Does Astrobot Basically Play Itself? | Design Delve

This video is brought to you by Schismo's Sideshow, on Kickstarter now: www.kickstarte...
In this episode of Design Delve J & Ludo sit back, relax and play some Astrobot but J can't help himself..
Music used in order of appearance:
Intruder - Stray OST
The Abyss - Hyper Light Drifter OST
Checking in - Celeste OST
The Notebooks - Stray OST
Secret Lab - Stray OST
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Second Wind Merch Store: sharkrobot.com...

[@timhutchinson8485]

“Onion Man”? That’s Chop-Chop Master Onion to you.

[@Sylfa]

No I'm afraid you're wrong, the game *clearly* states that it's: Lyrical Master. I'm sure there's plenty of characters that it has some resemblance to, wasn't there a musical mini-game on that nintendo DS Zelda that had an onion hat even? /s

[@progrob27]

I need to go, just as bad as you! What I had this morning... I don't even want to say to you. Kick Punch Turn and Chop the Door!

[@djoakeydoakey1076]

If you wanna test me I'm sure you'll find, the things I teach ya, I'm sure to beat ya, nevertheless you'll get a lesson from teacher now: kick, punch. Turn and pause.

[@geldonyetich]

It is a bit disjointed to design the aesthetics to appeal to kids and then reward us with a reference to a game from 1996. (Okay, fine, it's had several re-releases since then.)

[@timhutchinson8485]

@@geldonyetich true, but the whole AstroBot thing is basically PlayStation Nostalgia: The Game.

[@Riptide27]

I genuinely think the main reason they don’t say the character’s game of origin is because of a dumb ESRB rule that says you can’t mention the name of a game with a higher ESRB rating than the game itself. It’s the same reason Smash had costumes of Altair, Vault Boy, and Doom Guy but can’t mention the games any of them came from. As for the names, I think THAT was a design choice that came from the whole ESRB thing. I understand anyone who doesn’t care for that choice, but I’m with Yahtzee on this one. There’s actually a sense of satisfaction I get when I’m like, “I know who that is!!!” Especially for the more obscure characters.

[@DarthBob]

Does Bayonetta not count?

[@Riptide27]

Nah, there was an exception for characters that had already appeared in previous Smashes, which is why they can mention Metal Gear Solid and Bayonetta but couldn’t mention new ones.

[@DarthBob]

@@Riptide27 And Joker? He wasn't in the previous Smash games. Surely "Persona 5" is mentioned somewhere.

[@CottonModem]

That "rule" sounds overly specific. Can't mention games with higher age ratings unless the characters were in a previous entry, in which they presumably weren't allowed to mention the games due to the same rule?

[@Riptide27]

@@DarthBob So I looked it up, and apparently the rule change happened RIGHT after Joker was added.

[@aeloswindrunner]

Astro bot is both a corporate circle jerk and a charming little 3d platformer. I know what it is and I still find myself smiling when I play it

[@nathandts3401]

They can pat themselves on the back all they like if I get some hits of nostalgia. Maybe it'll remind them that their brand was built on complete, polished games and not live services.

[@SuperKidSonic]

Nintendo literally has a theme park dedicated to Mario and the less said about Pokemon being THE BIGGEST MULTIMEDIA FRANCHISE OF ALL TIME the better. You're allowed to enjoy corporate shillary when it's this good and not actively harming anyone.

[@ED-gw9rg]

It's praising a lot more dead IPs than the current ones, in my opinion. It feels like they're telling the executives to figure out why the Playstation HAD some games.

[@WillKeaton]

1:15 "Yahtzee and I were discussing..." I adore how Yahtzee starts the conversation pretty chill and relaxed, but before long he appears to be yelling.

