The game puts a lot of this “spice,” but understands that too much will kill the dish. That said, Astro Bot has a lot more than just references, as some levels are solely focused on recreating and paying tribute to past PlayStation games. The final puzzle piece is just after you use the flower lever on the inside of the hourglass, which you reach after boosting up past the arrows stuck in the wall. Jump across the platforms until you reach a checkpoint and a glass floor covered in gold.

This is because every console owner has played the previous installment and are likely to want more from the character. Once you completed a level for the first time, returning back to said level will have a little birdcage right where you land. What the Bird Bot will do is follow Astro around and, when a collectible is nearby, it will blink a bright light that’ll get even faster the closer you get. Trust me, I used the Bird Bot more times than I’d like to admit, but it helps if you need that little nudge in the right direction.

That very level, along with four additional ones, will soon be available as part of the new Vicious Void Galaxy expansion. There’s a lot more to admire in Astro Bot, even for levels where gamers haven’t played the initial game. A good chunk of gamers who started with the PlayStation 4 probably haven’t played an Ape Escape game before, let alone ever heard of the classic PlayStation franchise. But even so, the charm of Ape Escape is fully conveyed by its tribute level in Astro Bot. Younger players who aren’t familiar with it will surely want to learn more about the monkey-catching game when the level ends.

In Astro’s Playroom, the Puzzle Pieces found throughout will piece together murals in the PlayStation Labo. In Astro Bot, however, they’ll still put together a picture, but once it’s complete, it’ll spawn a new place to explore and others to customize both yourself, your Dual Speeder and the saved Bots around you. For example, you can get a Changing Room that keeps all the Outfits you get from the Gacha Machine for you to choose from. gg88.com ’s pretty worthwhile and honestly a lot of fun to reap sweet rewards from your treasure hunting. While it may seem simple enough, there are a lot of things to do in the over fifty levels Astro Bot has to offer. Check every corner, hit every object or look below every platform and you may find a secret cord or passageway to a Puzzle Piece, Bot or even a Vortex to a secret world!

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.

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Most of the Astro Bot cameo characters are pretty easy to identify, but there are a few VIP Bots who are obscure and thus can be difficult to place. The fact that Team Asobi’s games have the potential to become someone’s first game is something that Doucet takes seriously. “Team Asobi’s studio is just across the street from our building, so they were always the first to prototype with our hardware,” says Senior Principal Product Manager Toshi Aoki, product director for the DualSense controller.

In this Astro Bot guide, we have a full walkthrough of the game, pointing out where to find all the collectibles in every level. This includes the locations of all Bots, all Puzzle Pieces, and all Lost Galaxy Warp Portals. On top of that we have pages on cosmetic items like Outfits and Dual Speeder Skins, how to secure all the PS5 Trophies, and lots more. Originally announced during Sony’s June 2025 State of Play, the update adds a new galaxy, the Vicious Void, for players to explore. Four of the levels are titled Twin-Frog Trouble, Suck It Up, Handhold Havoc, High Inflation, with Team Asobi keeping the name of the fifth as a surprise. The addition of the new levels brings Astro Bot’s total level count to over 90.

What Are All Special Bots In Astro Bot? Boku – Young Holidaymaker

It was as if the developers asked themselves what typical elements were expected of a platformer, then found a way to organically incorporate them into the game. Sometimes, it’s with fantastic power-ups like the Time Stopper, which beautifully slows down time to let Astro Bot jump on platforms and evade obstacles. Other times, the layout of getting from Points A to B involved a vast spectacle for players to witness and interact with. There are 5 main Nebulas, each with 6-7 main levels, and a few side levels which are unlocked by flying into objects with the spaceship inside the Nebulas. When you hover over a level it shows how many collectibles it has and how many you still need.

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. Thankfully, the DLC levels continue that element and Armored Hardcore is no exception.

Price point is fine and if not it will be on sale within 6 months…no one is forcing you to buy it day one or at all for that matter. Many platformers have done a lot over the years in abilities/level design/marketing not reaching people, more dialogue/combat/other crap & level design/movesets taking a hit. Does it have unique enough mechanics like older platformers nope. The ears look cool, no mechanic, small size theme/cosmetic, sigh. No Rayman heli mouse ears in that level I bet or wind for puzzles/attacks. @kcarnes9051 The main levels I would say are fairly straightforward to get through without much difficulty.

Nostagia Is A Double-edged Sword In Astro Bot

You’ll see the stone platforms many feet under Astro will start to glow while you’re above them. The secret exit in Djinny of the Lamp is at the very end of the level, after you defeat the Djinny. Punch the ladybug trampoline so it’s as close to the pot as possible, then jump on it and activate your power-up mid-air. Float over to the pot and use your spin move to clear the debris on top. The secret exit in Hieroglitch Pyramid is at the very end of the level, after you’ve slid down the spikey path and made it to the normal exit.

Astro Bot: New Speedrun Level And Special Bots Opens An External Website

They even announced that the game will be receiving free DLC in the near future. If there’s one thing to criticize, it’s the exclusivity and the need to buy a PS5 to experience this masterpiece. Everyone should be able to experience this kind of fun, as with the amount of games there are, it’s only a few games that really go the distance. As a platformer, Astro Bot is definitely the best to come this year. The fun factor is unparalleled for a game of this genre, despite it’s obvious simplicity.

They fit in perfectly with the game’s vibe and atmosphere, which is really hard to find a fault as it even uses the DualSense speakers impeccably. It’s been quite a rough few weeks for Sony and PlayStation fans out there, and it’s great to know that it’s not all doom and gloom as Astro Bot is here to save the day. As a casual fan of platformers, Astro Bot blew me away and reminded me of the nostalgia and fun that is to be had with the genre. The last time to do this was Nintendo’s Super Mario Odyssey, which is a very high standard to beat or match in recent years.

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%.

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