Well, to unlock the “Thaw, God of Thunder!” trophy in Astro Bot, you need to trick Kratos Bot into freezing Thor Bot instead. Did you know you can catch the bugs in Apes On The Loose with your net? You can find the Golden Butterfly at the very back of the Apes On The Loose level, in a bush to the right of the sky bridge where you find Sky-Walking Ape Special Bot.
Meant to mimic a dolphin-like dive ability, the controls used for this one never feel as intuitive as those for other abilities. In this level, I found it unusually tricky, albeit not exactly difficult, to collect all the secrets. It was manageable, but if any secret levels–which tend to be some of the game’s hardest–also use this mechanic, I expect them to become some of the game’s few frustrations. Like its predecessor, Astro Bot is a love letter to PlayStation–not just its current make-up, either, but its illustrious history.
Bathhouse Battle Secret Exit
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.
Astro Bot is also meant to be a DualSense showcase, and it certainly does a lot there, though I continue to feel like the controller’s most passionate fans are within the company itself. In the few instances where the hero isn’t wearing an ability, the game still finds ways to reinvent itself. But once that awesome level was finished, I never saw the mechanic used again. Astro Bot feels like it’s showing off at times, but never in a way that pats itself on its back. It’s ceaselessly cute and clever, and feels more like a little kid delighted to show you their toy collection than a braggart displaying their trophies. The only ability that doesn’t work as cleanly as others is the one used in an underwater level.
I always enjoy Christmas themes in games, as I’m a sucker for all things Christmas. If you’re looking for something to play over the holidays, even if you already cleared it last year, we can’t recommend it enough. If you go the digital download route, you can grab the game in a digital standard or digital deluxe version. You’ll miss out on the double-sided poster, but still get all the preorder bonuses listed above. If you preorder the physical edition of Astro Bot ahead of its September 6 release date, you’ll get an exclusive double-sided poster. The cherry on the cake was the reveal that a slightly tweaked version of the Astro Bot DualSense will be available to pre-order later this year.
It’s a sustained tech demo, one that never runs out of new wonders to show you, new marvels to fling at you and swiftly discard. Previous Astro Bot games have been employed to showcase new bits of kit. It feels like Sony is trying to channel its whole spirit into this game. Astro Bot is a glimpse of what Sony wants you to understand that it believes that it is. It has the boundless cheer of a group of people coming together and trying to be their best selves. This is more of a nitpick, mainly because the game is actually catered to everyone.
What Are All Special Bots In Astro Bot? Specter – Albino Antagonist
They even announced that the game will be receiving free DLC in the near future. If there’s one thing to criticize, it’s the exclusivity and the need to buy a PS5 to experience this masterpiece. Everyone should be able to experience this kind of fun, as with the amount of games there are, it’s only a few games that really go the distance. As a platformer, Astro Bot is definitely the best to come this year.
The ball form in Astro Bot is sort of like the ball form in the Metroid series with Samus. Samus, unfortunately, is still vulnerable to attacks in her ball form, so in a one-on-one dual, Astro Bot will probably come out on top. There is another rolling device worth mentioning in passing via an Armadillo which appears mostly in bonus stages. Players can ride on it but this Armadillo is more of a vehicle than a power-up as it doesn’t strap onto Astro Bot and thus doesn’t give him invulnerability. These levels are more difficult and aim to test jumping skills. And of course, each comes with a new Special Bot to rescue, too.
There are some levels in here that almost had me pulling my hair out (in the best sort of way). But regardless of the difficulty scale, you feel so cool when you figure out the latest mechanics or platforming puzzle. It’s structured in a way too where if you want to dig into the difficult stuff you can, but if you want to keep things simple with the main campaign, you can also do that.
That means that I rarely need to stop moving to take care of a few pesky bots. An extra level of difficulty can be found in the semi-hidden trial-like stages found by exploring among the overworld’s stars, though. These short sprints are littered with fast-moving objects, numerous enemies, and precise gaps to hop across that are designed to trip you up. Throw a complete lack of checkpoints into the mix as well, and these are easily some of the toughest tasks in Astro Bot, with a final level that’s a real tough nut to crack. HM88 ’s a non-stop gauntlet of quickfire threats that made me piece together everything I had learned up until that point in a frantic, but still fun test.
They compared it to Super Mario Odyssey but noted it still feels unique. IGN gave it a 9/10, calling it a fantastically inventive platformer filled with PlayStation memories. While most levels are linear, they highlighted some as exceptionally enjoyable and creative.
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.
If you didn’t buy the game (which I’m guessing is the case) they don’t owe you anything. The dev that was interviewed even said specifically “I only make kids games” which is confirmed by the age rating of 7. Astrobot does a great job but even if I am fine with the few that gave 10s then the 9s of those going oh it’s not game of the year material. Same with racing, my favourite racing games are from the past because modern ones suck. Nothing else has come close this gen. So it’s great to hear the follow up game is even better. I play with my controller mic off by default, and I’d find lifting it up to my mouth to be immersion-breaking.
It’s pretty worthwhile and honestly a lot of fun to reap sweet rewards from your treasure hunting. While it may seem simple enough, there are a lot of things to do in the over fifty levels Astro Bot has to offer. Check every corner, hit every object or look below every platform and you may find a secret cord or passageway to a Puzzle Piece, Bot or even a Vortex to a secret world! The biggest evolution of the cameo characters, however, is that four of them will actually lend you their weapons, which Astro needs to use in stages specifically designed for each one. When Astro boops his head on an impassable ceiling, he makes the sweetest little flinching motion.