Back in May, I published an article about a new Astro Bot game possibly getting revealed in the following weeks. Well, that rumor turned out to be true, as PlayStation indeed announced a brand new Astro Bot adventure during its otherwise lackluster State of Play event last week. And wow, does it look cool, and fun.
Whereas Astro Bot Rescue Mission was a surprisingly polished tech demo for the original PSVR and Astro’s Playroom was a similar showcase for the launch PS5 and its new haptic DualSense controller, the upcoming Astro Bot (why didn’t they name it something better?) looks to finally be expanding into its own giant, platforming journey. Speaking of, there are nods to Sony’s own arthouse game Journey inside Astro Bot, alongside numerous other PlayStation IPs.
According to marketing copy, you can ‘rescue over 150 iconic VIP Bots inspired by legendary characters from 30 years of PlayStation history.’ My boy PaRappa makes an appearance in early footage, and I’ll be sure to find him first, of course. You gotta believe!
Judging by the incredible trailer, this new entry looks to be more ambitious than both the previous installments combined, eschewing its platform pack-in vibes and instead leaning hard into taking Astro—and eager gamers—on a full-fledged video game experience. Right from the get-go, Astro hops into a DualSense spaceship and blasts off, so we can hopefully be assured that the franchise’s infamous references to PlayStation hardware and PlayStation history will make a welcome comeback.
I’m saying it right now: I want to ride a PocketStation surfboard. Please make this happen, talented developers.
The game is already impeccably gorgeous, with bright, colorful visuals that feel so inviting that I want to live in this world that first-party Team Asobi has created. The music is incredible, and the game design predictably conveys some wild creativity. There’s also some larger-than-life boss fights shown in the trailer that I can’t wait to attempt. I’m looking directly at you, robo-cobra.
Notably, there’s no PS4 or PSVR (or PSVR2, for that matter) support provided for Astro Bot. This is exclusive to PS5, and thank the heavens for that! As a franchise, I’ve always felt that Astro Bot was just itching to escape the confines of its Sony-delegated Vanna White presenting-only identity. Give this tiny robot a real game, already. And they finally did!
The platformer comes out September 6, and it’s renewing my hope in PlayStation, honestly. Sometimes, when I look at the current iteration of PlayStation, I get sad, because things have changed so much, and as they should. Change is the fuel of progress, but the PlayStation I remember was full of risk and whimsy, and I get the notion from Team Asobi that it might be keeping this old flame alive. Sure, we can all have the serious, brooding, single-player PlayStation stuff that Sony’s come to be known for, but we can also have the ‘90s-level insanity PlayStation stuff, too.
In the vein of wacky platformers like Spyro the Dragon and Crash Bandicoot, or hell, even Jersey Devil, Astro Bot looks to be bringing some of that much-needed lightness and childhood wonder back to PlayStation’s lineup. I know I’ll be first in line to indulge come September.
