Astro Bot Could Be PlayStation’s Answer to Starfield With 1 Aspect Handled Much Better

By Osama Farooq

Last Updated on: 3 June, 2024 | 7:17 AM

The number of planets doesn't matter; the life on them does.

As Astro Bot gears up to headline his first proper full-fledged video game, the PlayStation mascot is finally getting the love and respect he has always deserved. Not only has the character been around for more than a decade at this point, but he also serves as an initial guide for anyone who boots up their current-gen Sony console for the first time.

Now that the loveable robot is going to be leading his own platformer later this year and Team Asobi gradually reveals more details about the upcoming title, it seems like it could be handling one aspect much better than Bethesda Game Studios’ Starfield ever could.

Astro Bot Features 80 Planets Scattered Across 6 Galaxies

From the looks of it, the planet in Astro Bot have a lot of life sprinkled in them. — From the looks of it, the planets in *Astro Bot* have a lot of life sprinkled in them.

During the highly anticipated State of Play event that was held last week, it was officially announced that the beloved mascot will be the titular character of an upcoming platform video game on September 6. Simply called Astro Bot, developer Team Asobi aims to have the game serve “as a new beginning” for the robot as he heads off to numerous adventures filled with nothing but joy and a lot of life sprinkled throughout.

“We really wanted to make sure that the player had a renewed experience every 10 minutes or so,” stated studio head Nicolas Doucet during a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, as there appear to be 80 planets that players can visit in the game.

These planets will be scattered across six galaxies, and they all come with distinct features that should help them differentiate among one another. For example, in the screenshot above, as Astro Bot flies on top of a DualSense controller over a vibrant planet, massive birds can be seen accompanying him on his journey. Similarly, Doucet also pointed out a planet that has a giant crab island, so there seems to be no shortage of varied level design in Team Asobi’s effort.

While Starfield Focused on Massive Quantity, Team Asobi Seems to Be Prioritizing Quality Fun

There are some notable video games that could really benefit from adding some more color.

Bethesda Game Studios got lost in its own ambition with the launch of Starfield last year, as the space RPG has over a thousand planets scattered across various galaxies, but a major complaint that players had was the lack of personality that the majority of these worlds came with.

The focus on quantity led to the planets feeling a bit dull and repetitive, which is something that Team Asobi seems to be avoiding with its upcoming PlayStation 5 exclusive title.

“We wanted to make a big game,” said Doucet regarding the sheer scope of Astro Bot, as the studio has never created something this huge before.

For now, the levels shown in the Astro Bot trailer all look lively, fast-paced, and purely entertaining, and with Team Asobi going up “several notches,” the character has the potential of becoming a platform icon.