It’s a slower-moving power-up but the Octo-Balloon is part of some engaging levels like the first one called Sky Garden in Astro Bot. There are more levels like the Ape Escape one, in which Astro fully absorbs the personality and toolkit of another PlayStation hero and romps through a level based on that character’s own games. I won’t spoil them, but they all achieve a surprisingly deep synthesis of their inspiration (often a more mature-styled game) with Astro Bot’s tactile world, adorable characters, and toothsome gameplay. It’s a mark of how confident the game is that its personality shines so clearly through the costumes it dons. This tribute is never more touching and joyful than in the case of Ape Escape. This Japan Studio series, about a boy who catches naughty monkeys in his net, is one of many faltering attempts by Sony to create a family game franchise to rival Nintendo’s, and like most of them, it didn’t really stick.
If you have any lingering questions about the game, this section of our Astro Bot guide should have you covered. GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links. All I hope now is that Team Asobo is given quite literally anything it wants to make its next game because I’m already there for it. Finding every bot and motif is an absolute joy in Astro Bot, really digging into PlayStation’s rich history. Microsoft’s Xbox console sales are getting squeezed, and the company is signaling it may not care in the way fans expect. CNBC points to Microsoft’s fiscal 2026 first-quarter earnings, where overall gaming revenue fell 2% year over year and Xbox hardware revenue dropped 29%.
Even better, Astro Bot’s soundtrack comes with many highlights. Its gimmick focuses on a day/night cycle, and the way Young composed it is genius. The day portion has music that’s a lot more jazzy, while the switch to nighttime sounds more like a lullaby. There are many touches like this throughout the game, but the best and most stellar music is reserved for the boss battles. For many players, part of the fun was discovering all of the cameo-inspired robots in Astro Bot. https://nk88.actor/ , the DLC levels continue that element and Armored Hardcore is no exception.
They can even jump on normal hazards to get where they need to go. Players only have a precious few seconds to make this power-up count, which can lead to some players getting creative with their puzzle solutions or the photos that they can take with the camera in Astro Bot. Stopping time in general is an ability that people would love to have in real life and no one would say otherwise. The Iron Suit is an impenetrable set of armor that will weigh players down with power. Its main functionality is to transform players into a tiny ball which is impervious to attacks be it rolling through spikes or getting pelted with lava.
Three years later, the idea would be expanded with The Playroom VR, which did the exact same thing for the PSVR. Players seemed to love it so much that it warranted a fully-fledged game, so Team Asobi did just that in 2018. However, those future Astro Bot games may be in a bit of a tough spot. As of now, the direction Team Asobi has in mind for this franchise is not entirely clear. This game served as a celebration of the brand and was built around repairing a PlayStation 5. While the studio could just do that again, it would risk coming off as repetitive.
Playstation®5 Console – Astro Bot Bundle
However, as you play through the game, many smaller challenge levels will become available and these amp things up, testing your platforming and combat skills with short gauntlets. Generally speaking, it’s pretty easy breezy, but there are tougher challenges to find if that’s what you want. @rjejr I personally wouldn’t describe any of it as gimmicky; if I could compare it to anything, think of Super Mario Galaxy.
Astro Bot Is A Strong Contender For 2024’s Game Of The Year
Once the actual credits finish rolling, a badly beaten Nebulax and his minions are seen floating through space; they threaten the player, but are sent flying by the sudden appearance of the words “THE END”. The crew mourns Astro and sad credits begin to roll, but are interrupted by a broken Astro falling back onto the mothership. Several Bots from the crew find replacement parts and help the mothership’s repair systems rebuild their captain, who springs back to life. The crew celebrates with a revived Astro, who departs once more on his Dual Speeder before the credits start to roll again.
This is what Shawn Layden called for all those years ago, but he seems to have been ignored. I’ve grown out of platformers as I’ve aged, but this looks to bring me back! I think I’ll actually buy the game now because it seems absolutely wonderful. Instead of leaping to the boss fight, approach the large snowball that’s being nurtured by two penguins — after you defeat all the enemies.
Would not be surprised of this gets the highest overall rating for a game this year. Five challenge levels presumably means at least five new VIP bots, potentially even more as the last set of DLC levels includes two new Bots per level. With only one of the new Bot’s identities confirmed so far, that leaves the door open for more cameos fans have been waiting for. During today’s State of Play, Team Asobi’s lead announced that Astro Bot is getting five more challenge levels later this month as part of another free update. That update isn’t far off either, as it was confirmed that the new levels will start dropping before the end of June. Climb up the snowball, pull the wire, and activate the vacuum device.
As the name implies, this is one of the most difficult levels in Astro Bot, so be sure to check out our full walkthrough for tips on how to complete the Great Master Challenge. Armored Hardcore is the last Astro Bot DLC stage in the Vicious Void galaxy and rewards players with an Assassin’s Creed Cameo Bot. The Astro Bot franchise first began back in 2013 with a collection of mini-games known as The Playroom on PlayStation 4. This collection served as a way to showcase the PlayStation Camera and DualShock 4 capabilities.