The simplest PlayStation nods of all are the V.I.P. Bots based mostly off of PlayStation’s huge gaming library, stretching way back to video games launched within the ‘90s for the unique PlayStation. Of the 300 Bots to rescue within the recreation, over half of them are V.I.P. Bots, nodding to the first-party properties that Sony is actively creating and selling, reminiscent of Horizon and The Final of Us, in addition to older properties Sony hasn’t labored on in years, like Shadow of the Colossus and PaRappa the Rapper. Even the initially Japanese unique title Vib-Ribbon will get its personal V.I.P. Bot, showcasing the breadth of historical past lined in Astro Bot.
This extends to third-party properties too that, whereas not solely unique to Sony consoles, every performed a serious position in serving to make PlayStation the juggernaut model it’s right this moment. Konami’s Metallic Gear Stable and Silent Hill characters seem prominently as V.I.P. Bots, as do characters from Capcom’s Resident Evil and Satan Could Cry. With the prevalent presence of those properties which have been launched and located success on different firms’ platforms, Astro Bot isn’t simply enjoying the Sony hits, however the whole lot that made PlayStation nice.
Mixing Previous and Future
Greater than only a parade of cameos, there are additionally a lot of themed ranges in Astro Bot, together with a number of that function epilogues after defeating every world’s boss. Every of those ranges are modeled after main Sony gaming properties, and even deliver again the acquainted soundtracks from these video games, along with introducing much more V.I.P. Bots for Astro to search out and rescue. Whereas retaining the core gameplay of Astro Bot, these ranges additionally replicate the gameplay sensibilities of the properties that they’re homaging, in some instances going so far as to really feel like a bonafide revival of a recreation sequence.
For those who’re in search of an epic hack-and-slash journey, there’s a God of Conflict: Ragnarok stage that retains issues family-friendly whereas evoking Kratos’ battle towards the gods. The gun-toting action-adventure of Uncharted will get its personal stage, with Astro channeling his inside Nathan Drake as he fends off baddies whereas exploring historical ruins long-lost to nature.
Among the many most stunning is a stage modeled after Ape Escape, a Sony franchise dormant since 2010, with Astro searching down errant chimps across the stage. Launched in 1999, Ape Escape was one of many greatest successes within the remaining years of the unique PlayStation, mixing puzzle-solving with 3D platforming, making it a pure alternative for homage in Astro Bot. Although Ape Escape would spawn a line of sequels and spinoffs, even getting straight referenced in Metallic Gear Stable 3 and LittleBigPlanet, Sony hasn’t accomplished something substantial with the franchise since PlayStation Transfer Ape Escape for the PlayStation 3 in 2010.
What Astro Bot primarily does in its homage to the franchise is give gamers a brand-new Ape Escape stage, with Astro taking the bodily look of Spike, the recurring Ape Escape protagonist. Armed with Spike’s trusty Monkey Web, Astro tracks down Ape Bots hiding all through the extent and catches every of them, the acquainted music and visible presentation of Ape Escape additional setting the temper.
