Four years ago, Sony introduced the tagline “play has no limits” to advertise the PS5. Astro Bot is the first PlayStation exclusive since then that truly believes in that mission statement. As AF88 reflected on that, I was hit by a pang of bittersweet sadness. Most of the colorful mascots I was reuniting with simply don’t exist anymore. Over the past 10 years, PlayStation has entirely narrowed its focus on a few key franchises. God of War and The Last of Us have become standby franchises, while the Crash Bandicoots and Ape Escapes of the world die out.
It could have been easy for Team Asobi to overdo the callbacks and make this game nothing more than a self-indulgent reference fest. Instead, they treated these cameos and references like a spice that was only occasionally sprinkeld throughout the game. The game puts a lot of this “spice,” but understands that too much will kill the dish. That said, Astro Bot has a lot more than just references, as some levels are solely focused on recreating and paying tribute to past PlayStation games. Like its predecessor, Astro Bot is filled to the brim with PlayStation references and cameos. The most visible ones come in the form of the Special Bots — bots dressed up as famous and obscure PlayStation family characters.
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If you replay levels, you can buy a satellite at the start for coins that marks the collectible locations. However, you need 15,000 coins to buy 150 gatcha items for the Money Well Spent trophy, so it’s best to not spend coins on the satellites. After reaching 100% completion you will have close to 15,000 coins if you don’t spend them on satellites. If you don’t have enough coins you can always replay levels to get more. There are 300 bots to find, and many are pulled from the wider world of gaming.
Astro Bot pulls out all the stops when it comes to referencing older titles in the game. Not only are the character designs perfect for distinguishing the bots, but these are also apparent in some gameplay segments. One example is the game’s callback to Ape Escape where you’ll be chasing the apes around the map the way you would in the original game.
What Are All Special Bots In Astro Bot? Helghast Soldier 2 – Independent Mutant
The game has a total of 300 bots to collect and find throughout the game. For more gameplay details, read everything we know about Astro Bot’s gameplay and story. Entire levels are built around Astro Bot’s power-ups, but most aren’t just one-off gimmicks.
Rising Heat is the last of five DLC stages for Astro Bot and home to the game’s final two Cameo Bots. From PlayStation references to charming interactions with other Bots, there’s a treat on every level. It’s wild to think that Sony finally has a platformer that rivals the excellent 3D Super Mario Games, but Team Asobi really did it. Don’t miss out on one of the best platforming experiences in gaming history with Astro Bot.
Just like Astro’s Playroom, Astro Bot is a 3D puzzle-platformer that pays homage to PlayStation history and makes heavy use of the PS5 DualSense controller’s many unique features like haptic feedback and dynamic triggers. However, this time, we’re getting a full-length game (with no microtransactions) that’s much bigger than Astro’s previous adventures. It doesn’t even take the game more than five minutes to get its story started. As soon as players boot up the game, Astro Bot and his crew of fellow Bots get their ship (which, coincidentally, looks like a PlayStation 5) destroyed by Neblux, the Space Bully. It’s now up to Astro Bot to find the missing parts of the ship that are scattered throughout the galaxy while rescuing his lost friends.
The game on ps5 i’ve been waiting for since i got one basically… The switch has remained my most played platform after all these years because of the lack of games like this, for me the essense of gaming… It’s a perfect recipe for a 3D platformer, encouraging you to explore every nook and cranny in search of those adorable little droids. The first of these levels allows Astro to borrow the Leviathan Axe from God of War’s Kratos. You press the R2 button to use your ability and it flies through the sky. Anybody familiar with the game that gave life to this special level instantly understands what to do.
The bots turn around and shake their booties at Astro right before he punches them into the DualSense. On the pause screen, you can flick all of your collected bots out of the digital controller and they flail in mid-air before landing safely back inside the touchpad. Even before picking up any cool new toys, Astro has a laser-propelled hover ability that lets him destroy enemies while jumping over them, plus a standard punch and a chargeable spin move. These three abilities, plus whatever tool he picks up, are the entirety of Astro’s arsenal. This mechanical focus allowed Team Asobi to perfect each move and then apply them all in a thousand different ways, and the result is a rewarding and robust platformer.
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.
Somehow, you were no longer playing Astro Bot, but were fully immersed in whatever game the developer wanted you to be in. Yet, the whimsical playfulness and cute charm was still there dancing perfectly in tune with another game without stepping on any toes. A PlayStation fiesta of characters and hodgepodge of borrowed game mechanics blend seamlessly. While it may sound as if the game just copies the homework of all the games that came before it, that is simply not the case. Astro Bot takes every lesson these previous works taught, and precisely refines them with both overwhelming charm and genre re-defining innovation. The DualSense controller becomes an extension of the game as its haptic feedback technology allows the player to feel every step and jump Astro takes, with the sensation changing on every surface.
Astro Bot reaches towards perfection as it somehow flies close to the sun, with no fear of melting wings. It’s the type of game you would typically have no choice but turn to Nintendo for. A welcome to the PlayStation family, that normally pushes out more mature content. But don’t get it twisted; this game is an amazing experience for casual and hardcore gamers alike. Level design walks an invisible tightrope between fun and challenge, accommodating both groups.
It features numerous collectible items, from puzzle pieces to accessories for the other Astro Bots and even secret levels to discover and complete. The game also features numerous designs of Astro inspired by several IPs that have been on PlayStation over the years. For those hoping to get as much playtime as possible out of the package, Astro Bot packs in plenty to do. There are secret levels to find, puzzle pieces in each level, a gacha machine filled with outfits, and a home base that evolves into a full-on playground over time. The most alluring feature, though, is its PlayStation-themed collectibles. Every level has a set of hidden bots that Astro needs to rescue.