PlayStation has found its own lovable platformer mascot for the modern era with Astro, the hero of developer Team Asobi’s Astro Bot series. He burst onto the scene in 2018 with a critically acclaimed song Astro Bot: Rescue Mission for PS4 and PlayStation VR. His further adventures, Astro game roomwas released in 2020 and came pre-installed on every PS5 console.
These two games debuted as a showcase of major technology deployments for the company. U Rescue missionAsobi used Astro Bot to show off the capabilities of PSVR, and Astro game room introduced the possibilities of the PS5’s processing power, possibilities that many developers have yet to take full advantage of.
If other developers don’t use that processing power, then the little bot will do it itself. Earlier this month, Sony announced that Astro’s journey will continue in an upcoming PS5 game titled Astro Bot.
The game’s developer spent some time playing Astro Bot at Summer Game Fest and spoke with director Nicolas Doucet about what it’s like to make a game with a character previously known for showing off tech demos and further expand the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback capabilities.
Astro Bot shows off more power from the PS5
Doucet said Team Asobi went with a simple name Astro Bot to distinguish that this is a big story for Astro and a new beginning. The studio’s first two games were released in 2016 under the title Game room and VR game roomwhich can be described as technical demos to show off the capabilities of the PS4 DualShock 4 controller and the PSVR headset.
This naming convention has moved to Astro game room. “So we’re using that word on purpose to really confirm that this is a toy, just a technical demonstration,” Doucet explained. “Now the name is free, so we can do something big and really start from there.”
The Asobi team learned to design Rescue mission and Astro game room that the gameplay needs to constantly update the experience, so the team created 15 new abilities that Astro can use as he progresses through the levels. with Astro Botgreat attention was paid to the creation of different types of planets and worlds filled with unique game mechanics.
![Astro Bot rides a PS5 Dualsense plane over water Astro Bot rides a PS5 Dualsense plane over water](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt740a130ae3c5d529/blt3fd73cb29fcb3749/6669b5a801686dc9df6a405a/Astro_Bot_Announce_Screenshot_01.png?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
Image via Team Asobi/PlayStation
During the hands-on segment, three new Astro features were playable. These included Astra blowing up like a balloon to reach new heights, a backpack that allows him to lunge at enemies, and a pair of spring-loaded arms to hit enemies from afar.
“It’s more about what will be the next surprise that the game will throw at you. To keep it going, we have to be really resourceful and creative,” Duce said.
The Asobi team prototyped the new DualSense features in a few different ways. In one independent demo, separate from the game, the developers had the idea of turning Astro into a sponge. Adaptive triggers will feel heavy, like a sponge filled with water. But when pressed, the water squeezed out and the chickens felt light.
Doucet also revealed another DualSense haptic feedback feature that wasn’t shown in the demo. There are moments in Astro Bot where players can swipe their hand and launch Astro up a wall. And by the change of the texture, you can feel when you have come across a secret passage.
“It’s something that can be done with conventional vibration, but it would be very primitive,” Doucet said. “With DualSense, it has so much refinement, you can really feel the difference in expression.”
Astro BotThe level design and layout have also changed from the previous games. U Astro game room, the levels were laid out with some platforming, then some mini-games, and then back to the platforming. Duce noted that the big difference in Astro Bot is that each power-up and ability supports the game’s core platforming mechanics.
The overworld was built in a similar way Super Mario Galaxy. Astra can fly her ship to decide which world to go to next. A total of six galaxies and 80 levels that include the main campaign, side levels and secrets. This approach was taken to give players more freedom in the order in which they wish to complete the levels as they are unlocked.
In these levels, Astro can find his missing fellow bots hidden as collectibles. Astro Bot will also feature over 150 VIP robots that are cameos from other PlayStation franchises.
![Astro Bot jumps to save a tethered bot tied to a tree. Astro Bot jumps to save a tethered bot tied to a tree.](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt740a130ae3c5d529/blt680ac82880a7a3b3/6669b5e279175bd10ada5d39/Astro_Bot_Announce_Screenshot_22_.png?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
Image via Team Asobi/PlayStation.
The demo included bot versions of Kratos and Atreus with God of war. Once they were discovered, this led to their own unique level appearing in the galaxy, though it remained locked in the demo. While Doucet didn’t want to reveal what makes these levels different from the regular ones just yet, he did explain that the team didn’t want the cameo characters to be just background decorations.
Why not Astro Bot PSVR2 support?
Although PlayStation maintains its franchises in the Astro Bot through these cameos, including seemingly forgotten ones like Parappa the Rappa, Ape Escape, and LocoRoco, it appears that the game is not supporting PlayStation’s latest venture, PSVR 2.
Astro Bot: Rescue Mission was exclusive to PSVR and could not be played without a headset on PS4 until now Astro Bot does not require PSVR 2 to be installed at all. When asked if the Asobi team is ready to bring Astro Bot back into the world of virtual reality on Sony’s next-gen headset, Doucet said: “At the moment, we were only thinking about PS5. That was our main focus.”