The final neat feature of Astro’s Playroom is the Network Speed Run challenge levels. You can do normal platforming challenge levels with Astro or ones focused on each suit to earn the best times. In between each standard platforming level are dedicated sections to unique suits for Astro. Memory Meadow, for instance, Astro becomes a little roller ball that uses the Dualsense’s trackpad for control instead of the left thumbstick. Astro’s Playroom lets you control Astro on a 3D platforming adventure across 4 different components of the PlayStation 5. You can go through Memory Meadow, a cloudy realm of wind and storms.
At its most basic, Astro’s Playroom is a fairly straightforward platforming game. You play as a cute little robot named Astro, exploring four different worlds set in a universe that appears to exist inside of a computer. You’ll collect coins, stomp on enemies, and poke around in search of secrets. There are boss battles and one-off sequences, like one where you have to pilot a small spaceship through dangerous caverns, or another where you use a bow to pick off faraway enemies.
The smooth, 60-frames-per-second gameplay makes controlling Astro a real treat. While none of the sequences are terribly difficult, there’s enough of a challenge here to keep me busy for around six hours as I chase the Platinum Trophy. The fun is to explore locations, jump between platforms and perform simple puzzles. From time to time, we also find enemies that we can avoid or overpower with fast punches. Is improved force feedback and the same funny little collection of gyros and touchscreens carried over from the DualShock 4 really the next-gen difference? I’m not entirely sure, and it may well prove to be another false dawn that, like HD rumble on the Switch, is a pleasant addition that soon fades into the background.
Encourage children to “try, try again” until they succeed while taking regular breaks. LUCK8 got to play the PS5, and we even got a better feel for how large the system is. Transcending its role as an introduction to the PS5’s features, Astro’s Playroom is a quick and delightful celebration of PlayStation’s history. Astro’s Playroom asks you over and over to fondly remember the memories that you and Grandpa PlayStation made together. But, more importantly, it’s a promise of new and treasured memories to come. However, I have been very disappointed in their increasingly silly take on PSSR.
This references 2015’s Until Dawn on PS4 by Supermassive Games. The purple beanie refers to character Ashley Brown, while the one next to it with classes is Christopher Hartley. Further along the beach from the God of War easter egg is a giant Bot head. This is a reference to 2006’s LocoRoco for PSP, developed by SIE Japan Studio. Punching it will cause it to split into many tiny heads that then merge together, referencing the signature ability of the LocoRoco.
After jumping up the trigger platforms and tripping a Checkpoint, check the right-hand side for tow Bots hiding from a third with mushrooms on its head. The mushroom Bot refers to a Clicker, a human taken over by parasitic fungi, while the two characters are Joel and Ellie. Joel is holding a brick, a common weapon and means of distraction in the game. On the right-hand side at the start of GPU Jungle is a lower platform of a Bot dancing in an orange head with blue jorts. This references 1996’s Crash Bandicoot on the PS1, developed by Naughty Dog and often considered the PlayStation’s earliest mascot-type character. The dance is the Crash dance created for Japanese ads of the game (specifically the modified one from the N-Sane Trilogy on PS4), while the mask is Aku Aku, Crash’s protector.
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The two blank slots reference the Memory Card ports, which have flaps on them. Speaking of which, on a table is a Bot observing a gold plus with the Sacred Symbols on it. This is in reference to PlayStation Plus, a premium service that launched in 2010 that offered features such as PlayStation Store discounts, automatic patch downloads and save backups. The “Twisting Metal” Trophy, awarded for jumping three times whilst Spinning on ice, is a reference to 1995’s Twisted Metal for the PS1, developed by SingleTrac. A vehicular combat game, this is the origin of the evil clown Sweet Tooth, who drives the ice cream truck featured on the game’s cover. This section only lists games whose only easter eggs were in the Trophy list.
In the second mud pit of Gusty Gateway you’ll find a Bot carrying several crates while being surrounded by crabs. This is a reference to 2020’s Death Stranding by Kojima Productions on PS4, which stars Norman Reedus as courier Sam Bridges in a post-apocalyptic America. With the way forward forged, return to the start of the level and, facing backwards to where you first started, look to the left side of the archway to spot some cables in the ground. Pull them to get a canister, which has a tiny net inside (like from Ape Escape!). First, progress through the level until you get to the controller cable tight-rope walk to the first Checkpoint, which you’ll do after crossing an island with strong winds.
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This is a reference to 2018’s Spider-Man, developed by Insomnia Games. Its sequel, Miles Morales, would be a launch title alongside Astro’s Playroom. Head up to where the checkpoint is, and on the raised platform behind the pink plant is a small outcropping. Stand here and look out to space, and the special bot will appear.
The player’s character can take damage, such as by falling off platforms, being flattened or being electrocuted. Some of the ‘boss’ characters, including a dinosaur-like character, may be scary for younger children. Provided you’ve already completed the game, all four worlds in the free PS5 pack-in adventure hides a secret bot, which can be unlocked by solving their respective riddles. Once you do, these bots will be added to your collection of bots when you play Astro Bot.
By unlocking these 4 hidden characters in Astro’s Playroom, you will be able to take them with you into the new game, Astro Bot, and add them to your starting crew. Being cheeky robots ourselves, we thought it would be fun to turn this into a treasure hunt riddle and see how long it would take anyone to figure it out. What a big surprise to see it took the community less than 3 hours to clear that riddle.
Every single device, or UMD or game disc, is lovingly crafted right down to the movable thumbsticks of a controller, or the input and output ports on the back of a console. Hopefully, this has helped you to get the most out of the free PS5 platformer. If you have any further tips, tricks, and secrets to share, please post them in the comments section below. You can keep track of the collectibles you’ve found in each level from the Map, which you can access by pushing the Options button. Once you’ve 100% completed Astro’s Playroom, consider checking out our Astro Bot PS5 guide for a full walkthrough of all the collectibles in Team ASOBI’s latest game. GPU Jungle is the fourth and final zone in the game, with Artefacts covering the PlayStation 4 era from 2013 to 2019.
The robots can also be displayed on the television instead of the controller screen by swiping up on the touch pad. When the robots are on the television, it is possible to physically interact with the robots using the PlayStation camera’s depth capabilities. As mentioned before, Astro’s Playroom demonstrates the PS5’s potential.
The illusion is incredible, making me feel way more connected to the events on screen than I would without this tension. Astro’s Playroom was a launch title for the PlayStation 5 that comes pre-installed on the console. The game is a fantastic tech demo for the DualSense controller while also being an enjoyable platformer in its own right. Astro’s Playroom has been described as a love letter to PlayStation, as the game is full of references to past and present Sony franchises.
Turn around and run to the start of the bridge to see two bots at the title screen of “Bot of War”. This title screen references 2005’s God of War for the PS2, developed by SIE Santa Monica Studio. Every single PS2 God of War was released in a PS3 collection in 2009, while the PSP duo were in 2011. Astro is a cute little robot that runs, hops, and flies across colorful worlds – each based on different components of the PS5. You splash around in the cooling unit, soar through the SSD, and explore the GPU forest. Like other mascot platformers, you also need to collect things along the way, some of which are floating in plain sight while others require some minor effort to obtain.