In every level of the game, a little piece of PlayStation’s history is hidden in many nooks and crannies. Whether it’s more recognizable products like the Memory Cards, or historic handheld devices like the PlayStation Portable, they all get stored in the Labo as a form of nostalgic lookback. What caught me off guard the most was the hub area, CPU Plaza, having surprise platforming sections along its walls that spring to life instantly. However, the gameplay highlights in Astro’s Playroom are the special suits of the four areas.

These include “It Only Does Everything” and “Welcome to the Third Place” (PS3), and “Greatness Awaits” and “For the Players” (PS4). It refers to the “Lonely Rolling Star” track from the official soundtrack. Both the game and the Trophy involve rolling a ball around so that it gets bigger and bigger. The “Cool Hoarder” Trophy, awarded for getting all the Puzzle Pieces in Cooling Springs, is named after 1996 PS1 game Cool Boarders, developed by UEP Systems.

But it’s not all suits and colorful levels to enjoy, there’s also a mountain of collectibles to find that tug on the nostalgic heartstrings of any PlayStation fan. For example, one level of SSD Speedway gives Astro a mini gun to fight against a swarm of enemies, and one level in GPU Jungle gives Astro a bow for some ranged combat. Enemies themselves are either simplistically designed slimes, enemy robots, or spring-action bird things that can take out Astro with a surge of electricity. The game’s 16 levels feature nasty little bots to defeat, and little secrets and character cameos to find, such as the Buster Sword from Final Fantasy 7 or Jin Sakai from Ghost of Tsushima. Levels have Astro jumping on fluffy clouds in Memory Meadows, skating along the ice in Cooling Springs, or blowing up asteroids in a later level in SSD Speedway. Astro’s Playroom was a tech demo dedicated to the DualSense, PlayStation 5’s signature controller.

I still remember the first time I played Super Mario 64, and how amazed I was that pushing the analog stick slightly would make Mario walk, while a stronger push would make him run. Playing F168 with the DualSense is a similar experience. One of the unlockable displays in the Gatcha Game is a house-shaped outline, which gets you the “Honey, I’m Home! This references SCE London Studio’s PlayStation Home, a Second Life-style experience launched in 2008 and closed in 2015.

Jumping Flash!

You’ll see a bot holding a camera throughout the levels as they record their companions as fellow PlayStation characters. For example, you’ll see bots dressed up as Kratos and Atreus from God of War trying to row a boat. You’ll even see a bot dressed up as Snake from Metal Gear Solid, and when you kick the box, it makes the classic alert sound each time you kick.

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When you get to the section where you have to hop along a rolling hexagon, at the start will be a Bot using a pair of golden scissors inside a frame. This references Puppeteer, a 2013 PS3 game developed by SIE Japan Studio. The game takes place entirely within a stage, with main character Kutaro who uses Calibrus, a magic pair of scissors. Once you encounter the first Shock Walls, make your way South-East into a pink area filled with spider webs you can thrust through. At the end you’ll find an Artefact, as well as a Bot hanging upside-down from the ceiling by a web.

PaRappa in particular is famous for being the first rhythm game ever created. They’re cut-outs because all the characters were 2D in their games. After the melting snow platform section down the river, on the right side you can see two Bots by a door with a Bot further on in a lab coat. This refers to 1996’s Resident Evil on the PS1, developed by Capcom.

@Froggydarren I have been watching DF reviews for a long time now, and still find their framerate analysis to be a god send as anything much less than locked 60fps makes me feel ill – literally. I always thought they missed a big trick here, and should have had Astro bot (the game) reveal the look of the Pro at the end of the game – via some sort of super power up for the mothership. They are located high up above at a tree on the hill top just ahead. To reach the tree, progress the level so you end up behind the hill, and use the PS1-shaped clouds and the steps on the rock face to climb up the wall. If done successfully, the Gran Turismo Special Bot and the “Grand Tourist” trophy will unlock.

This zone’s suit is the Frog Suit, again controlled with the Adaptive Triggers and the SIXAXIS. I’ve developed an incredibly annoying habit while playing Astro’s Playroom. In the PlayStation Labo area below the entryway is a device that lets you view all your Artefacts up close. The device is a PocketStation, a peripheral for the PS1 that was part Memory Card. Sold exclusively in Japan to popular demand, it could also be used for extra functionality in games such as Final Fantasy VIII and Monster Ranch. ” Trophy, awarded for finding all the Puzzle Pieces in SSD Speedway, is named after 1999’s Omega Boost for the PS1, developed by Polyphony Digital, the team behind Gran Turismo.

Unlike other platform games, this has a trick up its sleeve in the form of the DualSense controller’s ability to let you feel your way around levels. So often that’s where magic in video games happens, and that’s most certainly the case here. On its own, this is a beautifully crafted, exquisitely paced and absolutely gorgeous 3D platformer. Combined with the hardware it’s bundled on, it’s something very special indeed – and one of the best launch titles I can remember in an age.