The list goes on, and while some mechanics feel like gimmicks (steering with motion controls will never be fun), the majority of them are cool. Even more than that, they make a substantial difference in your connection to the action, conveying an amazing tactile sense of the world. The slight downside is that Astro’s Playroom is concise, as completing the game will take you an hour and a half. However, there are many collectibles to obtain, and Team Asobi has added free content updates. If you ever wanted to earn a platinum trophy, this is the game to do it.

Through the controller, I can feel raindrops pitter-pattering as the sound of the storm emanates from within. When Astro walks under an overhang, the rain vibrations stop, but the sound of the rain keeps going inside the controller. Find release dates and scores for every major upcoming and recent video game release for all platforms, updated several times per week. The song “I Am Astro Bot [Playroom Remix],” which repeats the title and plays on the opening menu, is enough to make it a catchy earworm. While it’s not the game’s fault, it makes every exclusive PS5 game feel like it lacks DualSense exclusivity.

Instead of jumping left to the next Checkpoint, you should jump up the ledges on the rock wall to get to the top. OK 8386 of the game has at least a few checkpoints, so do not worry if Astro is accidentally killed. Especially if he’s grabbed a collector’s item while performing a difficult stunt.

As such, if they are moving over a very narrow stretch of terrain, it might be best for them to stay ground-bound for the duration. It comes pre-installed on the PS5, which makes sense because it serves as a tech demo for the DualSense controller. The little robot that couldSince this is a free pack-in game there is no deliberation required on whether or not you should buy Astro’s Playroom — you’ve already got access to it for free if you own a PS5. The question is should you play it and the answer is a resounding yes if you’ve ever found yourself nostalgic for PlayStation as a brand or if you enjoy 3D platformers. I mentioned this already in my Astro’s Playroom preview, but it really can’t be overstated how innovative the DualSense PS5 Controller is and just how effective Astro’s Playroom is at showing it off. From the opening moments when it teaches you about the adaptive triggers and haptic feedback it never stops impressing all the way until the very end.

The strapline used in Astro’s Playroom is a cheeky reference to media confusion regarding what the Processor Unit actually did, initially thought to give the PS4 extra processing power for VR titles. Instead of using an infrared light bar, movement was tracked using the soft light ball on top via the PS Eye Camera, and rotation by the internal SIXAXIS. This made it slightly more advanced than a Wiimote, until the Wii MotionPlus released. [newline]The PS Move controller later made a comeback as the hand tracking method for the PlayStation VR. The colloquially titled “Super Slim” marked the PlayStation 3 as the second PlayStation to receive more than one exterior design revision, after the PSP (which had five).

Punching it will cause it to split into many tiny heads that then merge together, referencing the signature ability of the LocoRoco. At the start of Deep Dataspace, check the right-hand side for a lower area where a Bot in a red trench coat is constantly firing on a jester-looking Bot. This references 2001’s Devil May Cry on PS2, developed by Capcom Production Studio 4. This scene depicts protagonist Dante keeping a Marionette enemy in the air by constantly shooting at him, showcasing the franchise’s famous juggling mechanic.

Each of them can be completed in around a minute or less and there’s a leaderboard to see how you stack up. The final boss is a deep cut reference to a classic PS1 tech demo that you’ll immediately recognize if you’ve been gaming with PlayStation long enough and it was a real treat to experience. Puzzle Piece 4/4 – Once you reach the section of the level where it is raining, before going up the dark wall, jump to the platform on the right to reach this puzzle piece. Puzzle Piece 1/4 – Right at the start of the level, cross the tightrope and jump across to reach this puzzle piece. Artifact 2/2 “EyeToy Camera” – At the next checkpoint you can obtain the machine gun, which allows you to shoot through glass walls. Take the machine gun back to where puzzle piece 3 was, where you might have noticed a box with a wire pull in it.

Miscellaneous Trophies

You also ping Astro into action with a flick of the touchpad and zip up his various special suits by running your finger upwards. It is easy to dismiss Astro’s Playroom as a child’s game, given the artistic design; however, it is more than that and can appeal to a larger audience. While it isn’t necessarily hard, some levels are quite challenging. As Astro, players must clear hordes of enemies by spinning toward them or, in some cases, using a gun to get through. We’ll be playing Astro Bot for our readers and will have our thoughts ready in time for the game’s launch.

Accessibility Features

Polygon Recommends is our way of endorsing our favorite games, movies, TV shows, comics, tabletop books, and entertainment experiences. When we award the Polygon Recommends badge, it’s because we believe the recipient is uniquely thought-provoking, entertaining, inventive, or fun — and worth fitting into your schedule. If you want curated lists of our favorite media, check out What to Play and What to Watch. Been with gamepressure.com since 2019, mostly writing game guides but you can also find me geeking out about LEGO (huge collection, btw). Even with a ton of games, sometimes I just gotta fire up Harvest Moon, Stardew Valley, KOTOR, or Baldur’s Gate 2 (Shadows of Amn, the OG, not that Throne of Bhaal stuff). When I’m not gaming, I’m probably painting miniatures or admiring my collection of retro consoles.

Coin Collection Strategies

In the PlayStation Labo area is a Bot sadly trying to make sense of a pile of shapes. This is referencing PS4 launch title Knack, released in 2013 and developed by SCE Japan Studio. The shapes are what Knack is made of, and he was designed to showcase the power of the PlayStation 4 by being made up of thousands of objects. It’s a reference to Symphony of the Night thanks to the blonde hair.

But in the case of the DualSense, for the first time ever really, I feel like it actually enhances and changes the game for the better. Puzzle Piece 4/4 – When going down the section where you are blown by two clouds, make sure to stick to the right after the second cloud to get bounced to this puzzle piece. Artifact 1/2 “PlayStation Memory Card” – Just ahead there will be a split in the road with a path on the left with a danger sign.

But, much like with the hardware artifacts, every era of PlayStation is represented in some truly hilarious ways. Artifact 1/2 “Buzz Controller”– At the first hang glider section, you need to try and reach the upper platform to the left of the platform you’re aiming for. If you miss and trigger the checkpoint on the lower platform you’ll need to restart the level to try again, if you don’t trigger it you can just jump off the side. To fly as far as possible you should hold the controller tilted back the whole way, then jump when you want to drop.

To find the special bot in GPU Jungle, head to the Renderforest area. The gameplay features minimal cartoonish violence across each stage. For PlayStation die-hards, a run through Astro’s Playroom will be true bliss. Thanks to analytics company Newzoo, we learned what kind of next-gen games Americans played in the first days after the launch of PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Most of them involve collectibles and completing specific parts of the story.

Artifact 2/2 “PlayStation Mouse” – In the section where you are meant to jump across the clouds, instead of going towards the checkpoint you should jump onto the cliff ledges which lead higher up. From there you can climb up to the top section on the right to find this artifact. Puzzle Piece 2/4– In the area with the first blowing cloud, run against the wind to grab this puzzle piece. Puzzle Piece 4/4 – When you exit the caves and are out of the ship, drop down to the lower floor to find this puzzle piece underneath some glass. Artifact 2/2 “PS2 Memory Card” – Hold both triggers down fullying to puh yourself through the two purple spiderwebs to find this artifact on the other side. Puzzle Piece 3/4 – When you see the electrical hazards, continue to the right where you see the purple webs instead of continuing up.