Astro Bot: A New Challenge, But Still Family-Friendly

Team Asobi's latest title, *Astro Bot*, marks a departure from the studio's previous VR-only releases. This new adventure is a full-fledged game for the PlayStation 5, expanding upon the charming platforming of the popular *Astro's Playroom*. While the game introduces more complex challenges, it remains approachable for families, with accessibility features and a focus on playful inclusivity.

We had the opportunity to preview *Astro Bot

with Studio Head Nicolas Doucet in Tokyo, gaining insight into the game's design, accessibility features, and captivating collection of PlayStation characters.

Doucet highlighted the team's commitment to family-friendly gaming: "The value of play brings us together, and that's why we think a lot about the audience, especially families. It's always been in our DNA, but with *Astro's Playroom*, it was a happy accident. Parents would come up to us and say, 'My son or daughter got their first Platinum trophy thanks to this game.'"

The team's desire to create a game enjoyable for players of all skill levels was apparent. While *Astro Bot

introduces more challenging gameplay, it maintains the spirit of *Astro's Playroom*. "This time around, we have a more classic game feel," Doucet explained. "We challenge the player, sometimes deliberately putting up barriers that you overcome to feel a sense of achievement. It's not quite as accessible as the previous game, where the whole thing could be completed without the hover jump, but it's still very approachable."

The demo we played showcased various difficulty levels, ranging from easily cleared areas to a challenging space level that we ran out of time on. This led us to ask about *Astro Bot*'s accessibility features.

"Accessibility is interesting," Doucet mused. "You think about adapting a game to make it accessible, but a lot of it comes down to making the game simple to play from the start. Having clear contrasts between pathways and walls, for example, helps players see the path to follow from a distance."

While the demo version we played lacked accessibility settings, Doucet described options like single-stick controls, camera re-centring, and visual aids communicated through vibrations and directional audio. The game will also support the Access Controller and offer alternatives to gyro controls.

One particularly helpful accessibility feature is a purchasable bird character that offers audio and visual cues to help players find all the hidden characters within a level. This proved very useful for ensuring we'd collected everything.

Another highlight of the game is the inclusion of numerous PlayStation characters throughout the adventure. "In *Astro's Playroom*, we had 50 pieces of hardware," Doucet shared, "but here, we have over 150 characters. We went back to PlayStation history, from the PS1 era, and included characters like Parappa and Lammy. They make up Astro's crew, as he's scattered in space, and you need to collect them and bring them back together."

While Doucet was understandably tight-lipped about some of the character reveals, he did confirm a few notable additions. Wanda, Mono, and Argo from *Shadow of the Colossus

make an appearance, as do Joel, Ellie, and a Clicker from *The Last of Us*.

Our hour-long demo flew by, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time with *Astro Bot*. This fresh take on the *Astro

universe promises a fun and accessible experience for both seasoned gamers and newcomers, with its captivating collection of PlayStation characters adding an extra layer of nostalgia. *Astro Bot* launches on the PlayStation 5 on 6th September.