[@aturchomicz821]

"Let his light inside you! You. Are. Insane..." Type of conversation 😭😭 kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXXVqIaPh5eHb8U

[@grimpthemeltedchimp4705]

Not providing the character's names goes a long way to trigger curiosity in the players. Now people have to go online and ask around who this cool/weird/cute/etc. looking reference is, and the responses market the IP all on their own. Not to mention the adults playing this with their kids, and being prompted to explain their nostalgia more directly

[@madmaxandrade]

I've also heard that it's an ESRB thing - a game theoretically couldn't reference by name a game with a higher ESRB classification than theirs. That'd also explain why Smash Bros. never mentioned Fallout by name when announcing the Vault Boy Mii costumes.

[@Ouvii]

​@@madmaxandrade Regarding smash: Bayonetta is M for mature and the name of the game is on the character select screen. Bayonetta. Either that rule isn't a thing or doesn't apply to Nintendo since Smash is E10. It wouldn't be the first time that rating agencies have made exceptions for big projects, inconsistently applying the rules. Though I have heard that the game doesn't have the rights to make derivative works of many of the IPs it portrays, and so that's why it's subtle and arguably "transformative" references.

[@Gaskinmoo79]

I played the whole thing with my kids, I have an 8, 6 and 2 year old. They never do anything together... they watched the entire playthrough enthralled.

[@11clocky]

I like that the game doesn't tell you where the references are from. It leaves you to figure them out, and feels rewarding to do so.

[@ramishreim8602]

Hard disagree on not showing the names of the referenced characters. It makes me feel cultured when I see a character I recognize and already know the name of. So i can be like- "Hey that's Klonoa!" instead of the game saying "LOOK ITS KLONOA!!! THIS IS KLONOA!!!" Also, the added subtlety makes the reference robots feel more like they are a part of the world of Astro Bot IMO. I say this even as someone who has only played a few of the IPs represented in the game.

[@ArmoredChocoboLPs]

at least give it a card you can flip over and it has the character's name and title.

[@walramgoat]

Onion head dude is the sensei in PaRappa the Rapper who teacher PaRappa martial arts. He's, like, the first level

[@davidaitken8503]

Even I know that and I've never even played the game. It's like when a movie parodies or just references another movie. It's always a scene that was in the trailer so even if you haven't seen the movie you'll still get the reference. Apparently this guy has been living under a rock, though.😂

[@atalbrecht]

I like that the mascots aren't told to you. Imagine if instead you got a bot that said Nathan Drake© from Uncharted®, it would feel like playing a store page instead

[@Sylfa]

You realise they could place it as a note at the bottom of the UI where you look them up and get their description, right? *Appears originally in _____

[@dustyvb11]

​@@SylfaIt's a very easy search to find all characters online.

[@VeritabIlIti]

Nintendo did it with all the characters and spirits in Smash Ultimate and it felt more like a celebration of their history than this.

[@executable3]

I'm conflicted. While I agree it works if you understand the reference, if you don't you're just lost and mildly annoyed as now you want to know what it was supposed to have been referencing.

[@clubstoic]

I agree. Plus, remember, it's not Nathan Drake from Uncharted, it's a robot paying tribute to the idea of Nathan Drake from Uncharted. So it does make sense that the character goes by a descriptor rather than a name

[@nicklager1666]

What makes the game tick i think its just simply well made. And no specific section stays longer than it has too. Therefore very little downtime where the player may get a bit bored.

[@zioniczenko]

J didn't recognize PaRappa the Rapper... I can't say he missed much, but I appreciate it as the ultimate reward.

[@stoney5137]

Didn’t miss much?!?! The deepest of all philosophies was taught to me through Parappa the Rappa. Kick punch it’s all in the mind!

[@Justbcicann42069]

you just gotta believe!

[@inflatablelovebadger]

It's the Onion head dude from Parapa the Rapper?

[@citypavement]

Yes

[@PlebNC]

Kinda weird for him to be the final unlock. Would have thought it would be something more obscure like David Lynch (director behind those extremely edgy and trippy PS2 ads) or the Fun Anyone campaign dancing robot.

