Astro Bot stole hearts when its trailer debuted in the PlayStation State of Play in May 2024. While there were quite a few announcements during the show, nothing was quite as exciting as seeing the return of Astro, and the scope of their brand new adventures.
While Astro first debuted in the PS4 era, the adorable little robot has since become a mascot of the PS5 generation. That’s largely thanks to the excellent Astro’s Playroom, a bite-sized game that’s included with all PS5 consoles. In this adventure, Astro journeys through a range of locations, all while meeting robot-ified versions of PlayStation mascots.
Astro’s Playroom was notable for being one of the first (and so far, only) games to allow players to wield the full potential of the PS5 DualSense controller. When leaping on springs in Astro’s Playroom, you can feel the ratcheting tension in the DualSense triggers. You can feel the plink of the rain, and the taps of Astro’s feet on glass, thanks to clever haptic feedback. You can also feel differences in surface textures, with the controller providing unique sounds and haptics for each level.
Read: PlayStation State of Play 2024: Every game announcement and trailer
Astro’s Playroom remains groundbreaking – and in the standalone, expanded adventure Astro Bot, there’s even more opportunity to innovate, to experiment with the DualSense controller, and to explore the further reaches of PlayStation history.
Which characters will appear in Astro Bot?
As detailed by PlayStation in the wake of its recent State of Play showcase, Astro Bot will be a direct sequel to Astro’s Playroom, with a focus on similar themes and gameplay. That means you’ll spend plenty of time wandering gorgeous worlds brought to life with clever mechanics, and picking up threads of PlayStation history.
In the game’s first trailer, we saw a range of cameos from PlayStation products, including appearances from a DualSense controller, a PS5, a PS3, a VR aim controller, a Move controller, a PSOne, and much more.
Read: Astro Bot is getting his very own non-VR 3D platformer
There were also notable cameos from popular PlayStation characters – and PlayStation recently announced there will be over 150 for players to find. While these characters were passive in Astro’s Playroom, it appears they’ll take a more active role in this sequel, as you’ll need to “rescue” them in your travels. We assume that once they’re rescued, you’ll be able to interact with them somehow, and they’ll then help you on your journey.
So far, characters confirmed to appear in the game include:
- Ratchet from Ratchet and Clank
- Aloy from Horizon
- Kratos from God of War
- Nathan Drake from Uncharted
- Spike from Ape Escape
- PaRappa the Rapper
- The Traveller from Journey
- Ico from Ico
- Wander from Shadow of the Colossus
We’re also likely to see characters from Final Fantasy, based on clues hidden within the trailer – and much more besides. With over 150 characters set to be represented, we anticipate Astro Bot will be a lovely stroll through PlayStation history, and beyond.
As announced, Astro Bot launches for PS5 on 6 September 2024.
