Astro Bot is finally getting its own full game this fall. Up until now, the character has been relegated to two small demo games designed to showcase unique PlayStation 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 $60 price tag to match – it’s already available for pre-order.
During Summer Game Fest 2024, I played the upcoming platformer during one of several closed-door sessions. Many aspects of the game will feel familiar if you’ve played the PlayStation 5 bundle title, Astro’s Playroom, but the full game takes these unique mechanics even further. During my brief playthrough, the colorful quirks and challenging challenges reminded me of platforming giants like many in Nintendo’s Mario series.
The game still relies heavily on the controller’s haptic feedback, gyroscope and adaptive triggers to make the player feel more immersed in the world. For example, walking on a hard surface such as glass or metal will cause the controller to gently rattle in sync with Astro’s feet. I really liked the new dog backpack which, when the right trigger is pressed, shoots the Astra forward like a rocket. It can be used for platforming challenges or taking out enemies.
Our demo featured five playable stages, including two standard levels that fans of the series will feel most familiar with. As Astro, I traveled through vibrant and colorful areas, collecting coins, fighting enemy robots and searching for hidden friends.
These hidden bots act as collectibles, and many will be themed around other PlayStation games. The stages I saw included characters reminiscent of 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 stage will give you a golden flag for this world. (The developer running my demo said I’m the only journalist to get gold flags on all five stages so far – clearly a pro gamer.)
Don’t mess with Kratosbot.
There are also boss fights outside of the exploration phase. I took a giant mechanical octopus with boxing gloves on several tentacles. Astro Bot is known for gaining level-specific upgrades to traverse the world in different ways. One of the new mechanics used here is a pair of extendable boxing gloves to swing and fight with (which make heavy use of the DualSense adaptive triggers). To avoid spoilers, I’ll simply say that I left the fight with one life and a welcome sense of accomplishment.
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The last two stages I played are short but difficult platformers that are unique to this part of the series. They only last a minute or two but took a few tries to get through as you have to restart if you fall off the map or take just one hit.
My favorite level in the entire demo used the fascinating time bending mechanic. Many enemies and platforms move at extreme speeds and you must use a unique item to slow down time enough to run through the next set of obstacles. This meant fighting enemies and jumping through dangerous paths before the world sped back up.
You use the controller’s gyroscope to fly.
Astro Bot is shaping up to be a major platformer. I’m a huge fan of the last two games and jumping into this demo and hearing the familiar theme music immediately put a smile on my face. I can’t wait for the release later this year. Astro Bot will be released on September 5 for PlayStation 5.
Watch this: Top 5 trailers from Summer Game Fest 2024