[@MisHarmony]

I was like, Onion Knight? From Dark Souls games. 🤷‍♀️

[@ScottReed]

The original game was supplied with the PS5 and it's supposed to be a tech demo of the new playstation 5 features. That's why it has the controller motion and blowing. As this is a longer extended one it's just kept a few of these mechanics but it's quite small overall

[@DSOwen]

The fact that the game doesn't tell you the exact character names/franchises is just proof to me that it really is meant to be a celebration of those characters and not an advertisement. The game is intentionally not saying "ALOY FROM HORIZON ZERO DAWN DOWNLOAD NOW". Plus it gives fans of the less popular franchises the satisfaction of saying "I know that guy!" and doing a Leo DiCaprio point

[@joeydestructo]

I am all for anti-frustration mechanics. That respawn system in Astro Bot sounds heavenly to me, especially since that's my main gripe with the game I'm currently playing, Animal Well. I hate how often I get into situations where I die and then I have to trek back for a whole minute from the checkpoint to even get a chance to figure out how to progress without dying. What's baffling is falling into water is treated exactly the opposite - you're instantly respawned right where you fell off. But if you die? Welp, hope you found a phone somewhere nearby cause otherwise you're in for at least one long walk, and probably several.

[@Kinos141]

We need to carbon date you. How did you not know the last bot was parappa the rapper. I didn't even play the game and know about it.

[@SimuLord]

Isn't J in his late 20s? If so, he's the same age as the game.

[@Roccondil]

I know I wouldn’t have recognized the character. The game was never one I was interested in playing, and the KZbin videos I watch on gaming rarely talked about parappa. I recognize the main character, of course- the dude in the orange beanie-but any side characters? Though it does now make sense why parappa was a pre-order/launch day bonus DLC.

[@erikhendrickson59]

I really loved the *_Free Big Brother!_* stage. The way the giant gradually alters the stage for you as you free his limbs was very well done.

[@vitsavicky]

Astro Bot does all of this right, in my opinion. You don't need to fight the controls, so you can just focus on playing the game. They kill you a lot, but the consequences of death aren't punishing. So you don't feel discouraged when you die, but you feel good when you run through a difficult part of the game without dying. All of these are good things, I think.

[@Gen-o3j]

To me the key is variety and consistent design. Astrobot is a well designed childfriendly mascot platformer in an age of people who want to chase zealously after unnecessarily detailed realistic graphics or hardcore "skill issue" dark souls clones. In an age past dark souls Astrobot does have one thing in common with that game series, Intentional design through and through.

[@clubstoic]

Right? I mean, I love Dark Souls etc. But the other week I was feeling a bit low, and scanning my extensive PS collection, I couldn't find a single game that evoked joy and lightness. All the action adventures are about a lonely person wondering through a violent and oppressive landscape. Even the platformers were all about lonely creatures finding their ways through endless mazes full of hostile enemies. Sony really should make more games like Astro Bot really

[@wizawhat]

I don't fully agree with your initial point on the controller gimmicks. The blowing sure, but for me the example that follows that, the locoroco level, was easily one of my favorites and most memorable, and I didn't even know what locoroco was before Astrobot. Modern motion control has come a long way since the early days where it felt like you had to give up a more intuitive input to shoehorn it in, which is why 'waggle' in place of a button press became so maligned. In this game it feels purely additive and works harmoniously with the haptic feedback. I think the reason most of the other inputs don't feel as intuitive is because so few other games opt to take advantage of the full capabilities of modern controllers. For kids growing up with this game and hopefully more like it, in a decade it will be as natural as pressing a button.

[@davidaitken8503]

Nothing has held gaming back more than the anti-motion control crowd. They would play some crappy 3rd party port to the Wii and think that is all motion control was. Plenty of Nintendo published games made great use of motion control. A few exclusive 3rd party titles like Red Steel 2 were excellent as well. I wish more games would take full advantage of the Switch's separate Joy-Cons as I just don't see VR games and their unique controllers ever breaking out from that niche market. There are people that still refuse to embrace gyro aiming in Splatoon yet will never admit that is why they keep losing. It's pathetic and sad at the same time that gaming keeps being held back by these small minded people.

