We're just days away from the release of the full-fledged Astro Bot game on PlayStation 5, and Sony has shared a launch trailer. The trailer doesn't serve as a hype video, but also a reveal of some new gameplay features you'll encounter while playing the game.
Right off the bat, we are introduced to Handy-D, a "cheeky monkey" that rides on Astro's back, allowing Astro to climb, swing, and slam using its giant hands. Astro is also equipped with Muteki, iron armor that lets him roll around spiky areas, fit inside tight spaces, or get blasted like a cannonball. And finally, the trailer reveals an ability that lets Astro shrink down into a tiny mouse. Developer Team Asobi teases that when shrunk in size, "the world, and every surrounding stomp feel huge through the DualSense wireless controller."
At the very end of the trailer, we see Astro working with dozens of bots dressed as some of PlayStation's iconic characters. There are a total of 300 bots that Astro can rescue, of which 150 are PlayStation cameos.
"We put a ton of love into animating these characters, so they re-enact funny moments from their respective games. So, no matter who your favorite PlayStation characters are, you’re bound to have a laugh with them," Team Asobi said. "Once rescued, these little guys can combine to perform group actions that let you explore more of the hub planet. In the video, you can see a few of the PlayStation characters working together to make a running wall for Astro to get to higher places."
Rescuing these PlayStation characters isn't just a collectible object. They'll actually impact your adventure through "hero gameplay." During key moments in the adventure, Astro will get to borrow some special abilities from PlayStation heroes. Team Asobi is keeping these abilities a secret for the most part, but the trailer did show how Astro will wield Kratos's Leviathan Ax in a God of War-infused level.
Astro Bot is set to launch on September 6 exclusively for PlayStation 5. You can get yourself familiar with the adventure platformer by playing Astro's Playroom, a pack-in game that comes free with every PlayStation 5. Although Astro's Playroom was designed as more of a tech demo to showcase the power of the PS5 and the features of the DualSense controller, it was popular enough to encourage Sony to develop a full-fledged game.
Sony has actually been updated Astro's Playroom these past couple of weeks to hide four special Bots throughout the stages. Once you rescue them, you'll be able to take these bots with you to the new game and add them to your starting crew. Sony will also be hosting a special celebration countdown inside Astro's Playroom a few hours before the release of Astro Bot.
Astro Bot is currently available for pre-order for $59.99 for the Standard Edition and $69.99 for the Digital Deluxe Edition, which includes Astro's Yharnam Hunter outfit, Astros's Golden Outfit, Neon Dream Dual Speeder color, Champions' Gold Dual Speeder color, 10 PSN Avatars, and a digital soundtrack and art gallery.