In terms of basic structure and mechanics, Astro’s Playroom is not surprising; it adheres closely to a comfortable formula. But that familiarity doesn’t drag the experience down, because the DualSense controller adds novelty in fun and surprising ways. Once collected, these artifacts are sent back to the main hub of Astro’s Playroom, where you can run and bounce on giant-sized (yet photorealistic) versions of them. Astro’s Playroom is also, surprisingly, a true love letter to PlayStation history. Each of the game’s four main levels is littered with tiny nods to various PlayStation games, reenacted by adorable robots. Some are more obvious — like a robot with a bandana that pops out of a cardboard box — while others are more subtle deep cuts to the retro library (like 1995’s Jumping Flash!).

A Trip Through Memory Lane

In one of the animations, the Bot will check a clock, referencing how Dracula only returns from the dead every 100 years. Castlevania is a very important game, as it alongside Super Metroid helped establish the Metroidvania genre. A second reference to the game is the “Adequate, Boy…” Trophy, awarded for shooting all the rabbits at the end of Mt. Motherboard level in GPU Jungle. The name is a reference to Kratos always referring to his son as “boy”, as well as his habit of faint praise.

Astro’s Playroom: Dicas Essenciais Para Explorar 100% Do Jogo

It also teases that a selection of gatchas, or collectibles that can be earned via an in-game arcade machine, have been added, too. On its own, Astro’s Playroom would be a fun platforming distraction fit for younger gamers or families. Its world is vibrant and wonderfully detailed, and it looks exceptional on the PS5. But in all honesty, this isn’t so much a game as it is a showpiece for what the DualSense controller can do. And as a result, this isn’t so much a review, as it is an opportunity to highlight how well the features on the PS5 controller work.

Astro’s Playroom is a 2020 platform game developed by Japan Studio‘s Team Asobi division and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 5. A sequel to Astro Bot Rescue Mission, the game comes pre-installed on every console, serving additionally as a free tech demo for the DualSense controller. There isn’t a specific way to get these items only, you just have to keep rolling until you get them. If you want an idea of what each Gatcha ball gives, puzzle pieces are obvious, silver balls are the Gatcha Prizes, and the gold balls are the Artifacts.

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.

Puzzle Piece 2/4 – Just after the next checkpoint, there are a bunch of explosive enemies on the ground you can light using your ship thrusters. When they explode they destroy the ground, revealing an area with this puzzle piece. Puzzle Piece 1/4 – Directly to the left of the first checkpoint there is a hole you can drop down with a bunch of coins and this puzzle piece in the middle. Artifact 2/2 “DUALSHOCK 2 Controller” – When you reach the rocket ship, stay on the ground level and run to the back of the platform. Knock the pile of colored crates out of the way to find a wire pull, which reveals this artifact. Puzzle Piece 1/4 – After jumping past the first cannon, this puzzle piece is to the left of the handholds above.

With the way forward forged, return to the start of the level and, facing backwards to where you first started, look to the left side of the archway to spot some cables in the ground. Pull them to get a canister, which has a tiny net inside (like from Ape Escape!). Special Bots are hidden Bots scattered throughout each biome of Astro’s Playroom, and were added in the lead-up to the sequel, Astro Bot.

Through the controller, I can feel raindrops pitter-pattering as the sound of the storm emanates from within. When 789win 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.

If done successfully, the Gran Turismo Special Bot and the “Grand Tourist” trophy will unlock. At the top of the steps, turn around, and come back on yourself so you’re walking across the white beams at the edges. Before you do that, stand on the edge just to the left of where you need to pull the chest from the ground. Doing so reveals the riddle for this area, which is a rather cryptic space outfit. A PS5 is hard to come by, and it’s hard to get new games that make the most of its power. In the hope of tackling both problems, we begin to assemble the list of the best new games available on PlayStation 5.

This is a reference to 2002’s Monster Hunter on PS2, developed by Capcom. The use of PSPs however refers to an expanded 2006 PSP port, Monster Hunter Freedom, which was even more popular than the original. After the third and final use of the Hang Glider, on the right you’ll find a Bot in a slingshot, which you can Punch to send flying into some boxes. This references the 2007 game PAIN on PlayStation 3, developed by Idol Minds.

And yet, even when Astro is pulling off his most basic moves in familiar environments, this game feels revelatory. The PS5’s new controller combines a built-in speaker with vibrating haptics to make interacting with the world feel like it’s literally happening in your hand. Astro running across a sandy beach sounds and feels completely different than running on a fluffy cloud, for example. It is worth noting that the game is maintained in a very colorful artistic style, which may appeal to both older and younger players. Astro’s Playroom has a new tool in that regard, of course, with the PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller and its haptic feedback.