[@wizawhat]

@@davidaitken8503 Becoming gyro pilled changed how I view console gaming. It's essential to bring console up to parity with the precision a mouse offers on PC. The aim assist debate would be dead if people embraced gyro.

[@theirishviking9278]

on the blowing puzzles all you need to do is activate the mic(blowing ironically is one of the worse was to do so) the way i found out is my audiobook coming from a computer over a meter away activated the mic and auto completed the first "blowing" puzzle

[@davidaitken8503]

@@wizawhat Agreed. The Splatoon series is the only console shooter I'm aware of that has absolutely no aim assist. It is all 100% skill thanks to its' embrace of gyro.

[@matthewmuir8884]

@@davidaitken8503 My favourite story of great motion controls, mainly because it's hilarious, is the rail shooter Sin & Punishment 2. Treasure initially built the game around the old GameCube controller, and they expected Nintendo's playtesters to say the game was too hard. Instead, the testers, who had been playing using a Wii remote, said that the game was too easy.

[@ColinFilm]

I think the game assisting you as you play is fine and quite common in gaming in general. For example, Super Mario Odyssey has to give control info pretty much every time Mario uses Cappy on an enemy but that's the fun of it, discovering and learning new movesets/abilities - the same is applied here for Astro Bot and each new powerup ability.

[@WindupCrow]

Bro just discovered how platformers have worked since 1994

[@nathandts3401]

Precision platformers do exist. Bro pointed out controls that assist the player, but didn't connect that it's designed that way for the kids that are playing too.

[@rbdriftin]

A 10 minute video asking whether the game plays itself and half of it is about how you have mixed feelings towards its corporate tie-ins.

[@nathandts3401]

The half about the game playing itself didn't bother to mention that kids are one of the demographics they're targeting. Pointless video.

[@cast9609]

@nathandts3401 💯 i bought this game not only for me self but for my kids. They 4 and 5 and absolutely love the game it self. Of course there's a ton of things they simply can't do because it's to challenging but they enjoy it for sure.

[@GaryCurnowII]

The “Big Brother” looks like a iPhone version of Frankenberry.

[@davidmurphy7332]

Selling you something you already own is PlayStation’s motto this generation

[@PeterBoye-vr3oy]

Taking the crown from Nintendo.

[@supergoron1]

Might make more sense when the game comes to PC.

[@Artista_Frustrado]

this is the type of hand holding i don't mind, as the game is doing what the player wants it to do. Or rather the devs are clever enough to trick me into thinking I'm doing what i want & not what the game wants me to do

[@umarthdc]

Someone with a monkey paw wished for the best platformer of the last decade and got it in the form of an ad

[@theuglywolf2536]

I'm surprised that someone purporting to be as deeply involved in the industry as yourself doesn't realise the naming issue is likely due to licensing deals and limitations, and that the decision to name them under the same conventions is likely a design choice relating to that rather than naming some and not others and risking future losses of naming rights.

[@NorthJerseyJedi]

"the side levels aren't even that hard" Screw you man! some of us are getting old! lol

[@jacobkart8210]

The bots should have been created to mirror smash bros trophies with all the character names, game appearances, etc. I think you touched that already in one of the streams where this game has been touched on.

[@Justbcicann42069]

i think its the biggest collection of playstation franchises you cant actually play on the ps5

[@realblublu]

Yeah the bots have a literal Playstation 5 as a spaceship, but since I'm literally playing it on a PS5 and there's no other way to play it, I never perceived it as an advertisement, only a celebration. There's too much cynicism around this game in my opinion, in my view it's just a beautiful celebration, made by people who genuinely love video games.

[@VeritabIlIti]

I don't think people are generally cynical about the game itself, it's the larger Sony environment around it. Very few people are doing anything to the devs other than praising their genuine creativity and fun. The criticism is largely due to the timing, how this game came out at a time where Sony is repeatedly obfuscating its past and making it harder to play their older games (many of which are beloved, as Astro Bot shows), while simultaneously claiming that they have no first-party IPs. It's as if they are telling their older fans, "remember this game you loved? Shame you can't play it anymore... And now we're going to pretend it doesn't exist."

