Astro Bot: Everything We Know

The most exciting announcement at the PlayStation State of Play May 2024 event was, indeed, Astro Bot, which is funny given it’s an upcoming game we weren’t anticipating. Still, no complaints here whatsoever, with the announcement trailer already making good on the promise of a showstopping game to remember. 

Astro Bot is no stranger to gaming. You probably already know Astro Bot Rescue Mission (2018) and Astro’s PlayRoom (2020). Now, the upcoming Astro Bot will be picking up where the platforming video game series left off. Ahead of launch day, check out everything we know so far about the upcoming Astro Bot.

What is Astro Bot?

Astro Bot is an upcoming platforming game set to pick up where Astro Bot Rescue Mission (2020) left off. According to PlayStation, Astro Bot will be a supersized space adventure. It will craft a brand-new campaign, incorporating over 50 compelling and different worlds. This will be Astro Bot’s biggest adventure to date. If all goes well, hopefully, many more will follow.

Astro’s PlayRoom was a free platforming game that came preloaded on the PlayStation 5. Its purpose was to showcase the 25 years of PlayStation history. It also served as a demonstration of the DualSense controller’s capabilities. Now, PlayStation seems ready for Astro Bot to stand on his own two robotic feet.

Story

Set in a “supersized” solar system, Astro Bot will craft a space adventure for the books. You’ll galavant across several galaxies, exploring different worlds. More specifically, Astro Bot will take you to six galaxies across over 80 levels. The mission at hand will be to search for Astro’s scattered crew, all across space.

Astro Bot’s campaign will revolve around hopping onto your Dual Speeder and exploring diverse worlds. You’ll dive down into unique planets, and comb through the crevices of lush green forests, sandy beaches, steamy volcanoes, and more exciting locales. You’ll also run into mysterious regions like a humongous hourglass or a talking tree. 

All across your adventure, you’ll reunite with many familiar characters from the PlayStation universe. The trailer features some of the characters to expect. PlayStation is promising to “double down on the cast,” so expect a full-blown story that hopefully incorporates deeper character arcs for not only Astro Bot but the NPCs too.

Gameplay

Astro Bot plans to include over 15 new abilities that drastically alter your playstyle. These will utilize the power of the DualSense controller, pushing haptic feedback and adaptive triggers to the limits. As a result, the gameplay will likely be a hugely immersive affair. Some of your new abilities will include:

• Barkster, a Bulldog Booster that gives you the power to air-dash and break metal and glass, and destroy enemies
• Twin-Frog Gloves, that lets you punch enemies from afar. They also allow you to swing across large distances.
• Giant Sponge, which lets you absorb water from your surroundings to grow bigger and inflict more damage on enemies.

Beyond new Astro Bot powers, PlayStation promises better controls with accessibility for every gamer. On the enemies front, you can look forward to over 70 new enemy types, from small to gigantic bosses at the end of each galaxy. Among the bosses to expect is the terrifying cobra queen, Lady Venomara, situated in her golden lair. 

Defeating each boss will allow you to uncover a secret that PlayStation is yet to reveal. Finally, you can expect a high difficulty for gamers craving a good challenge. Astro Bot will have lots of “die-and-retry levels to test your reflexes.”

Development

PlayStation has long called upon Astro Bot to usher its console into the world. They used Astro’s Playroom to showcase the capabilities of the DualSense controller to the world. The mission is no different, except that this new title will be championing PlayStation on a larger scale. 

In the trailer, you can see Astro Bot hopping onto a DualSense controller, the Dual Speeder, and using it as a spaceship. You also see several nods to PlayStation’s history, from the PlayStation 2 era to the Singstar Microphone. 

What’s more? The gameplay will add the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. In all ways, this game will continue to trailblaze the PlayStation console. The only difference is that we now get a brand-new proper adventure out of it.

PlayStation seems excited to bring Astro Bot to life. According to Astro Bot’s PlayStation blogs, “We invested all our love and craft to bring a constant smile to your face, as you run, jump, bop enemies and find the many secrets and jokes we dotted around.”

Trailer

Check out the hugely adorable blue and white robot, Astro Bot, in action via the official announcement trailer out now on YouTube. It’s quite the reveal, giving us overwhelming sneak peeks into the vibrant and exciting worlds to expect in the upcoming game. You catch glimpses of the cute robot in combat, tapping into a wide assortment of tools and weapons. 

There are even moments when the mascot goes up against some terrifying big bosses, including Lady Venomara. From the trailer, one thing is for sure. You will be flying a winged DualSense controller across space. You’ll use the controller as a space vessel and weapon.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

It’s official. Astro Bot will be available to play on September 6, 2024. However, you’re free to pre-order the game starting June 7, 2024. Furthermore, it will be a PlayStation exclusive. It plans to release on PlayStation 5 consoles alone. There have been rumors about a virtual reality version of the game for the PSVR2. For now, though, those rumors remain unconfirmed. 

Similarly, we don’t know which editions will be available for pre-order. However, do keep an eye out for fresh updates by following the official social handle here. Alternatively, stick with us right here on gaming.net, where we post new information on upcoming games as soon as they come up.

So, what’s your take? Will you be grabbing a copy of Astro Bot when it drops? Let us know over on our socials here.