There's a lot to see and do in Astro Bot. Even once players finish the main campaign, they can go back to previous worlds to find any bots they missed, secret exits, or just grab more coins. Even so, finding every single secret can be tricky, especially for someone new to the platforming genre. It's not a difficult game, but a player who knows what they're doing will always have the edge over one who doesn't.
Once a player has learned the basic controls, all that comes next is demonstrating their mastery of them through the various levels. Astro Bot has several gimmick levels that change up the controls slightly, but the core platforming will always remain the same. Getting to grips with the absolute basics is the most important thing, but after that, here are 10 tips for new players.
10 Players Should Take Their Time Exploring
Patience is a Virtue For a Reason
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Astro Bot's Success is an Awesome Thing For the Games Industry
Recent years have seen a huge push for live service games or rehashes of the same trendy mechanics with bloated scale and overlong development cycles. In the modern games space, nothing is more refreshing than seeing a creative title that puts fun first do exceedingly well. Astro Bot's success might finally be the sign to Sony and other huge game studios that players are ready to return to some of the nostalgic genres of yesteryear, but now with modern graphics and console power. How do you think this game's reception will have an impact on the industry moving forward?
Astro Bot is a short game, but that doesn't mean players should just blast right to the end. The developers put a lot of work into these visuals, and taking time to appreciate them might just reveal hidden paths or collectibles. Keep an eye out for anything that looks out of place, including destructible walls, patterns on the ground, or anything Astro might be able to jump on. Even if this doesn't reveal a major collectible, the keen eye will always be rewarded with coins or an adorable animation.
Stopping to smell the roses will not only reveal some secrets, it'll also increase a player's enjoyment of the experience. There are so many little details and Easter eggs scattered everywhere, and noticing them is part of Astro Bot's appeal. The cameo characters are a more obvious facet of this, but there are fun details to see in every level. Letting them all pass by unnoticed would be a shame, so players should slow down and appreciate the views.
9 Pay Attention to Collectible Totals
For Players Who Want to Find Absolutely Everything
Before heading into a world, pressing the Square button will reveal the totals of everything found so far within a world. These are crucial to pay attention to, as some collectibles may be hidden within special levels not easily accessible. Each world is 100% completable on the first visit, so if a total isn't filled out it may be worth going back and taking a second look. There might be a secret exit or an easily missed bot in one of the main levels, or there may be even more levels to uncover through exploring.
The totals for each level are helpful in seeing what's missing. Any level with a golden flag is fully completed, while a blue flag denotes a level that has been finished but still has secrets to find. If every level in a world has a golden flag, but the world itself isn't completed yet, there may be additional levels left to discover by exploring the world map.
8 Explore the World Map As Thoroughly as the Levels
It Has Secrets of Its Own
A new player may think that the world map is simply a means to an end, or a way to get from level to level. This couldn't be further from the truth, as the world map has just as many secrets as any individual level. Waiting around within a world may cause a meteor to fly by, and touching it with Astro's DualSpeeder might reveal a new level. Some meteors might take a while to appear, so simply waiting around may be the answer.
If a meteor explodes into particles of PlayStation face buttons, it's worth taking a closer look at those. Some particles will form a shape, and tracing it with the DualSpeeder will open up special, more difficult challenges. Each of these has a single cameo bot to rescue, but don't think that means it'll be easy. These are some of the most difficult levels in the game, with no checkpoints. It may take multiple tries, but reaching the end is incredibly satisfying.
7 Experiment With Abilities Whenever Possible
If It Seems Like It Could Work, It Probably Will
Astro can use a lot of abilities throughout the adventure. Initially, players may think something like the ball and mouse powers only have a single use, but with some creative thinking, they can be used in multiple ways. The mouse lets Astro shrink, but pressing the button again has him grow quickly back to normal size. By doing this in certain places, players can reveal secrets like a bot hiding under the covers. Just about every power can be used in ways like this.
Combining this with a previous tip, if there's something odd in the environment, it's highly likely Astro can use a power-up to interact with it. Some of these may be more obvious than others, but these secrets are always pretty intuitive. Again, if something seems like it could work, it probably will. Experimentation will always be rewarded -- sometimes with a few simple coins or even a secret exit. Regardless of the secret's scale, trying creative solutions is always worthwhile.
6 Players Should Look Up Any Cameos They Don't Recognize
Who's That PlayStation Character?
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The Best Part of Astro Bot
Astro Bot is the surprise video game hit of 2024 - and one of the best-rated/-reviewed games of the year. What aspect of Astro Bot have you enjoyed the most?
Astro Bot is packed to the gills with cameos and references to Sony's pantheon of characters from decades of beloved releases -- even hardcore PlayStation fans won't be able to recognize all of them. While cameos aren't the focus of the game, they do add a bit of fun and discovery. Anticipating who Astro will encounter next only to be greeted by an unknown face is disappointing, but it's an opportunity to discover something new. Younger players especially might just discover their new favorite game through these cameos.