[@michaelmccarthy3634]

How are Sony actively making it harder to play older games?

[@superspecky4eyes]

My only observation is how boring the "Bot" versions of characters from the modern games are compared to ones from classic PS1 era games. The older bot camoes are instantly recognisable, where as the more modern ones boil down to "Bot with brown hair and different shirt"

[@VeritabIlIti]

@@michaelmccarthy3634 I didn't say "actively," their method is largely one of "pretend it didn't happen so no one notices it's gone." Which Astro Bot throws a giant wrench in. But my point is, take the recent reveal of Horizon Zero Dawn Remake (a game that is less than a decade old, mind you) that will be replacing the original version on the digital store. Not so much of a deal there since the game is so new, but when was the last time you saw Sony (not the Astrobot devs) acknowledge and name their legacy franchises like Parappa the Rappa, Jak and Dexter, Infamous or the many now-externally-owned IPs? Astro Bot was the first time that history has been acknowledged in AGES. Add to that doing away with backwards compatibility with the PS4 and continuing that trend with PS5, and you have a whole lot of games that the average consumer cannot acquire or play anymore (pirating does not count). Then the insult to injury from their execs.

[@VeritabIlIti]

@@superspecky4eyes shows a lot about where Sony's "critically acclaimed" attention has been the last decade, huh?

[@vcprasad]

As adults, whatever our cynical or nostalgic read is on this game (or its publisher) - I envy my little nephew picking this game up and playing it as his first ever platformer. It’s a perfect game at its core.

[@syaieya]

I am genuinely unbothered when a game is a bit hand holdy to make sure an action happens. As long as it doesn't literally do things when I put the controller down. So many modern sonic games have that problem where they want to portray speed but in doing so they leave very little for the player to do, boost sections explicitly so. Ocarina of time is a great example of hand holding working well with it's jumping from platform to platform. It looks dangerous but because the jump is automatic it's more garnish than anything. Being said, I do feel that a game can both be spectacularly well executed and incredibly tone deaf. Much like Mirror's edge, assassin's creed, and Need for Speed are all stories about players VS the corrupt establishment brought to you by The Establishment TM. Fortnite, Funkopop, and any number of mobile game being closer to the problem at hand though where the game's content feels like an ad campaign so people will be attracted to the game. I feel this is a very tuned in, corporate take that acknowledges in today's world of video reviews and twitch streams and what not the nostalgia bait goes to broadcast even beyond the average single player.

[@MrWhygodwhy]

Man, criticising Mirror's edge for being anti-establishment from an establishment has some real "yet you participate in society" energy to it.

[@syaieya]

@@MrWhygodwhy You know thats fair. And if were being honest 2008 EA still had good will in the community with so many franchises hitting on all cylinders (Sports exclusivity aside). And a realist take is that even some of the smaller projects require multiple millions of dollars to be a thing at all. Games for the sake of art is naive at best. But by 2016 Mirrors Edge Catalyst (and EA at large) had dropped any attempt at being anything other than The Establishment. And I think its fair game to call out the irony.

[@Vyruz64]

Guidance is key in games, believe. Nintendo aces this with introducing new mechanics to the player and then letting these mechanics return later. Of course, after introducing a mechanic, it should be used organically and not make the player feel like they're used to shove them in a direction, a la yellow paint. I love big, bombastic celebrations of gaming company's legacies, I'm a bit of a sucker for nostalgia. But the way Astrobot does it does leave a bit of a weird taste in my mouth. The presentation and overal vibe of Astrobot are just pure joy. So colorful and energetic, an absolute rollercoaster ride of fun and happiness. But then you realize how many of the characters are from inaccessibel games, dead series and such. It feels more like it's shilling than celebrating, but it's just a slight aftertaste since the game as a whole is still a very delicious main course.

[@chipbrady8948]

5:30 Big brother robot kind of looks like the Queen “News of the World” robot.

