Team Asobi has kicked off a five-part series with the first episode, and the final trailer video for the game has been released as Astro Bot is just days away from release.
Team Asobi studio head Nicolas Doucet took to the PlayStation Blog to share more details about the two videos below. Let’s start with new worlds and new gameplay, introducing Handy-D, a cheeky monkey on Astro’s back who lets Astro climb, swing and punch with his giant hands. It’s a returning mechanic that they’re taking to another level by mixing it with the core platforming. You’ll also find Muteki (which means invincible in Japanese), a fitting name for Astro’s iron armor that allows him to roll through spiky areas, fit into tight spaces, or be blasted like a cannonball! Finally, you’ll also catch a glimpse of Astro as he transforms into a tiny weeny mouse that uses DualSense to make the world and every stomp around it feel huge.
The bots you save will have an impact on the adventure. There are a total of 300 bots to save in Astro Bot, 150 of which are PlayStation cameos. The developers put a lot of love into the animation of these characters, so they recreate fun moments from their respective games. So no matter who your favorite PlayStation characters are, you’re sure to have a good laugh. Once rescued, these little guys can team up to perform group actions that allow you to explore more of the hub planet. In the video, you can see some of the PlayStation characters working together to create a running wall for Astro to reach higher areas. At some key moments in the adventure, Astro will be able to borrow some special abilities from some of the PlayStation heroes. In this video, we can see Kratos sharing the awesome Leviathan Axe for Astro to use in a God of War-inspired level.
Remember to collect your four special bots in Astro’s Playroom, which are pre-loaded on your PlayStation 5. Once rescued, you can take these bots into the new game and add them to your starting crew. And in the final hours before Astro Bot launches, the developers will be hosting a special countdown celebration in Astro’s Playroom. You still have time to pre-order the game and get early access to costumes and paint for your DualSpeeder, as well as the Digital Soundtrack and Digital Artbook if you opt for the Digital Deluxe Edition.
The studio has also produced a Behind the Scenes series. These are fairly short and punchy videos, and a fun moment for the developers to sit down and reflect after months of constant work. In the first episode, members of the Asobi team discuss what it takes to make a platformer feel good. In part two, Techno Magic, we discover how Team Asobi uses technology to create moments of magic. In the third episode, PlayStation Fiesta, we find out how PlayStation cameos were created and how much collaboration with other PlayStation studios was needed to bring this celebration to life. The fourth episode was called Overflowing Charm, where the developers focused on the fun features of Astro Bot, from the graphics to the animation and all the other charming details. The finale will be Being as Asobi, which will give an insight into what it’s like to work at Team Asobi and introduce some of the studio’s young talent. There’s no word yet on when Part 2 will be released.
Astro Bot will be released on PlayStation 5 on September 6th.
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