Combined with the hardware it’s bundled on, it’s something very special indeed – and one of the best launch titles I can remember in an age. It deserves a place among the greats though – Astro’s Playroom has the coherence, character and abundance of ideas, executed with real clarity, of the very best platformers. A tech demo shouldn’t have this much of a following, but that’s the power of Team Asobi’s Astro’s Playroom. The Astro Bots made their debut with the PlayStation VR tech demo, The Playroom. They showcased the capabilities of the VR device and left an impression on the higher-ups at Sony. This spun off into their own full VR action-platformer game, Astro Bot Rescue Mission, which got a ton of critical praise and even the Best VR/AR Game award at the 2018 Game Awards.
Instead it’s used to connect to a PlayStation 5 and play compatible games via Remote Play (a feature that dates back to the PlayStation Vita playing PS3 games). It retains the signature haptic feedback and adaptive trigger motors of the DualSense controller. Codenamed Project Morpheus, the PlayStation VR was Sony’s first virtual reality headset, featuring twin 120hz OLED displays with 100 degrees field of view, an integrated microphone, and motion sensors. It required the PlayStation Camera as it used the same tracking technology used for the PlayStation Move.
This references 2015’s Hell Divers, developed by Arrowhead Game Studios for the PS4, PS4 and PS Vita. The name of the Trophy is very similar to the game’s hardest difficulty, “Hell Dive”. One of the unlockable displays in the Gatcha Game is a house-shaped outline, which gets you the “Honey, I’m Home! This references SCE London Studio’s PlayStation Home, a Second Life-style experience launched in 2008 and closed in 2015. The game let you explore themed spaces and allow you to purchase items to display in your virtual home.
When first arriving on Bot Beach off the slide, head right and look for the orange boat in the water with a bearded man and a small Bot in it. This references the 2018 God of War on PS4, also developed by SIE Santa Monica Studio. The composition of this easter egg is specifically mimicking the box art of the game. Also right after the third Hang Glider use, look for a lower area to jump down to near the ramp with the Wires sticking out. Here you’ll see a Bot with a triangular object on its head pulling a hapless victim.
Every Easter Egg In Astro’s Playroom
From seeing bot versions of iconic characters (like Kratos and Solid Snake) to gathering old peripherals and consoles, the journey is full of “I recognize that! ” flashes that punctuate the lighthearted and approachable gameplay. First, he was a newsman in the Technology department, over time he began to get involved in games and journalism, as well as edit and supervise the Technology newsroom.
Game Modes
It would then be updated six times over the years with new games and revised menus; the logo is from the 1996 version. Next to the PocketStation described above are two cylinders containing the sacred symbols in the form of clouds. This likely references PlayStation’s cloud functionality, which serves as the backbone of the PlayStation Now service that launched in 2014. Cloud servers are also available as an option to back up game saves for PS+ members. The “Wild Arms” Trophy, awarded for Spinning while firing the Gatling Gun in Deep Dataspace level of SSD Speedway, is a reference to 1996’s Wild ARMs on the PS1, developed by Media Vision. OK8386 COM is a Japanese role-playing game, and received a remake on the PS2 in 2003.
The game’s 16 levels feature nasty little bots to defeat, and little secrets and character cameos to find, such as the Buster Sword from Final Fantasy 7 or Jin Sakai from Ghost of Tsushima. Levels have Astro jumping on fluffy clouds in Memory Meadows, skating along the ice in Cooling Springs, or blowing up asteroids in a later level in SSD Speedway. Need to get back to it for the special bots, downloaded it the other day but just haven’t got around to it. (LeMans and other duties) @BrettAwesome It’s been updated, hasn’t it. It seems the special bots are integrated into the guide as opposed to being tacked on as an addendum.
Discover how to earn each trophy with ease and enjoy the game’s creative levels and DualSense features. Astro’s Playroom comes pre-installed on every PlayStation 5, so when you first start it up, you may assume it’s a tutorial designed to introduce you to the system’s capabilities. Yes, the game is a great showpiece for the PS5’s DualSense controller, applying its haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, and motion-sensing technology to a variety of inventive situations. But Astro’s Playroom is much more than a tutorial; it’s a joyful and polished platformer that ushers in a new generation of PlayStation hardware with a big smile.
It’s also the first PlayStation controller to have textured analog sticks and monochrome face button symbols (preceded by the PSP and Vita handhelds). Finally, the controller also has a built-in microphone so that it can be used for game and party chats. Codenamed Project Neo, the PlayStation 4 was the first mid-generation hardware revision that added significant amounts of power compared to earlier models.
The rumble feedback lets you get a sense of the rain that falls on you or the fluttering of snowfall. The adaptive triggers get harder to press when aspects of the game demand — like judging how tight to pull a spring before releasing. This means you need deft soft touches as much as quick hard presses — like when you have to gently press the triggers to grip a handhold without doing it too tight and making them crumble. Miscellaneous Trophies in Astro Playroom reward unique actions and challenges‚ such as specific jumps or interactions.
Go under the bridge and immediately on your right pull the exposed cable cords to grab a throwable canister with a net inside. Punch the shell to reveal a steering wheel, then stand in front of it push the Options button to bring up the map. Go to the far right corner of the beach, next to the building, on the opposite side of where the Gran Turismo Astro Bot is. Proceed through the stage as normal until you reach the first dynamite enemy.
Polygon Recommends is our way of endorsing our favorite games, movies, TV shows, comics, tabletop books, and entertainment experiences. When we award the Polygon Recommends badge, it’s because we believe the recipient is uniquely thought-provoking, entertaining, inventive, or fun — and worth fitting into your schedule. If you want curated lists of our favorite media, check out What to Play and What to Watch. Been with gamepressure.com since 2019, mostly writing game guides but you can also find me geeking out about LEGO (huge collection, btw). Even with a ton of games, sometimes I just gotta fire up Harvest Moon, Stardew Valley, KOTOR, or Baldur’s Gate 2 (Shadows of Amn, the OG, not that Throne of Bhaal stuff). When I’m not gaming, I’m probably painting miniatures or admiring my collection of retro consoles.
Some players would describe this project as a tech demo for the PlayStation 5, and while it won’t be false, Astro’s Playroom is more than that. The game is broken down into multiple levels, and each one stands out in its unique way. In case you’re having trouble unlocking the four special bots, make sure to check out Astro’s Playroom’s community on PSNProfiles, which has solutions to the most common issues players are facing. If you’re new to platformers, or video games in general, you may find yourself rushing in and dying quickly for seemingly no reason. If this happens a lot to you, try stepping back and observing the obstacles ahead.
Each area showcases innovative gameplay that taps into the new feature o… Each area showcases innovative gameplay that taps into the new feature of the PS5’s DualSense wireless controller. As mentioned before, Astro’s Playroom demonstrates the PS5’s potential. The speed of the SSD as levels instantly load is impressive, as nothing was this fast with the PlayStation 4. Astro’s Playroom makes the case that the DualSense Controller is the best in all gaming. It perfectly showcases the capabilities of the device in fun and engaging ways.
In the PlayStation Labo area is a Bot sadly trying to make sense of a pile of shapes. This is referencing PS4 launch title Knack, released in 2013 and developed by SCE Japan Studio. The shapes are what Knack is made of, and he was designed to showcase the power of the PlayStation 4 by being made up of thousands of objects. It’s a reference to Symphony of the Night thanks to the blonde hair.