[@metaljay77]

Simple, fun, minimally aggravating gameplay coupled with nostalgia and use of MANY PlayStation characters. It's a fun celebration of PlayStation neatly packaged in familiar paper. It's fantastic and I think the thought of "it's trying to sell me something" is just a knee jerk reaction to the incessant amount of marketing we endure on a daily basis. Though the lack of original character names is rather dumb.

[@DuctTapeJake]

Control wise I'll always remember my uni lecturer saying basically "if it's easy for the character it should be easy for the player". So if an action like 'jump' is something that character does all the time, the button inputs for that should not be complicated. Automatically releasing a swing to land in the right spot sounds like it should be easy for a little computer, so they don't make that hard to do.

[@UnperfectFeeling]

I'm surprised with the critics on the harder levels. They allow separating exploration and challenge. And the nostalgia bit... I feel like it's weird but Nintendo pulls that shit off all the time and we're accepting it much easier.

[@VeritabIlIti]

Nintendo pulls that off because Nintendo recognizes and celebrates and uses its older IPs. Meanwhile you have Sony constantly denying backwards compatibility and ignoring their older IPs. A Sony exec said, the same week that Astro Bot came out, that Sony didn't have any first-party IPs. That is why the nostalgia feels bad: it's just bait to get you excited for this game. Compare that with the collectibles and characters in Smash Bros Ultimate. Not only are there a ton of them from all areas of Nintendo's history (even some I'm sure they'd have us forget), but they are named and have history pages to learn about them. Plus they actually have gameplay effects with the single player mode. Contrast this with Astro Bot's "hey now Astro looks like that character from that game I loved way back when and can hardly play anymore" and you understand the feeling.

[@ngwoo]

Every time a game offers even the slightest modicum of challenge these days, the complaining begins immediately. The hardest parts of this game are challenge levels under a minute long with a near-instant respawn after failure, but apparently that's too much. No wonder games are so dumbed down.

[@UnperfectFeeling]

@@VeritabIlIti I can agree that they don't do much effort on some bits (would love some further retrocompatibility) but it is a fair point that they actually don't own many IPs.

[@chriswest6988]

Yeah they're well delineated, a big jump in difficulty but not _that_ difficult. They're mildly hidden and in no way necessary to the main path. Complaining about them is one step short of complaining a game has standalone dlc that's too different. Like, ok then don't go over there?

[@VeritabIlIti]

@@UnperfectFeeling then why is the most common argument Sony fans throw at Xbox "Sony built their IPs in-house" when Sony no longer owns many of the IPs (that it published, mind you, not that it developed in house) that longtime fans adore? Xbox has been trying to develop in-house IPs, but also had the funds to acquire others. Sony is also doing that, just on a smaller scale. Only good thing that could come out of that is if execs and boards start actually greenlighting new IPs, which is an uphill battle for any dev to pitch and get out since analysts predict they won't sell like legacy IPs.

[@Sylfa]

I think the hidden assists are good for a game, and that games like that can be quite fun to play. The tricky part is to ensure it doesn't become *obvious* because then it starts to make the game feel cheaper; like you didn't *actually* do much for your win that is. Just like how HP the last 20% of the HP bar is 50% of the actual hp, or how enemies have slightly slower reactions if you've died to them. Most players *won't* notice things like that, but if you tell them about it after they feel proud over beating the boss on the second try they might feel like they were just given the win. Come to think of it, it'd make for an interesting no death speed-run challenge. Especially if the game tweaks up the difficulty if you avoid dying as well. Having the enemies all react 50% faster and hit hard enough to one-shot after you gotten through half the game without dying would certainly make for an interesting challenge, just about turning it into a New Game+ dynamically. Not sure how it'd be received though if it "forces you to die" as that'll be more obvious to players. Kind of like how the AI drivers in Mario Kart rubber band, as soon as you notice them speeding around the map at 3x max speed it's hard to not feel like the game is cheating. And as a kid at least that might feel less like "to ensure it's entertaining" and not "to make you lose".

