Astro Botis an undeniable hit, reaching the same heights as seminal platforming IP likeSuper Mario—something that’s no small feat, to be sure. But as Sony and developer Team Asobi look to the future, it will be interesting to see ifAstro Botcan maintain its strong momentum, growing into a genuinely healthy and worthwhile franchise.
There hasn’t yet beenan announcement forAstro Bot 2, but considering the wild success of the first game and the inherent potential of its premise, a sequel seems quite likely.
On paper,Astro Botshouldn’t work as well as it does. It’s basically a 12-hour commercial for PlayStation and PlayStation products—a concept that could so easily come off as cynical and overly indulgent. But against all odds,Astro Botnever feels cynical or corporate: it celebrates PlayStation history, which is inextricable from general gaming history, rather than shoving it down anyone’s throat or treating it as more important than it really is. With this abundance of spirit and passion,a newAstro Botgame should continueto find success, especially if it doubles down on the themed levels of its predecessor. To this end,Sly Coopercould be an ideal franchise to shine the spotlight on.
Sly Cooper and Astro Bot Could Be a Match Made in Heaven
Astro Bot Could Hone In On Sly Cooper’s Greatest Strengths
Astro Bot’s game-specific levels, also called PlayStation Hero levels, are its high points. Channeling the heart and soul of series likeUnchartedandGod of War, complete with IP-specific abilities, music, and enemy types, allowed Team Asobi to introduce new gameplay concepts in a way that feels natural. Moreover, it’s through these levels that the game pays homage to some of PlayStation’s most important franchises, all while expertly retaining the identity ofAstro Botitself.
All of this is to say that futureAstro Botgames will almost certainly repeat this idea, and while there are several great IP to pull from,Sly Coopermay be among the best. Sucker Punch’s action-stealth-platformer series was famous for its creativity and willingness to embrace new ideas, but there are a few central, consistent design pillars that could translate smoothly to theAstro Botformula. For one thing, Sly Cooper has always had strong movement and physics systems—systems Sucker Punch would later improve inInfamousandGhost of Tsushima—which could mesh withAstro Bot’s traditional platformingfor obvious reasons.
But more importantly, these movement mechanics are couched within a broader stealth and puzzle framework:platforming inSly Cooperis less about precision and reaction time and more about smart positioning and forethought. For instance, players may need to walk across a tightrope while avoiding an enemy spotlight, maneuvering toward collectible items or enemies that can be swiftly and quietly dispatched. Naturally, the series is more focused on this stealth-strategy element than deep combat or platforming challenges. Leveraging these design considerations could make anAstro BotSly Cooperlevel a nice change of pace from the more high-speed, intense elements of the rest of the game.
This theoreticalSly Cooperlevel could also adopt a sandbox structure, presenting players with a large, open area akin toAstro Bot’s special Christmas zone. This would allow for freedom of movement and even replayability, as the experience of completing the level would be different depending on which enemies are defeated first, which stealth skills are used, what order objectives are completed in, et cetera. This would presumably be another point of difference between this level and others in futureAstro Botgames, which could be more linear and less oriented around objectives and player freedom.
JOIN ASTRO IN A BRAND-NEW, SUPERSIZED SPACE ADVENTURE
The PS5® mothership has been wrecked, leaving ASTRO and the bot crew scattered all over the galaxies. Time to ride your trusty Dual Speeder across more than 50 planets full of fun, danger and surprises. On your journey, make the most of ASTRO’s new powers and reunite with many iconic heroes from the PlayStation universe!
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