In one of the animations, the Bot will check a clock, referencing how Dracula only returns from the dead every 100 years. Castlevania is a very important game, as it alongside Super Metroid helped establish the Metroidvania genre. A second reference to the game is the “Adequate, Boy…” Trophy, awarded for shooting all the rabbits at the end of Mt. Motherboard level in GPU Jungle. The name is a reference to Kratos always referring to his son as “boy”, as well as his habit of faint praise.
Progress through the level to the area with the floating DualShock controller clouds. Use the clouds to reach the ledges on the wall opposite, and then climb up to the area above. Punch the tree directly in front of you by long-holding Square to perform a spinning attack. The update released for all PlayStation 5 users without warning today, bringing a handful of new goodies, a new area, and even a few new missions to complete.
Discover how to earn each trophy with ease and enjoy the game’s creative levels and DualSense features. Astro’s Playroom comes pre-installed on every PlayStation 5, so when you first start it up, you may assume it’s a tutorial designed to introduce you to the system’s capabilities. Yes, the game is a great showpiece for the PS5’s DualSense controller, applying its haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, and motion-sensing technology to a variety of inventive situations. But Astro’s Playroom is much more than a tutorial; it’s a joyful and polished platformer that ushers in a new generation of PlayStation hardware with a big smile.
Being cheeky robots ourselves, we thought it would be fun to turn this into a treasure hunt riddle and see how long it would take anyone to figure it out. What a big surprise to see it took the community less than 3 hours to clear that riddle. If you have missed it, here is a quick rundown of what you have to do.We hid a secret capsule in the first area of GPU Jungle (Render Forest). To make it appear, you must stand on top of a big plant near the edge of the level, just behind the Bloodborne Hunter Bot.
While it was originally just a tech demo for the DualSense, it offers a colorful and expertly crafted platforming game to tie in all of that controller’s features. Astro’s Playroom is the latest platformer starring Astro Bot that comes pre-loaded on the PlayStation 5. Join Astro and his crew and experience a magical introduction through the PS5, exploring four worlds based on PS5’s console components. Each area showcases innovative gameplay that taps into the new features of the DualSense. Honestly, the biggest complaint I have with Astro’s Playroom is just that it’s too damn short. I finished all 16 of the main levels, the final area, and completed each of the speed run trials in around three hours.
In Astro’s Playroom, the player has to complete 4 main locations divided into 4 levels. To collect all the collectibles, you will also need to walk around the main location – the CPU Plaza. PlayStation Labo lets you complete the collection by drawing prizes in a Gatcha-style game.
Playstation Home
You can hold the touchpad button down to bring yourself to a stop on the ice. Puzzle Piece 2/4 – In this same pinball area, knock out the 6 bowling pin enemies around the center bumper to make this puzzle piece appear. Puzzle Piece 1/4 – In the first pinball area, roll into the spot on the back left to get boosted to a rail with this puzzle piece at the end. Puzzle Piece 2/4 – Back on the main path, you then ride a circuit board through an area with electric rail obstacles. Midway through you can find this puzzle piece, basically right in your way. Puzzle Piece 3/4 – After the checkpoint where you slide down a slope, this puzzle piece is to the right across the grey quicksand.
As such, if they are moving over a very narrow stretch of terrain, it might be best for them to stay ground-bound for the duration. It comes pre-installed on the PS5, which makes sense because it serves as a tech demo for the DualSense controller. The little robot that couldSince this is a free pack-in game there is no deliberation required on whether or not you should buy Astro’s Playroom — you’ve already got access to it for free if you own a PS5. The question is should you play it and the answer is a resounding yes if you’ve ever found yourself nostalgic for PlayStation as a brand or if you enjoy 3D platformers. I mentioned this already in my Astro’s Playroom preview, but it really can’t be overstated how innovative the DualSense PS5 Controller is and just how effective Astro’s Playroom is at showing it off. From the opening moments when it teaches you about the adaptive triggers and haptic feedback it never stops impressing all the way until the very end.
Astro’s Playroom Review
Trophies are another kind of collectible that are available in every PlayStation 5 game (as well as the PS4, PS3 and PSVita). They aren’t tracked internally in the game, but are instead tracked externally by the system itself. While it isn’t a traditional open-world title, all four maps are interconnected, akin to Bloodborne, and players can return to a central hub called CPU Plaza to access other worlds. 1994 Throwback’s primary reference is Demo 1, a pack-in demo disc packed in with the PlayStation that was updated over the course of the PlayStation’s life. It was first available in 1994 at trade shows and eventually packed in with the system itself.
I can’t say I had very high expectations for Astro’s Playroom, a game that comes free with every PlayStation 5 console. I figured it might be a cute series of minigames, akin to the robot-themed minigames in the PlayStation 4’s pack-in title, The Playroom. That PS4 game was the sort of thing you boot up once, mess around with for 30 minutes, and then forget it exists. It’s a phenomenal thing, taken even further with adaptive triggers that provide meaningful, forceful feedback.
Every bit of platforming presents almost no challenge, and so do the enemies. With rotating platforms, ones that disappear shortly after stepping on them, and lightning platforms that can take out Astro in one hit. As the Editor of Push Square, Sammy has over 15 years of experience analysing the world of PlayStation, from PS3 through PS5 and everything in between. He’s an expert on PS Studios and industry matters, as well as sports games and simulators.
In the picture above, you can spot the PSP, PS Vita and PSP Go port and button layouts from the top and bottom of the systems. The only unknown one is the one with the Ethernet port, which doesn’t match any PlayStation system. On one of the monitors in the Labo area is an image of a CD-ROM and a DVD. DVDs meanwhile aided the PS2 because its DVD drive meant that it could play DVD movies, an incredibly popular format for watching films at the time. Speaking of which, on SC 88 is a Bot observing a gold plus with the Sacred Symbols on it.
This is an unmistakable reference to Final Fantasy VII for the PS1, released in 1997 by Square Enix. In particular, the use of the Buster Sword under a spotlight makes this is a reference to the game’s title screen. Players can use weapons, such as plunger arrows and a pellet gun which shoots coloured balls, to destroy objects and defeat enemies. The player can also whack robots, including robot-like animals, with hands or weapons.
The list goes on, and while some mechanics feel like gimmicks (steering with motion controls will never be fun), the majority of them are cool. Even more than that, they make a substantial difference in your connection to the action, conveying an amazing tactile sense of the world. The slight downside is that Astro’s Playroom is concise, as completing the game will take you an hour and a half. However, there are many collectibles to obtain, and Team Asobi has added free content updates. If you ever wanted to earn a platinum trophy, this is the game to do it.
Every single PS2 God of War was released in a PS3 collection in 2009, while the PSP duo were in 2011. Astro’s Playroom could easily have been a simple tech demo, and in a way it is that. Its main function is to demonstrate the possibilities of the DualSense. It’s the kind of charming 3D adventure rarely seen outside of Nintendo, one dripping with inventive ideas and heartwarming details.