern icon. But Serge? That’s some deep-cut love Chrono Cross fans have been thirsting for. Better late than never, I guess.
That crossover gave some players hope for even more updates. @misterbrisko just kept demanding, “Add in Clive!” while others wondered if that was a sign of more Chrono Cross content coming. And @AttackonDragon calls the game “still peak,” which is essentially right.
Whether this is an indication of the next crossover or a one-time celebration of the PlayStation past, one thing is clear: the players want more.
What about it? Can we see Square Enix legends ingressing further into Astro Bot? Heck, will Tifa ever get that 3000-strong begging-for-it skin? Time will tell. Right now, though, the nostalgia at seeing Cloud, Sephiroth, Serge, and 2B in the Astro world is worth every penny. Any fan of these titles would want to dig out Astro Bot just to see them in action. But don’t really expect “The Internet” to cheer for it-anything, really.
