Key Takeaways
- Astro Bot is filled with references to PlayStation history, but a select few characters get out of the ordinary treatment.
- A few of Astro Bot’s levels allow you to play as its VIP Bots for unique segments that pay tribute to how each game plays.
- The PlayStation series which have playable levels include Horizon, LocoRoco, Ape Escape, and more.
Astro Bot has some special levels based on God of War, Horizon, Uncharted, Ape Escape, and LocoRoco that allow Astro take control of a hero’s powers and play as them.
One in every of the defining characteristics of Astro Bot (and Astro’s Playroom for that matter) is that in addition to being a brilliant and vibrant 3D platformer in a generation sorely lacking them, it also celebrates and spotlights PlayStation’s history. Astro Bot goes one step further than Astro’s Playroom by turning its cameos into collectibles, but there are some franchises that get much more special treatment.
As you make your way through Astro Bot’s worlds and levels, you may eventually come across special segments that pay tribute to PlayStation games. While Astro Bot is already filled with shout outs and references, these levels are unique because they really allow you to step right into a cameo’s shoes in a level dedicated to their series.
Astro Bot Has A Special Place In Its Heart For Uncharted, LocoRoco, Ape Escape, And Horizon
Perhaps unsurprisingly, three of the series that Astro Bot chooses to focus on in these special levels include heavy-hitters like Uncharted, God of War, and Horizon. The Uncharted level, Dude Raiding, sees Astro taking on for Nathan Drake and getting his own toy gun to take baddies out with, while the God of War level and Horizon level offer you the Leviathan Axe and Aloy’s bow respectively.
While three of the series which might be chosen for this special treatment are a bit obvious, there are two that come as a bit more of a surprise. The primary of those is a level based on Ape Escape called “Apes On The Loose” that has you playing as Spike and going around capturing Apes together with your Time Net.
While I’d have loved to see a Sly Cooper, Jak and Daxter, or Ratchet & Clank level, you’ll be able to not less than get costumes that allow Astro dress up as them for normal missions.
The second and most surprising is a mission based on LocoRoco fittingly called “Going Loco”. This mission, positioned in Camo Cosmos, sees Astro Bot turning into one in all LocoRoco’s iconic blobs. LocoRoco is not one in all PlayStation’s most iconic series like the opposite picks, nevertheless it does make sense considering LocoRoco comes from Japan Studio, who eventually became Team Asobi.
In case you have not figured it out, these levels are each attempting to pay respect to a unique generation of PlayStation. Ape Escape for the PS1, LocoRoco for the PS2, and Uncharted for the PS3. Horizon is there for the PS4, while God of War appears to be within the PS5’s slot, despite Ragnarok having also released on last-gen consoles.
