Every level has a set of hidden bots that Astro needs to rescue. That would be a charming Easter egg hunt, but Team Asobi isn’t just investing in empty references. It uses the opportunity to show its love for PlayStation history. According to the game’s reveal trailer and details shared on the official PlayStation Blog, Astro Bot will feature over 80 levels spread across six galaxies players will explore. That makes Astro Bot a significantly bigger adventure than Astro’s Playroom and PSVR’s Astro Bot Rescue Mission. We’re eager to see how Team Asobi expands the gameplay this time around.
As you rescue more bots, they will make their own little spaces out and about, all in the area around the ship. You’ll track down puzzle pieces across each stage as well, with these working towards unlocking a habitat that grants you additional collectibles such as skins for Astro Bot or the controller you fly around on. The puzzle pieces unlock these areas in order, so you’ll have these locations granted to you in the same order as everyone else. Once the PS5 ship has crashed, Astro Bot will explore the space around the crash site. This is the hub world that allows you to unlock more of the galaxy map. You’ll track down a satellite-centric bot and it will ping the next destination.
Astro Bot Gorilla Nebula Rescued Bots
Across the game’s dozens of levels, you’ll see many abilities like these, and in nearly every case, they are a resounding success. Hardcore PlayStation fans will likely be both pleasantly surprised and disappointed to uncover what characters are included and how much love their franchises receive in Astro Bot. After rescuing Bot crewmembers, half of whom resemble beloved characters from PlayStation games, they return to the game’s hub world, and as more are uncovered, it grows into a playground for the rescued to occupy. As the player progresses, they’ll unlock new pathways and cosmetics not just for Astro but for the PS-themed Bots.
That soundtrack scores levels that seem simple at first, but soon unfurl themselves to reveal tantalising depths and secrets. Most are fairly linear, but some go the extra mile and are enjoyably knotty, providing sandbox-like areas to hunt for collectibles in. There’s never the openness found in the large-by-comparison Mario Odyssey levels, but enough nooks and crannies to get stuck into nonetheless.
One power-up — which I won’t describe beyond saying it’s really cute since figuring it out is a big part of the fun here — truly captures the essence of Astro Bot. It seemed useless; I felt silly for getting stumped by what had been, up until that point, an incredibly simple game. Astro Bot typically displays a little tutorial box for how to use it, but this time, it deliberately left me hanging. Playing a game is like being in a conversation with its developers without the ability to speak directly, and it felt like communication had broken down. The developers at Team Asobi didn’t reinvent the platforming wheel here, but like any good platformer, it’s the unique ways the powers are used that make them special. Instead of water, that F.L.U.D.D. power-up sucks up a green goo it then spits out to create platforms of grass.
From time-bending casinos to Japanese bath houses, each level brings novel mechanics and creative challenges that rival Nintendo’s finest platformers. A few months ago, Sony issued a free DLC (downloadable content) for “Astro’s Playroom” that connects the previous game with the new one. Since all PS5 consoles come with “Astro’s Playroom” for free, it’s more than likely that “Astro Bot” will become a big hit for Sony. This is because every console owner has played the previous installment and are likely to want more from the character. It takes you through deserts, across volcanos, inside dojos, to outer space, up mountains, down rivers, and both visually and mechanically, offers something new every time that always hits the mark.
@MikeTastic_86 I never said it ruined their experience, just reduced their potential enjoyment. I just think people would enjoy the game more without this kind of hand-holding from day one. @get2sammyb @Quintumply Thanks for taking the time to make this guide. Not sure I’ll use it, unless I get really stuck trying to find something, but still appreciated.
Part of that Nintendo feel is also shown across the game’s bosses. Astro Bot crams in nearly two dozen boss encounters, some that repeat in certain ways, but all of them are truly special events. From flying atop a bird as you smash away at its helmet, to a Djinn or a Gorilla, these fights are simple in their design, but due to the wondrous abilities and the slick controls, are engaging and often magical. That said, the final battle is likely the weakest, coming across as the less creative design of the entire bunch, which is a shame since the game goes to great lengths to show us Nebulax between each world. [newline]Still, the other fights are very impressive and constantly shine.
Use The Guiding Bird To Find Collectibles
Not exactly my jam – but it would seem this, like other games before it, are fun to be had by anyone. That’s why many studios try to compensate by pouring money into those other areas. These games are a celebration of gaming – specifically PlayStation gaming.
This is because while Astro Bot is that celebration of PlayStation’s history, it’s also a visual graveyard of IP that will never again see the light of day, making their appearance absolutely sting. It’s great to see ASOBI showing this level of appreciation of what has come before, but it also shows Sony’s very apparent inability to leverage what built them up in the first place. Jigsaw pieces can also be discovered if you’re skilled and/or keen eyed, which eventually open up a variety of features that enrich the entire experience. There’s a safari you can unlock, too, allowing you to take pictures with the many animals found on the game.
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On your journey, make the most of ASTRO’s new powers and reunite with many iconic heroes from the PlayStation universe! Charge into a brand-new, supersized adventure with ASTRO across more than 50 exciting and diverse worlds. Each world also has a series of bonus levels, challenges, and more, filling out a fairly brief adventure that can easily be pushed through over the course of a weekend.
Astro Bot Rescue Mission was a VR game that had players explore multiple worlds in search of Astro’s lost crew. https://luck8app.net/ became one of the highest-rated VR games, so naturally, the franchise did not stop there. Astro’s Playroom would launch in 2020 pre-installed on every PS5, and once again served as a tech demo for the studio’s latest controller. Then, in 2024, players were treated to the full-length critically acclaimed platformer Astro Bot. So, at this point, it’s fair to say that Team Asobi nailed the core game feel, the level design and the visuals. It’s a beautiful game that plays like a dream and offers things that manage to feel completely new and fun – and ultimately, as I think about my time playing Astro Bot, I can’t help but feel great about it.
Dodge cranes, smash through crates, and even speed through a flying car wash on the way to rescue your stranded crew. The crew mourns Astro and sad credits begin to roll, but are interrupted by a broken Astro falling back onto the mothership. Several Bots from the crew find replacement parts and help the mothership’s repair systems rebuild their captain, who springs back to life. The crew celebrates with a revived Astro, who departs once more on his Dual Speeder before the credits start to roll again.
It’s a lovely idea, and we hope it finds its way into other games that could use it similarly in years to come. Other abilities, like the Monkey Climb has you scaling walls with long extended arms. The Frog punch is similar in appearance, but has you punching like the cast of Nintendo’s ARMS.