First-party IP has become an incredibly important part of the gaming world, often being a key determining factor in the platforms players choose. Over the course of a console generation, players will gradually form attachments to the IPs that resonate with them, growing to love their stories, characters, and unique gameplay mechanics. Astro Bot celebrates these attachments at every turn.
The first major PlayStation mascot platformer in quite some time, Astro Bot has players taking control of the titular automaton hero as he searches the galaxy for his missing Bot pals. Many of these Bots wear costumes intended to reference a specific gaming franchise, often ones closely tied with PlayStation's history. Finding these cameo Bots is a consistent highlight of Astro Bot's moment-to-moment gameplay, but if/when Astro Bot gets a sequel, it probably won't be able to use the same trick twice.
Every Award Astro Bot Won at The Game Awards 2024
Astro Bot, the bubbly, glittery platforming darling of 2024, swept The Game Awards this year, scooping up several prestigious accolades.
An Astro Bot Sequel Might Need to Shake Up Its Cameos
Astro Bot Already Contains 190 Cameos
At launch, Astro Bot contained well over 150 cameo Bots, most of whom were scattered across its 50+ planets. While PlayStation has a lot of IP it's created and worked closely with over the last few decades, developer Team Asobi did its best to include as many as it could, and it did a phenomenal job.
Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, Resident Evil, and countless other flagship PS1 titles were referenced in Astro Bot. More recent PlayStation franchises like God of War, Uncharted, and Horizon were placed front and center of several of Astro Bot's stages. Even deep-cut franchises that haven't been seen in over two decades, such as Vib-Ribbon and Arc the Lad, found their way to Astro Bot.
But the celebration didn't stop there. In the months following Astro Bot's release, the game received a handful of free updates that added several new levels and a handful of new cameo appearances. 18 cameo Bots were added in total, again running the entire gamut of PlayStation history, from modern heroes like Marvel's Spider-Man's Peter Parker and Miles Morales, to long-forgotten mascots like Gex and Croc, to popular third-party characters like Resident Evil's Albert Wesker.
Astro Bot 2 Would Have to Get Creative With Its Cameos
Astro Bot has cemented itself as a series that celebrates PlayStation history, but it needs to strike a careful balance with its next entry. With so many franchises already present in Astro Bot, a potential sequel probably wouldn't be able to rely on simply including the same type of collectible references, especially if they were referencing the same franchises from the first game.
Instead, the next Astro Bot needs to do something different with its cameos, something a bit more special. One option would be to include fewer cameos in a sequel, but make those cameos feel much more substantial. For instance, the sequel could take the first Astro Bot's Uncharted, God of War, Horizon, Ape Escape, and LocoRoco levels and expand them out to include more PlayStation franchises.
However, that might feel a tad overwhelming if that was the entire game, as many fans would still want to experience original, non-PlayStation-themed levels. Another option would be to give Astro Bot's power-ups an overhaul in a potential sequel, theming each one after a PlayStation character, such as Infamous' lightning superpowers, Spider-Man's web-swinging, or Spyro the Dragon's fire-breathing.
Astro Bot
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 95 /100 Critics Rec: 99%
- Released
- September 6, 2024
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Team Asobi
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Engine
- Proprietary Engine
- Franchise
- Astro Bot
WHERE TO PLAY
JOIN ASTRO IN A BRAND-NEW, SUPERSIZED SPACE ADVENTURE
The PS5® mothership has been wrecked, leaving ASTRO and the bot crew scattered all over the galaxies. Time to ride your trusty Dual Speeder across more than 50 planets full of fun, danger and surprises. On your journey, make the most of ASTRO’s new powers and reunite with many iconic heroes from the PlayStation universe!
Blast off on a supersized adventure
From sandy beaches to lush jungles and piping-hot volcanoes, explore a myriad of memorable planets in search of Astro’s lost crew!
Power up your platforming
With your new powers, battle out a whole new roster of quirky baddies and huge bosses. Feel every hop, punch and crack through your DualSense wireless controller.
Join the PlayStation celebration
Reunite with over 150 iconic PlayStation heroes and celebrate 30 years of PlayStation history!
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
