Astro Bot will finally get its own full game this fall. So far, the character has been relegated to two small demo games designed to show off PlayStation’s unique hardware, namely the first PlayStation VR headset and the PS5’s DualSense controller. The new full game, simply titled Astro Bot, will have a lot more content than the first two games and a price tag of $60 to match. The game is already available for pre-order.
During Summer Game Fest 2024, I got to play the upcoming platformer during one of the many behind-closed-doors sessions. Many aspects of the game will be familiar if you’ve played the PlayStation 5 pack-in title Astro’s Playroom, but the full game takes it one step further. During my brief playthrough, the colorful whimsy and tricky challenges reminded me of the platforming greats, like many in Nintendo’s Mario series.
The game still relies heavily on the controller’s haptic feedback, gyroscope, and adaptive triggers to help the player feel more immersed in the world. For example, if you walk on a hard surface, such as glass or metal, the controller will gently vibrate in sync with Astro’s feet. I really liked the new dog-like backpack, which rockets Astro forward when I press the right trigger. It can be used for platforming challenges or taking out enemies.
Our demo included five stages to play, including two standard levels that will feel the most familiar to fans of the series. As Astro, I ran through vibrant and colorful areas, collected coins, fought enemy robots and explored to find hidden friends.
These hidden robots act as collectibles, and many of them will be themed to other PlayStation games. The stages I saw featured characters that resembled Ratchet and Rivet from the Ratchet and Clank games, as well as Kratos and Atreus from God of War. Collecting all seven hidden robots in a level will award you a gold flag for that world. (The developer who ran my demo said I was the only journalist so far to get gold flags on all five stages – obviously I’m a professional gamer.)
Don’t mess with Kratosbot.
Outside of the exploration phases, there are also boss battles. I took on a giant mechanical octopus with boxing gloves attached to several tentacles. Astro Bot is known for getting level-specific upgrades to traverse the world in different ways. One of the new mechanics used here is a pair of extendable boxing gloves that you swing around and fight (making great use of the DualSense’s adaptive triggers). To avoid spoilers, I’ll simply say that I left the fight with only one life left and a welcome sense of accomplishment.
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The last two stages I played are short but difficult platforming challenges unique to this entry in the series. They only last a minute or two, but it takes several tries to get through them, as you’ll have to restart if you fall off the map or get just one hit.
My favorite level in the entire demo used a fascinating time bending mechanic. Many of the enemies and platforms move at extreme speeds and you must use a unique item to slow down time enough so you can run through the next set of obstacles. This meant fighting enemies and jumping through dangerous paths before the world sped up again.
You use the controller’s gyroscope to fly.
Astro Bot evolves into a memorable platformer. I’m a big fan of the last two games, and when I jumped into this demo and heard the familiar theme music, it immediately brought a smile to my face. I can’t wait for the release later this year. Astro Bot will be released on September 5 for PlayStation 5.
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