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When the little robotic Astro made his PlayStation 5 debut in Astro’s Playroom, his singular mission was to introduce the brand new expertise of the PS5. Now, developer Group Asobi is working to develop him past his function as a {hardware} hype man…whereas nonetheless utilizing his adventures as a car to experiment with PS5 tech 4 years into the {hardware}’s life span.
Chatting with Group Asobi studio head Nicolas Doucet at Summer season Sport Fest, he advised me that it’s necessary for Astro to “discover its personal destiny” past being a {hardware} ambassador (as he’s been for each the PS5 and PSVR). A technique the workforce is doing that’s by letting Astro’s adventures in Astro Bot focus way more closely on his platforming than in Playroom. He describes Playroom as one thing extra like plenty of tech demos stitched collectively by platforming sections; by comparability, Astro Bot will provide power-ups for Astro that flatter the platforming in the beginning. In my preview, I acquired to make use of an inflator to offer Astro extra peak, a booster that gave him extra distance, and a punching improve that permit him combat with vary. It was all upgrades to issues Astro might already do, versus when Playroom turned Astro right into a climbing monkey for the sake of exhibiting off movement controls and adaptive triggers.
However that doesn’t imply Group Asobi is finished enjoying round with PS5 tech. Fairly the alternative, the truth is. Doucet factors out that whereas the studio makes use of the touchpad much less in Astro Bot (it doesn’t match as neatly with the thought of a platforming sport), they tried to incorporate small moments of tech play. For example, Astro enters every stage by zooming in atop a DualSense controller, which the participant can steer utilizing movement controls. “We deal with the sport as a toy essentially.”
Doucet additionally factors to a second within the reveal trailer for Astro Bot, the place the little man absorbs a bunch of water to change into big, stomps round for a bit, then will get wrung out like an enormous sponge. He tells me this was “truly a prototype that was finished individually.”
“It was like a sponge and you might squeeze water out of it with an adaptive set off, as a result of you may change the stress of the set off. So we need to see should you can have one thing feeling heavy, after which over time, feels lighter.
“That felt actually good as a demo, however it was only one massive sponge on display. That was it. So we introduced that into [Astro Bot] and mentioned, ‘What can we do with it?’ After which we thought possibly we might do a power-up. The opposite manner round would’ve been in all probability inconceivable. If any person got here with a factor on paper with out that prototype having confirmed it and mentioned, ‘I’ve acquired an concept. Let’s flip Astro right into a sponge.’ Most likely we might assume it is a bit bizarre. Let’s not do it. Perhaps we’ll strive it, possibly we can’t. However as a result of that demo was there, which is type of like a family demo. You are a sponge. It might have been a cleansing sport, proper? However ultimately, we favored that demo, so we introduced it in.”
Doucet additionally tells me a few function for Astro Bot that underwent an identical course of, the place you may “run your hand on the wall” and really feel modifications in texture to see the place a secret passage is. “It will be like in Uncharted or Indiana Jones.”
“That was one of many issues that got here out from us making an attempt to push DualSense to a brand new stage,” he continues. “It is all the time like that. By means of the life cycle of a system in direction of the top, you continue to see stuff that wasn’t doable initially.”
Past being a enjoyable platformer and a tech showcase, Doucet tells me he hopes that Astro Bot could be a “first sport” for teenagers new to video video games. He clarifies that Astro Bot isn’t meant as only a “children’ sport,” however neither is it only a “gamer’s sport.” It’s each.
“It is a duty to be doubtlessly the primary sport that some children are going to be enjoying,” he says. “And that was the case for Astro’s Playroom. We acquired plenty of tales the place individuals mentioned it was their child’s first sport, they usually performed collectively and defined to them the characters…I am positive as a gamer, you will have recollections. There are video games that form your life, proper? And if we get to be the primary one which some children are going to be enjoying, that issues quite a bit. Meaning one thing actually necessary for that household and for that little particular person. So now we have to be proud and embrace it.”
You possibly can atone for the remainder of our interview with Doucet from Summer season Sport Fest proper right here, in addition to our full hands-on preview of Astro Bot.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Bought a narrative tip? Ship it to rvalentine@ign.com.
