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Astro Bot Rescue Mission: Inside the Art and Animation of Japan Studio’s PS VR Hit

Loudninja

Loudninja

Member
Oct 27, 2017
42,209

Hello VR friends!


Let's talk visuals today! We sat down with Sebastian Brueckner and Jamie Alexander Smith, Art Director and Animation Lead on Astro Bot Rescue Mission, respectively, to give you a bit of insight on how the game's visual style came to life.


Starting with environments, the stages were first created by game designers in a very rough format, using plain blocks to establish gameplay. Once we had a solid, fun base, the art team would remake the platforms from scratch at high quality and made them reuseable at different angles (like toy blocks that could connect in various ways). This technique gave us flexibility for building levels and allowed us to reduce the burden on the system.
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They played a lot on the duality of characters. For the bots, they balanced the cuteness with mischievous undertones: The Bots end of level celebrations are a good example of this sweet, yet edgy style. For Bosses, they followed a similar approach. The battle would start with a scary, intimidating arrival, then, as the player hits back, the bosses' weakness would start appearing, making them look vulnerable and a little bit silly. This contrast not only empowered the player in their effort but also served as a ramp towards a humorous outcome.


We hope this gave you a little bit of insight on how we created Astro Bot Rescue Mission. To thank you for your astronomical support over the past weeks, we would like to give a little gift: Here are some animated clips from the game. So get your dancing boots and get sharing! Let us know which one is your favorite. :)
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https://blog.us.playstation.com/201...art-and-animation-of-japan-studios-ps-vr-hit/

More in the link!
 
Last edited:
Jarod McChicken

Jarod McChicken

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,073
39891228293_13c532f352_o.gif
The most important thing in the blog. Needless to say that link is saved :p
 
Clive

Clive

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,095
They did a fantastic job. The game is absolutely packed with detail and the art and enemies are very fitting for the game. The best looking PSVR game I have played. Hope the team can continue to work on playful games like this. Many Sony first party games have a pretty serious tone but Media Molecule, Asobi and to a degree Studio Japan in general have kept that playful gameplay spirit alive.
 

Deleted member 5148

User requested account closure
Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,108
Clive said:
They did a fantastic job. The game is absolutely packed with detail and the art and enemies are very fitting for the game. The best looking PSVR game I have played. Hope the team can continue to work on playful games like this. Many Sony first party games have a pretty serious tone but Media Molecule, Asobi and to a degree Studio Japan in general have kept that playful gameplay spirit alive.
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My heart broke when I saw a rescued lone bot pulling out the little petals of a flower
as in : Does she love me, she loves me not.... Then I kicked the little fella into the DS4 chamber.
 

Deleted member 412

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
491
if you see this gif file while scroling


39891228293_13c532f352_o.gif



you have been visited by Astro Bot

good games and fun will come to you

but only if you comment
'thank astro bot' on this picture

This game is miles better than Knack. Wonderful game.
 
Kaiken

Kaiken

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,182
Late bloomer to PSVR and this game easily sky rocketed to my game of the year. What an experience.
 
mute

mute

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Oct 25, 2017
25,097
Astrobot is so good.

I need to get back sometime and find all the little bros.
 
tyfon

tyfon

Member
Nov 2, 2017
3,680
Norway
Reading the story and what they were aiming for with style I'd say the nailed it 100%.
It is also what gives the game it's "Nintendo" feel.

I can't wait for the next iteration!
 
Sparks

Sparks

Senior Games Artist
Verified
Dec 10, 2018
2,879
Los Angeles
stilfigur said:
if you see this gif file while scroling


39891228293_13c532f352_o.gif



you have been visited by Astro Bot

good games and fun will come to you

but only if you comment
'thank astro bot' on this picture

This game is miles better than Knack. Wonderful game.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Thanks Astro-bot!

I need to play this, it is just so involving getting all my VR stuff out and putting the labyrinth of cables together. Plus the motion sickness thing...
 
Riderz1337

Riderz1337

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,913
stilfigur said:
if you see this gif file while scroling


39891228293_13c532f352_o.gif



you have been visited by Astro Bot

good games and fun will come to you

but only if you comment
'thank astro bot' on this picture

This game is miles better than Knack. Wonderful game.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Thanks Astro Bot!

I'm just starting world 5 now. Game is an absolute blast to play.
 
YukiroCTX

YukiroCTX

Prophet of Regret
Member
Oct 30, 2017
2,996
Never would have thought Japan studios had the ability to create incredible platforming game this generation. The one highlight of it is certainly the"cuteness with mischievous undertone". It gives the game such a great personality.
 
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