Unfortunately, not all of the games referenced in Astro Bot are currently available. Something like Ape Escape 2 is available, though it doesn't work correctly on PlayStation 5. Even so, discovering a bit of gaming history is part of what makes Astro Bot so enjoyable. There is a mix of modern and classic titles from just about every genre, and knowing where certain characters are from may also help players find sneakily hidden bots.
5 Use Laser Beams to Defeat Tricky Enemies
A Platforming and Combat Tool
While all players will get used to Astro's double jump and hover using his laser feet, it's also incredibly helpful in combat. These lasers are required to defeat electrified enemies, but they're useful on spiked foes as well. Any time the player is wary of punching an enemy, they should use the lasers instead. It's incredibly handy in precarious situations where there's not much room to maneuver, but also to keep Astro's momentum going.
Of course, there are times not to use it as well. Some enemies are immune to the lasers, such as the screw-shaped Bolters. There are also some areas where the terrain will crumble under laser fire, so restraint is needed to keep some places Astro can stand. However, players can also use this to their advantage by destroying portions of the platform enemies are standing on, sending them plummeting into the abyss below.
4 Remember the Spin Punch as a Powerful Move in Astro's Kit
More Than Just a Way to Hit Switches
By holding down the Square button, Astro will begin charging his spin punch. This is useful for solving certain puzzles or digging holes in the ground, but it's also great for combat and destroying a bunch of destructibles at once. This move is required to defeat the aforementioned Bolters, but players should always keep it in mind when encountering a group of enemies. It's handy any time two or more foes are close together, so Astro can take them all out in one move.
If there are a lot of destructible objects in a single area, Astro can destroy them and collect the goodies inside quickly by using the spin punch. Anything moveable or destroyable, from crates to tiny blocks, is affected by the spin punch. The charge time is incredibly quick, so players can begin holding the button any time they think they might need it in the near future. It's essentially free to use, so try and get the most out of it.
3 Collect as Many Coins as Possible
Players Can Spend Coins to Unlock Cosmetics
Coins are everywhere in Astro Bot, but players might not know what they do right away. After finishing a puzzle or two by collecting enough puzzle pieces, special pavilions will open up such as the Gacha Machine where players can finally spend these coins. The Gacha Machine's rewards are random, spitting out items for cameo bots to play with, costumes for Astro, color variations for his DualSpeeder, and occasionally the useless can for the unlucky.
There are a lot of cameo bots to rescue, and each of them needs their own item from the Gacha Machine. These include things like a calling card for Joker from Persona 5, a brick for Joel from The Last of Us, and more. Players can be rewarded with coins for thoroughly exploring each level and correctly hitting the bonus container at the end by pressing R2 and L2 at the right time. There's only one other use for coins, so spend away!
2 Use the Bird For Tricky Secrets
Everyone Needs Help Sometimes
After completing a level, a bird house will appear at the start upon replay. Breaking the glass and pulling on the cord inside costs 200 coins, but will cause a helpful bird to follow Astro through the level. This bird will use sonar to point out collectibles the player has missed, with beeping getting more frequent the closer Astro is to the collectible. This sonar tracks things like bots, puzzle pieces, and secret exits, but not trophies only collectibles like the Precursor Orbs in Dude Raider or other such levels.
There's no shame in using the bird, it's there for a reason. Some of these collectibles are very cleverly hidden, and some players might not even realize a puzzle piece is hiding under some logs, for example. Sometimes the difficulty lies not in finding a collectible, but in finding a way to get to it. Players need to be on top of their game at all times to find everything in one go, and in certain levels even that's not possible thanks to branching paths.
1 Quit the Level After Getting Collectibles
It Pays to Be a Quitter
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Astro Bot Free DLC Will Add More VIP Bots From Premier Franchises
A future update for Astro Bot will add cameos from Stellar Blade, Rayman, and more.
Any collectibles acquired in Astro Bot remain acquired after players grab them. This means players are safe to exit a stage through the menu rather than heading all the way to the end each time they miss something. This can speed up a playthrough exponentially, as missing a bot at the start of the level doesn't mean a full replay of said level. It's never a hard and fast rule with any game that this will work, so knowing this is incredibly handy.
This may just be the most important tip, as it's impossible to overstate how useful this is. However, any players that take advantage of this will miss out on any coins they could have collected throughout the rest of the level. So consider what's left in the Gacha Machine before choosing to exit. Even so, coins are plentiful, and players will likely have more than enough to get everything by the end of the game. It's a trade-off, but not a terribly consequential one.
Astro Bot
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When the PS5® mothership is attacked by ASTRO's long-standing galactic nemesis, scrambling its wires and scattering the crew throughout space, only ASTRO can make things right! Setting off on his biggest mission yet, he needs your help to rescue the stranded crew and rebuild the mothership.
Platformer
OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Rating:95/100 Critics Recommend:99%
Franchise Astro Bot
Platform(s) PlayStation 5
Released September 6, 2024
Developer(s) Team Asobi
Publisher(s) Sony Interactive Entertainment
Engine Proprietary Engine
ESRB E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence
PS Plus Availability N/A
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