While the PS5 and the games that will figure into its launch lineup will hopefully be solidified at tomorrow's PS5 digital event, there is one game that we absolutely 100% know will be available right from launch - mostly because it will be built into the console itself. Astro, who made his debut as a mascot for the PSVR with Astro Bot Rescue Mission, will now act as a mascot for the entire PS5 itself in a 3D platformer that comes preloaded onto every console. And while, according to Sony, the primary purpose for the game seems to be to showcase the features of the new Dualsense controller, it's hard not to look at the game as an homage to the series that created the platforming genre, one that is also celebrating its 35th anniversary this year.
I mean, just a quick look at this:
and you can see a lot of the same gameplay elements seen in these games, releasing as a compilation this week:
Of course, this isn't unheard of for Sony to try and create a more accessible gaming experience. We got the same thing with the game bundled in with the PS4 when it launched, with a character meant to be the PS4's new mascot - Knack.
And yes, Knack is one of the greatest games ever made, but memes aside, it really isn't. And it seems like a lot of the lessons Sony learned from it, namely making a game that apes Nintendo's style, seem to be in play here with a game that basically looks like you could switch Astro out for Mario and nobody would bat an eye. Even better, it's confirmed that the game has Astro running around a PS5 console exploring levels based on its features, including tons of references to Sony hardware, as the trailer showed above. It seems like Astro's Playroom may be the perfect mashup of Nintendo's style in modern Mario games, focusing a lot on nostalgia to be effective. The big question, of course, will be if it can nail the gameplay.
In short, for Sony's sake, hopefully Astro is more like Mario, and less like Knack.
BECAUSE NOBODY CAN BE LIKE KNACK BAYBEEEEEEEEEEEEE (obligatory dunkey reference)
I mean, just a quick look at this:
and you can see a lot of the same gameplay elements seen in these games, releasing as a compilation this week:
Of course, this isn't unheard of for Sony to try and create a more accessible gaming experience. We got the same thing with the game bundled in with the PS4 when it launched, with a character meant to be the PS4's new mascot - Knack.
And yes, Knack is one of the greatest games ever made, but memes aside, it really isn't. And it seems like a lot of the lessons Sony learned from it, namely making a game that apes Nintendo's style, seem to be in play here with a game that basically looks like you could switch Astro out for Mario and nobody would bat an eye. Even better, it's confirmed that the game has Astro running around a PS5 console exploring levels based on its features, including tons of references to Sony hardware, as the trailer showed above. It seems like Astro's Playroom may be the perfect mashup of Nintendo's style in modern Mario games, focusing a lot on nostalgia to be effective. The big question, of course, will be if it can nail the gameplay.
In short, for Sony's sake, hopefully Astro is more like Mario, and less like Knack.
BECAUSE NOBODY CAN BE LIKE KNACK BAYBEEEEEEEEEEEEE (obligatory dunkey reference)
