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Astro Bot (series)

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Astro Bot
Genre(s)Platform
Augmented reality
Developer(s)Japan Studio
Team Asobi
Publisher(s)Sony Interactive Entertainment
Creator(s)Nicolas Doucet
Platform(s)PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
First releaseThe Playroom
November 15, 2013
Latest releaseAstro Bot
September 6, 2024

Astro Bot[a] is a video game series[1] of augmented reality and platform games developed by Team Asobi, originally a group within Japan Studio, and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The series began with the launch title The Playroom for PlayStation 4 in 2013.

Setting

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Each game in the Astro Bot series takes place within PlayStation peripherals and consoles. Games in the series released on the PlayStation 4 took place within the player's DualShock 4 controller. Games released on the PlayStation 5 take place inside the player's PlayStation 5 console.

Gameplay

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Games

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Release timeline
2013The Playroom
2014–2015
2016The Playroom VR
2017
2018Rescue Mission
2019
2020Astro's Playroom
2021–2023
2024Astro Bot
Overview of Astro Bot video games
Year Title Developer Platforms
2013 The Playroom Japan Studio
Team Asobi[b] 		PlayStation 4
2016 The Playroom VR
2018 Astro Bot Rescue Mission
2020 Astro's Playroom PlayStation 5
2024 Astro Bot Team Asobi

The Playroom

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Main article: The Playroom (2013 video game)

The Playroom is a collection of augmented reality mini-games meant to demonstrate the use of the PlayStation Camera and the DualShock 4 controller, and comes preloaded with all PlayStation 4 consoles. The PlayStation Camera accessory is required to play the game.[2] If a camera is not present, only a trailer for The Playroom will be displayed and the game cannot be accessed. Firesprite, a studio founded by former employees of Studio Liverpool, worked on the visuals. Downloadable content is free, with Double Fine assisting in development.[3]

The Playroom VR

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See also: The Playroom VR

The Playroom VR, is a virtual reality game released on October 13, 2016.[4] It contains a series of asymmetrical multiplayer minigames to demonstrate the features of PlayStation VR (running on the PlayStation 4). It comes free with the VR headset and contains six minigames: Cat and Mouse, Monster Escape, Wanted, Toy Wars, Ghost House, and Robots Rescue.

Astro Bot Rescue Mission

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Main article: Astro Bot Rescue Mission

Rescue Mission stars a cast of robot characters first introduced in The Playroom, where they appeared as robots that lived inside of the DualShock 4 controller. In the game, the player teams up with Captain Astro and goes on a quest to rescue his lost crew scattered across different worlds.

Astro's Playroom

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Main article: Astro's Playroom

Similarly to The Playroom for PlayStation 4, Astro's Playroom comes pre-installed on every PlayStation 5, serving as a sequel to Rescue Mission and additionally as a free tech demo for the DualSense controller.[5][6][7][8]

Astro's Playroom was announced on June 11, 2020, at the PlayStation 5 reveal event,[9] was released on November 12, 2020, and was the final game released by Japan Studio before their dissolution in April 2021. Team Asobi was formally spun off into an independent studio within Sony's PlayStation Studios in June 2021.

Astro Bot

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Main article: Astro Bot

Astro Bot, was announced on May 30, 2024, and was released for the PlayStation 5 on September 6, 2024.[10] It was the first game featuring Astro not to be developed by Japan Studio due to its dissolution. The game was released in celebration of PlayStation's 30th anniversary. Astro Bot won multiple awards, including Game of the Year.[11]

Reception

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Aggregate review scores
Game Metacritic
The Playroom —
The Playroom VR 77/100[12]
Astro Bot Rescue Mission 90/100[13]
Astro's Playroom 83/100[14]
Astro Bot 94/100[15]

While the original game does not have an aggregate score according to Metacritic,[16] The Playroom VR and Astro's Playroom received "generally favorable reviews" based on six and seventy-two critic reviews, respectively.[12] Simon Fitzgerald of Push Square called The Playroom VR a "good collection of couch co-op mini-games that demonstrate the capabilities of the VR headset superbly. Although a few of the games you'll play once and never touch again, Robots Rescue is a standout experience that you'll wish was a fully-fledged game in itself."

According to Metacritic, Rescue Mission and Astro Bot are both critically acclaimed based on over fifty reviews for each game.[13][15] The former won and was nominated for numerous awards and is the highest rated VR game on Metacritic, and many publications have referred to the latter as a masterpiece released in the ninth generation of video game consoles.[17][18][19]

Sales

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Notes

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  1. ^ Japanese: アストロボット, Hepburn: Asutorobotto
  2. ^ Additional artwork by Firesprite, My Alien Buddy downloadable content by Double Fine Productions.

References

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  1. ^ "Introducing Team Asobi, creators of the Astro Bot series". June 2, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  2. ^ "Reminder: Playroom Will Be Pre-Installed on Every PlayStation 4". August 20, 2013. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  3. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (December 6, 2013). "From the ashes of WipEout dev Studio Liverpool rises Firesprite". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on December 8, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  4. ^ Fitzgerald, Simon (October 25, 2016). "Review: The Playroom VR (PS4)". Push Square. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  5. ^ Gartenberg, Chaim (July 17, 2020). "PlayStation 5 pack-in Astro's Playroom is a DualSense controller demo". The Verge. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  6. ^ "Astro's Playroom preview: PS5's free pack-in is more than just a tech demo". Android Central. October 27, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  7. ^ "Astro's Playroom brings adorable 3D platforming to PS5". VentureBeat. June 11, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  8. ^ Avard, Alex (June 12, 2020). "Astro's Playroom is a free PS5 game pre-loaded onto the console at launch". GamesRadar+. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  9. ^ "Astro's Playroom Coming To PS5, No Mention Of VR Support". UploadVR. June 11, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  10. ^ "Astro Bot arrives on PS5 September 6". PlayStation.Blog. May 30, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  11. ^ Moore, Bo (December 13, 2024). "The Game Awards 2024 Winners: The Full List". IGN. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  12. ^ a b "The Playroom VR". Metacritic. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  13. ^ a b "Astro Bot Rescue Mission". Metacritic. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  14. ^ "Astro's Playroom". Metacritic. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Astro Bot". Metacritic. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  16. ^ "The Playroom". Metacritic. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  17. ^ "Astro Bot Review - A Masterpiece, Not A Museum". September 5, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  18. ^ "Astro Bot is virtually flawless and a joyous celebration of gaming". Eurogamer. September 5, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  19. ^ "Astro Bot Review: A Platforming Masterpiece". September 13, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
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