February 8, 2026

Astro’s Playroom Review A Uniquely Tactile Platformer That’s The Beating Heart Of Ps5

In this area, there are some spinning shapes on the walls and a puzzle piece directly in the middle of the right one you can grab. Artifact 2/3 “Playstation Portable” – After riding the rotating platform, there is a switch on the other side which creates a lily pad platform back to the right. You need to jump to the left to reach a room with another rotating platform. Puzzle Piece 4/4– While on the floating ice platforms, this puzzle piece is in the air while you are on the second one.

References

These icons were displayed on the back of PS1 game boxes to show what features the game supported. The icons on the monitor are, from left to right, Memory Card block requirement, Dual Analog support, Link Cable support, DualShock support, PlayStation Mouse support, Player count, and Multi-Tap support. At the very start of Raytrace Ruins, there are some Bots on the right playing Ninja Bots. This was a free add-on to 2013 PS4 pack-in title The Playroom by SCE Japan Studio, which is the originator of the Bots and actually precedes the creation of Astro.

The timestamp is only as accurate as the clock in the camera, and it may be completely wrong. Artifact 2/3 “PocketStation” – To the left of that middle bumper is one more dangerous path, with this artifact at the end. Artifact 1/3 “DualShock Controller” – Before going off the ice there is a dangerous path on the left. This Astro’s Playroom Collectible Guide lists everything in chronological order (all Artefacts and Puzzle Pieces in one playthrough).

Astro’s Playroom Speed Running Scene Is Heating Up As Players Post Impressive Sprints Through Levels

This is a reference to 2002’s Monster Hunter on PS2, developed by Capcom. The use of PSPs however refers to an expanded 2006 PSP port, Monster Hunter Freedom, which was even more popular than the original. After the third and final use of the Hang Glider, on the right you’ll find a Bot in a slingshot, which you can Punch to send flying into some boxes. This references the 2007 game PAIN on PlayStation 3, developed by Idol Minds.

To find the special bot in GPU Jungle, head to the Renderforest area. The gameplay features minimal cartoonish violence across each stage. For PlayStation die-hards, a run through Astro’s Playroom will be true bliss. Thanks to analytics company Newzoo, we learned what kind of next-gen games Americans played in the first days after the launch of PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Most of them involve collectibles and completing specific parts of the story.

Each area showcases innovative gameplay that taps into the new feature o… Each area showcases innovative gameplay that taps into the new feature of the PS5’s DualSense wireless controller. As mentioned before, Astro’s Playroom demonstrates the PS5’s potential. The speed of the SSD as levels instantly load is impressive, as nothing was this fast with the PlayStation 4. Astro’s Playroom makes the case that the DualSense Controller is the best in all gaming. It perfectly showcases the capabilities of the device in fun and engaging ways.

In ASTRO’S PLAYROOM, players guide Astro through a series of lands, all of which tout the selling points of the PlayStation 5, including its SSD hard drive and new processor. This makes for a themed series of levels (four levels per land) that showcase the DualSense controller, primarily its rumble feature. You’ll feel the ice shattering beneath Astro’s feet via the controller. For instance, in one area, Astro is atop a floating ice chunk attached to a pinwheel.

Astro’s Playroom Lets Players Journey Through Playstation’s History

But in the case of the DualSense, for the first time ever really, I feel like it actually enhances and changes the game for the better. Puzzle Piece 4/4 – When going down the section where you are blown by two clouds, make sure to stick to the right after the second cloud to get bounced to this puzzle piece. Artifact 1/2 “PlayStation Memory Card” – Just ahead there will be a split in the road with a path on the left with a danger sign.

On the right-hand side of the rocket launch pad at the end of Turbo Trail, you’ll find a Bot with yellow ears, a tiny bot on its back, and nuts and bolts in its arms alongside a wrench. This references the 2002’s Ratchet & Clank on PS2, developed by Insomniac Games. The wrench refers to Ratchet’s melee weapon, the Omniwrench, while the Bolts refers to the currency in the Ratchet games. After the second use of the Hang Glider, on the left you’ll find a massive sword stuck in the ground.

After going down the long DualShock Cable, look right to spot a ship made out of blocks. This is the Ferox ship from Resogun, a 2013 launch title for the PS4 developed by Housemarque. It was one of the most well-received titles for the console, and a year later it would be ported to PS3 and PS Vita. Appropriately located in SC88 LINK that ends Gusty Gateway, next to a shelter you can find a Bot on the ground with an origami crane on him. This references 2010’s Heavy Rain on PS3, developed by Quantic Dream. In it, a serial killer known as the Origami Killer uses long periods of rain to drown his victims, and uses origami as his calling card.

Every function and feature of the controller gets a little time in the spotlight. Pervasive and distinct rumble effects steal the show, from the tiny sensation of Astro’s footsteps to thundering moments like an Indiana Jones-style boulder chase. The triggers offer resistance as you charge your jumps in a frog suit or operate the levers on a toy machine. Sliding your finger across the touchpad lets you direct your movement as you roll around in a ball.

Study the movement of platforms, observe what enemies are up ahead, and plan your approach accordingly. As you get better at playing games, you’ll get better at being able to make things up as you go. It’s worth noting however that this isn’t the same model from the demo. After jumping up the trigger platforms and tripping a Checkpoint, check the right-hand side for tow Bots hiding from a third with mushrooms on its head. The mushroom Bot refers to a Clicker, a human taken over by parasitic fungi, while the two characters are Joel and Ellie. Joel is holding a brick, a common weapon and means of distraction in the game.

For example, you’ll see bots dressed up as Kratos and Atreus from God of War trying to row a boat. You’ll even see a bot dressed up as Snake from Metal Gear Solid, and when you kick the box, it makes the classic alert sound each time you kick. Sony boldly chose Astro Bot to lead the PlayStation 5 with the tech demo Astro’s Playroom. This came pre-installed with every PlayStation 5 console to show the power of the PS5 and DualSense controller.

The strapline used in Astro’s Playroom is a cheeky reference to media confusion regarding what the Processor Unit actually did, initially thought to give the PS4 extra processing power for VR titles. Instead of using an infrared light bar, movement was tracked using the soft light ball on top via the PS Eye Camera, and rotation by the internal SIXAXIS. This made it slightly more advanced than a Wiimote, until the Wii MotionPlus released. [newline]The PS Move controller later made a comeback as the hand tracking method for the PlayStation VR. The colloquially titled “Super Slim” marked the PlayStation 3 as the second PlayStation to receive more than one exterior design revision, after the PSP (which had five).

Polygon Recommends is our way of endorsing our favorite games, movies, TV shows, comics, tabletop books, and entertainment experiences. When we award the Polygon Recommends badge, it’s because we believe the recipient is uniquely thought-provoking, entertaining, inventive, or fun — and worth fitting into your schedule. If you want curated lists of our favorite media, check out What to Play and What to Watch. Been with gamepressure.com since 2019, mostly writing game guides but you can also find me geeking out about LEGO (huge collection, btw). Even with a ton of games, sometimes I just gotta fire up Harvest Moon, Stardew Valley, KOTOR, or Baldur’s Gate 2 (Shadows of Amn, the OG, not that Throne of Bhaal stuff). When I’m not gaming, I’m probably painting miniatures or admiring my collection of retro consoles.