Doucet expressed his gratitude to the decades of platformers that came before Astro Bot, which also took home awards for Best Action/Adventure Game, Best Family Game, and Best Game Direction during the ceremony. In that spirit, we’ve pulled together 7 tips and tricks we think will prove helpful for those diving into Astro’s irresistibly charming universe for the first time. When you’re ready to move on, check out our guide to all the collectibles in the starting two levels, Sky Garden and Creamy Canyon.
Unlike our last update Winter Wonder, which was a walk through the Xmas park, this new update features harder levels to test your jumping skills. Each level comes with a brand-new Special Bot to rescue and, once that’s done, can be replayed in Time Attack mode with online rankings. To access these, you will need to have completed the main game. Plenty of stages require patience, awareness and a high degree of platforming skill, though resets are generous and failure doesn’t cost anything other than your time. Completionists will have a great time with this one — there are so many secret passages and hidden bots to find, most of them cleverly tucked away and easily missed unless you’re actively looking for them.
But they go even further to the point of referencing those narrow passages you often see in big AAA cinematic titles where the camera pulls in and your character slowly makes their way through it. The game is constantly toying with expectations, introducing ideas and concepts you might never have expected – it’s overflowing with fun. On top of all this, Astro Bot is basically a tribute to PlayStation’s history and, in fact, in some ways, the medium as a whole. Sometimes there’s just basic, fun references to classic characters, in-world jokes using PlayStation hardware including zip lines made from PS1 controller cords and the like. However, at other points, you take on the powers of key guest characters from PlayStation’s past.
It’s the type of game that you’re likely to return to as well, simply because of its feel-good nature. To play Astro Bot is to love Astro Bot, it’s as simple as that. It’s a heartwarming and flawless experience, and a 3D platforming masterpiece. Players guide Astro Bot through dynamic environments filled with moving platforms, enemies, and interactive objects. The game encourages exploration, rewarding players for finding hidden collectibles and secret areas.
Every Planet In Astro Bot (all Stages List)
Feel the might of power-ups and the tension of tools as you repair the PS5 mothership. These powers give ASTRO weird and wonderful ways to explore planets and battle his enemies. Following its release, Astro Bot received multiple updates which included new levels and V.I.P. Bots, among a number of other minor additions.
Join The Playstation Celebration
It truly takes advantage of all the different features the PS5 remote offers and is just pure awesome joy. It wouldn’t be an Astro Bot update without new Special Bot cameo appearances, and now we know a few that players can discover. One is the protagonist of Sucker Punch’s upcoming Ghost of Yotei (which is receiving a special State of Play).
Sure, some are coated in different colours of paint or dressed to fit in with their surroundings, but they are all vanquished via the same few fundamental jump and hit combos. Later on, though, https://luck8.bid/ opens up and introduces some of my favourite foes. These include an anthropomorphic playing card that flings a hand of clubs and spades your way, which you can then jump on to make your way towards the enemy to deal a killing blow of your own. 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.
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What’s amazing is despite how wide-reaching the references are in Astro Bot, this isn’t just a celebration of PlayStation’s first-party stuff but so much of what’s defined gaming for decades. Monster Hunter, Space Channel 5, Wipeout, Legend of Dragoon, Tony Hawk, the list goes on and on. Obviously, there’s no way you can feature everything from across four decades of gaming, but I consistently found myself amazed by the rich variety of references and games featured. Finding these little bots was like taking a walk down memory lane, fondly remembering the hours I sunk into these beloved titles, while providing value for this current experience. Astro Bot is an adventure platformer where you control Astro as he explores six galaxies and over 80 levels across 50 planets to find his scattered crew.
There’s not much to say about Astro Bot’s plot; it serves as a simple introduction, giving the player a reason to rescue bots in need and search for console-ship components to continue the journey through the vast cosmos. What truly sets Astro Bot apart from the competition, however, is the gameplay. In 2024, Astro Bot not only comes to Sony’s rescue but also in a big way reminds us why we play video games at all.
I feel pronounced haptic feedback when I hop into a stormy level and feel each raindrop in my palms. When I turn into a metal ball to stop a ceiling from crushing me, I can feel the resistance of the adaptive triggers pushing back on me. I even use the microphone to blow into a giant horn, a kind of delightful gameplay interaction that even Nintendo has moved away from in recent years. This is one of the only PS5 games that really feels like it was built around the DualSense, and it shows. At one time, this was a fundamental video game experience; a 3D platformer was just about the coolest game you could have. These were tightly designed adventures that understood the ways that digital play could activate creativity, even through a silly little cartoon with nothing to say.
Balan wasn’t great but each suit even for 80 to me went yeah I can sense each has a fair purpose even if not implemented well of the use cases, it still has a use. Like Rayman 3 did with it’s suits which is why I bought Balan, I still got my fun out of it besides how bad it is for sure. But I think this all the time with videos I watch/games I play/research and end up with large comments like this.