This bird, which seems to be nameless, actually pings any remaining collectibles in the level. This includes all undiscovered bots, puzzle pieces, and Void levels, which are the secret levels found within other levels (as opposed to those found in the space map). The bird pings collectibles from quite far away, and the pinging intensifies as you get closer. Some platformers are really safe in their level design/movesets so you bet I’m critical. The second highlighted moment comes after Mighty Chewy has been vanquished.

There are even more surprises to be found, but players will have to discover those for themselves. Scattered across its intergalactic world are literally hundreds of hidden bots for Astro to find. A good chunk of these are PlayStation/gaming-themed, making them more than just a simple collectible to discover. While 3D platformers are not necessarily considered the most technically demanding genre, Astro Bot takes those sorts of preconceived notions and jettisons them into the vastness of space. Getting bigger is great, but shrinking down leads to some better creativity in the level’s design. From hopping around tiny mushrooms to grinding on clotheslines, Downsize Surprise overall is a delightful level thanks to the Mouse power-up and unfortunately, Astro Bot doesn’t feature it as much as it should.

Bursting to the seams with charm, Astro Bot is an inventive, nostalgia-fuelled platformer of the highest order. ASTRO BOT is the award-winning, critically acclaimed platforming adventure, exclusive to PlayStation®5. Blast across more than 50 vibrant planets, discover new powers, and team up with iconic PlayStation heroes in a galaxy-spanning journey full of fun and surprises.

You won’t explore past PlayStation consoles, but the mothership you’re trying to repair is just a giant PS5, and the spaceship you use to explore the overworld is a DualSense controller with wings. It feels a bit like that meme of Obama awarding Obama a medal, but it’s not distracting, so ultimately, it’s fine. In another that sees Astro shrink to the size of a mouse, the miniature world reveals new woodsy and backyard-like scenery that regular-sized Astro couldn’t reach. Some levels even drastically change the art style, as seen in a series of voxel-art levels I was glad to discover each time, or some others I dare not spoil. A new batch of five levels were added in July 2025, adding five new cameo bots including a couple of Final Fantasy characters. Astro Bot speed running levels have begun rolling out as weekly updates, adding two new cameo bots with each level.

What Are All Special Bots In Astro Bot? Teddie – Adorable Shadow

I grudged having to play through my most anticipated game of the year before getting to play more Astro Bot – that’s how good this game is. Like Stephen has mentioned, this is an endlessly inventive title that joyously plays around with the level design, the mechanics, and the themes of every level. There are enough ideas in Astro Bot to fill a dozen regular games. The power-ups flesh out Astro’s move set which, on its own, is fairly simplistic. However, while his range of moves isn’t particularly deep, they’re executed excellently.

This Is Game Of The Year

I’ll open a chest and there will be lumps of gold rolling around at the bottom. In one completely dazzling level I was given a magnet, and soon I was vacuuming up metal bars by the dozen and spray cans by the hundreds, all ready to form a bait ball I could fling at a distant target. As of writing, there is no information regarding the game receiving a PC version.

That leads me through a fantastic puzzle-platformer gauntlet where I need to shrink down to climb into a lock or hop up a tree’s leaves. Another level drops me in a casino and puts a time-slowing PSVR on Astro’s head. I use that ability to freeze a giant slot machine as it rains down chips, turning them into platforms. Ingenious one-off mechanics like this feel like they could serve as the basis for an entire game; that’s how well-crafted they are. According to the game’s reveal trailer and details shared on the official PlayStation Blog, Astro Bot will feature over 80 levels spread across six galaxies players will explore. That makes Astro Bot a significantly bigger adventure than Astro’s Playroom and PSVR’s Astro Bot Rescue Mission.

Crash Site Vip Bots

Each galaxy you arrive in houses several secrets to uncover in the overworld, and even levels themselves have hidden bonus stages. This game’s secrets have secrets, with more hidden levels being revealed at a steady clip whenever you inch closer to polishing off each galaxy’s to-do list. There are 300 in total, though you only need 200 to face the final boss, and over half of them are dressed up as iconic characters from video game history. With the basics on lock, Team Asobi lets players focus on Astro Bot’s wildly inventive level design. In one level, I get a power-up that lets me shrink Astro down to the size of an ant on command.

With only one of the new Bot’s identities confirmed so far, that leaves the door open for more cameos fans have been waiting for. During today’s State of Play, Team Asobi’s lead announced that Astro Bot is getting five more challenge levels later this month as part of another free update. s8 update isn’t far off either, as it was confirmed that the new levels will start dropping before the end of June. 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.