I consider myself a decent platforming player, but I know my limits on having perfect reaction timing. af88 — a PS5, finally filling a role it’s always looked designed to play — crash lands on a desert world at the centre of several nearby galaxies. These systems house the game’s stages, where you’ll spend most of your time, but you’ll also regularly return to the hub world, which evolves and expands as you progress. It falls into a great rhythm of exploring each galaxy and its stages, then returning to the hub to drop off your robot buddies and discover new things to see and do.

To unlock the Royally Stuck trophy you need to first collect The Prince Special Bot (aka Katamari Damacy) on Downsize Surprise world in the Tentacle System. The next step is to unlock the Rolling Star Gatcha Collectible from the Gatcha Lab. Look for Kratos Bot and Thor Bot near the bridge that leads to the Jungle Temple at your Crash Site (northwest of the crashed Mothership).

Downloadable Content

Trophy in Astro Bot in the Slo-Mo Casino world of Serpent Starway. Look for the four golden slot machines by the third checkpoint in Slo-Mo Casino (right after you enter the casino doors). Did you know you can use your Twin-Frog Gloves Power Up to beat up two Wormys at once? Yep, while exploring the Wormy Passage world, be sure to keep an eye out for a pair of two or more Wormys (green worm enemies). Press both your left and right trigger (L2 and R2) to punch your left and right Twin-Frog Glove into the mouths of the Wormys. Did you know you can catch the bugs in Apes On The Loose with your net?

Astro Bot’s not the largest game in the world — you’ll perhaps see the credits roll in hours or so. Those aiming to rescue every robot, complete every challenge, find every jigsaw piece and unlock every trophy, however, will probably end up playing for around 20 hours or more. It’s the type of game that you’re likely to return to as well, simply because of its feel-good nature. It’s a heartwarming and flawless experience, and a 3D platforming masterpiece. While there’s plenty to like about the hub, which we’ll get into later, the main attraction is the game’s range of levels, which are as varied, playful, and fun as you’d hope.

Simon Cardy’s Top 20 Playstation Exclusives

Along the way, he rescues V.I.P. Bots (guest characters from other games) and explores planets based on Ape Escape, God of War, Uncharted, LocoRoco, and Horizon. Pay the 200-coin fee, then pull on the wires to reveal a robot bird. This bird, which seems to be nameless, actually pings any remaining collectibles in the level.

Astro Bot is the first PlayStation exclusive since then that truly believes in that mission statement. As I wistfully reflected on that, I was hit by a pang of bittersweet sadness. Most of the colorful mascots I was reuniting with simply don’t exist anymore. Over the past 10 years, PlayStation has entirely narrowed its focus on a few key franchises. God of War and The Last of Us have become standby franchises, while the Crash Bandicoots and Ape Escapes of the world die out.

Irritate some ground-bound enemies into following you, then hop into or behind the square enclosure (yes, there’s enough space for you to stand between the wire and the rock). This should lure additional enemies into the wire, getting you the trophy. You unlock Photo Mode at the same time you unlock Safari Park at the Crash Site, by picking up the camera as soon as you enter the building. This will take a total of 64 Puzzle Pieces, or four groups of 16.

Astro Bot has proven to be not only one of Sony’s most successful games but one of the most successful games of all time, at least critically speaking. That’s not to say that Astro Bot — a lavishly produced, classic platform game starring Asobi’s robot mascot — shirks its promotional duties, or cuts the ties between its irrepressible lead character and the hardware he lives on. The game is soaked through with PlayStation branding and fan service, almost to a fault.

One of them is a set of cymbals that moves the platforms of the world around that other, lesser games might build their whole universe around. Astro Bot puts it in the final treat that you only get to even play if you beat every other level, including all the secret ones (and boy, are there a lot of secret ones). But it’s not just PS1 reminiscing that makes Astro Bot so great—not by a long shot. A true audiovisual tour-de-force, Astro Bot makes full use of the PS5’s DualSense controller, utilizing it in ingenious, but also somehow obvious, ways to maximize enjoyment. And “enjoyment” is certainly an apt descriptor, as few modern games are capable of evoking the sense of childlike joy that Astro Bot excels at, regardless of player age. Strong and varied platforming mechanics are other building blocks of Astro’s gameplay, allowing for exhilarating and unexpected interactive opportunities.

Interstellar Bots

To score your Platinum trophy in the PlayStation classic Astro Bot, you must first collect all other Astro Bot trophies. This means not only 100%ing Astro Bot (collecting all Rescued Bots, Puzzle Pieces, and 150 out of 169 Gacha Lab prizes) but uncovering all the little secrets and PlayStation easter eggs which unlock trophies. The news that fans can expect more Astro Bot was met with praise, though some hoped it would not lead to a yearly release schedule. Part of Astro Bot’s success was the lengthy development time and attention given to the game.

On top of all this, Astro Bot is basically a tribute to PlayStation’s history and, in fact, in some ways, the medium as a whole. Sometimes there’s just basic, fun references to classic characters, in-world jokes using PlayStation hardware including zip lines made from PS1 controller cords and the like. However, at other points, you take on the powers of key guest characters from PlayStation’s past.

Even within a level, an ability is used in several different and creative ways, but always stemming from its singular mechanic featured in that level. It ramps up the platforming and combat sequences via an approachable but challenging incline and chains these little moments together in such a way that there’s never a lull in any level. Whereas many platformers may drill down on a key feature or small set of features, Astro Bot displays confidence by often disposing of exciting new tools shortly after introducing them. It expresses iteration in cycles of five minutes each, rather than iterating on one idea for five or more hours, which I find both refreshing and bold. The only other game I’ve seen that’s similarly willing to dispose of cool ideas like this is It Takes Two, and Astro Bot does it more often and with more enjoyable mechanics. There is both depth and breadth to most levels, and frequent checkpoints mean you’ll rarely be punished for exploration or missing a jump.