As the end of the year quickly approaches,The Game Awards 2020 nomineeshave been announced and early talks have already begun about who will be victorious in claiming the title of ‘Game of the Year’ from the show. FromAnimal Crossing: New HorizonstoThe Last Of Us Part IIor the upcomingCyberpunk 2077, the sheer quality of games this year has been astounding. And just likeAmong UsandHadesbefore it, there’s one particular game that has seemingly taken the industry completely by surprise and created a new icon for the PlayStation brand:Astro’s Playroom.
Astro’s Playroomis both a surprising and charming hit that compliments the PS5 in so many ways. It also went a long way toward setting up Astro Bot as a brand-recognizable mascot character that could stand upagainst the likes of Nathan Drake, Kratos, and Aloy, given Sony puts in the time and effort from here on out. The loveable Astro Bot isn’t a new character, having featured inThe Playroomfor PS4 andAstro Bot: Rescue Missionfor PSVR, but it wasn’t untilAstro’s Playroomthat Sony potentially created a new household name for PlayStation.
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The Playroom & Astro Bot: Rescue Mission
Like the PlayStation 5, when Sony released the PlayStation 4 back in 2013, it too came with its own built-in game:The Playroom. UnlikeAstro’s Playroom,The Playroomwas much more of a ‘demo’ than a game, created to showcase the DualShock 4 controller and PlayStation Eye Camera and requiring both accessories to play. Made up of a series of mini-games,The Playroomintroduced the Astro Bot character for the first time. Fortunately, there was enough there for Sony to want to bring back the adorable robot a few years down the line, but overall,The Playroomdid little for players.
It wasn’t untilAstro Bot: Rescue Missionfive years later that Astro made its next and first real appearance, this time on PlayStation VR. Developed by Japan Studio,Rescue Missioncombines virtual reality with modern platforming gameplay and has the player team up with Captain Astro on a quest to save over 200 bots across 5 unique worlds and 20 levels.Astro Bot: Rescue Missionreceived widespread praise from criticsand players for its loveable characters and excellent 3D platformer gameplay, currently sitting at a 90 on Metacritic.Rescue Missionwas a huge step in the right direction to making Astro a more recognizable character with its only downfall preventing larger success being the platform it released on.
Astro’s Playroom on PlayStation 5
Rather than create small mini-games to showcase the new hardware likeThe Playroom, Sony looked at what worked withAstro Bot: Rescue Missionand created afully-fledged 3-5 hour long 3D platformerbuilt with the DualSense controller’s new features in mind. The new approach already set’s upAstro’s Playroomto be far more successful because regardless of the short length, it’s an actual game that players can enjoy rather than a glorified tech demo, something that justifies players investing their time.
Astro’s Playroomgoes a long way to making the Astro character a great icon for PlayStation; it’s funny, charming, and quirky in the best kind of way, and the additional color accents added inRescue Missionhelp add personality. It’s also incredibly fun to play with excellent gameplay, a variety of unique locals and gameplay mechanics, and a strong focus on the history and the legacy of the PlayStation brand, which is sure to be a huge nostalgia boost for long-term players. In ourAstro’s Playroomreview, we said: “Astro’s Playroommight be free with every PS5 console, but its ability to showcase the new DualSense controller should not be overlooked.”
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The Future of Astro Bot
While next to nothing is currently known about the future of Astro Bot, it seems that Sony does have larger plans for its latest icon on PlayStation and that’s great news for players. Last week, Team Asobi’s Studio Director and Creative Director Nicolas Doucet published an in-depth look atAstro’s Playroom, going over the game’s worlds, features, and more. At the end of the post, Doucet teased that more was to come from character, stating “Astro will be back with news soon.” Of course, it’s very little to go off but a clear indication that the character will be making a return in one way or another.
In the early days of PlayStation, the brand was defined by characters such as Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, and Lara Croft. By the end of PlayStation 4, those characters had managed to return, but it was Ellie, Kratos, and Aloy that defined the system.The launch of PlayStation 5is being led by characters like Sackboy and Spider-Man, with Aloy and Ratchet & Clank on the horizon; a new more diverse range of iconic characters for the brand that would greatly benefit from the inclusion of Astro.
Astro’s Playroomis available as a free preinstalled game on every PlayStation 5.
