Astro Bothas become a rousing success for Sony since its release at the end of 2024. Between its glowing critical and commercial success and its numerous Game of the Year wins,Astro Bothas charmed and delighted audiences of all ages. Between its clever platforming gameplay and loving odes to Sony’s long history, it stands out as one of the best games on the PlayStation 5 today.
Between its success and Sony’s previous entry in the series,Astro’s Playroom, it appearsAstro Bothas become the new premier platformer franchisefor the PlayStation family of consoles. As Sony has made several bigger, darker, and flashier titles,Astro Botis its opportunity to keep things simple and old-school with a widely appealing platformer. While its success should influence Sony to keep the series going, this shouldn’t dissuade Sony from making games in another platformer franchise:LittleBigPlanet.
LittleBigPlanet Can Co-Exist Alongside Astro Bot
LittleBigPlanet Was Sony’s Astro Bot Before Astro Bot
BeforeAstro Botwas making its way onto the PlayStation and bringing its blend of old-fashioned charm,LittleBigPlanetwas Sony’s major platformer franchiseon the PlayStation 3. The first two titles became some of the most beloved games on Sony’s seventh-generation machine, and they brought that all-ages joy at a time when Sony’s first-party titles were starting to grow up. The franchise continued on the PlayStation 4 with its third entry, albeit with less involvement from the franchise’s main developer, Media Molecule.
With the developer inevitably moving its focus to working on 2020’sDreams, theLittleBigPlanetfranchise continued on withSackboy: A Big Adventureon the PlayStation 5. Now developed by Sumo Digital, this title represented a change-up for the franchise, playing out like a straightforward 3D platformer as opposed to the side-scrolling predecessors. Furthermore, this game also did away with the content creation elements that made the first threeLittleBigPlanetgames so unique.
LittleBigPlanet’s Creative Elements Set It Apart From Astro Bot
WithAstro’s Playroombeing a pre-installed game on every PlayStation 5, it felt like it took away some of the shine thatSackboy: A Big Adventuremay have gotten at the console’s launch. Thus, between that andAstro Bot’s release,theLittleBigPlanetseries has taken something of a backseatfor Sony as of late. There’s plenty of room for Sony to keep the franchise going, however, andAstro Bot’s success shouldn’t dissuade Sony from making moreLittleBigPlanetgames.
After all,LittleBigPlanetis distinct fromAstro Botin its creative elements. WhileLittleBigPlanetwas always a fun platformer on its own, one of its biggest selling points was its level editor, which allowed players to create their own stages and share them online with others. There’s still a market for creative platformers like this - look no further than Nintendo’s rousing success withSuper Mario Maker 2- and a newLittleBigPlanetgame could fit perfectly alongside other comparable titles on the market.
Astro Bot’s success shouldn’t dissuade Sony from making moreLittleBigPlanetgames.
LittleBigPlanet Could Be The 2D Brother To Astro Bot’s 3D Gameplay
LittleBigPlanetwould also sit nicely next toAstro Botby returning to its pre-2020 roots. WhileSackboy: A Big Adventurewas the first title in the series to be a fully 3D platformer,LittleBigPlanetwas always a side-scrolling 2.5D franchise. Now thatAstro Bothas filled the gap for a 3D platformer in Sony’s wheelhouse,LittleBigPlanetcan sit alongside it as a side-scrolling counterpart, giving Sony a strong footing in both platforming styles.
Whether Sony chooses to continueLittleBigPlanetor letAstro Botfill its gap, Sackboy will still appear throughout several Sony games. Even so, it feels likeAstro Bot’s success wouldn’t overshadowLittleBigPlanet, and a new title could differentiate itself from PlayStation’s other platforming masterpiece. Here’s hoping Sony continues to bring platformer goodness and charm to gamers through bothAstro BotandLittleBigPlanet.