[@JetstreamGW]

"What... do you think?" I think that you're too young to remember Master Onion :P

[@CaydeSmax]

astro bot imo looks like all nintendo ip's reverse engineered into one game, it screams mario, zelda, luigi, starfox/lylat wars. but covered up by sony ip's so they don't get sued which is ironic considering the lack of names. Feels like someone at sony wanted the 'nostalgia' of old classics but forgot to ask permission from each of the franchises but figured since they're all exclusives to sony it would be fine, then the lawyers said no you can't do that.

[@evan]

I’ve really enjoyed astrobot so far. Soundtrack is so ace. But my girlfriend has started playing it and I actually really appreciate how approachable the game is for non-gamers. The frequent checkpoints and more “plays itself” vibe is perfect for someone getting used to platforming and 2 joystick games still. Well shes found it easier than donkey Kong country and Mario wonder at least

[@catmage]

If the difficulty is part of the game experience, it makes me livid to have it hold my hand. If I'm playing a game, keep dying to the same level and suddenly it gets super easy, I restart the level just in case it's giving me an invisible hand. But if it'sa casual game like astrobot? I din't mind it at all

[@AndrewAnstrom]

Anyone that has played the challenge levels in this game knows that this game does not "play itself"... one of the square challenges had me screaming at the screen.

[@MagusSerling]

Honestly? It’s a damned if you do damned if you don’t. Be honest. If they outright told you the game and year it came out, would you have felt advertised to more? Or would you have liked the little joke and not put that much thought into “he’s just a little guy.” And gone on with it from there? Almost half of these characters are from games you can’t even buy legally on the PlayStation store anymore. Which leads me to believe this is more a love letter to the franchise, the console line. And the team Sony that ASOBI used to be part of. It’s really hard to say it’s a cynical cash grab when it’s making extremely deep cut jokes from games like MGS revengeance and legend of dragoon and dark cloud. This was made for kids, and the adults that grew up on the platformers that made PlayStation famous.

[@phoenixflame9157]

Games assisting you can definitely be a positive. You could argue Dark Souls lock mechanic is an example of this, just a toggleable one.

[@frozenninja4030]

I do wish there was a way to see exactly what the bots are. However, one of the things I enjoyed about the game was going through the gallery with my son after collecting a bunch of them and both of us trying to figure out who is who. It was fun being able to say 'Oh that's Deacon St John' or have my son say 'isn't that the guy from Uncharted?' and we both feel smart for figuring it out.

[@thewhorocks515]

I'm choosing to see this more as a love letter to Playstation and its properties than trying to sell us something because I mean we already have and like Playstation if we're playing the game. It is a shame Sony isn't doing much with their properties though, but that doesn't mean the dev shouldn't wax nostalgic for them. Heck, maybe it'll bring awareness to them and spark change. I doubt it, but you never know. I do agree it feels weird to just have Playstation itself as the subject of a game though, which is why I would definitely prefer and love to see this team create a game with an original world and characters.

[@VeritabIlIti]

It's a love letter to PlayStation, but it's filled with properties and characters that Sony won't acknowledge or make playable on their current hardware, and their execs complain about not having any IPs... Sony needs to look in a mirror and have a hard think

[@thewhorocks515]

@VeritabIlIti Yeah, I guess it depends how you look at it. If the game itself can be separated from corporate Sony. If yes, then I see no problem with it inteinsically. But if not and the game is really just an extension them, then I agree it's problematic.

[@VeritabIlIti]

@@thewhorocks515 there's the issue, right? The game itself is delightful and expertly crafted, but it also can't help but remind you (frequently) that hey, you're playing on a PS5 and have a Dualsense controller in your hand! I now command you to be amazed! I felt like the spectacle of the colors, the design and the sheer fun would have been enough to sell the game on its own. It's like how Astro's Playroom was denigrated to "it's great... For a pack-in title" when it could have been its own short and sweet adventure. Maybe I just hate it when talented devs have to display obedience to their corporate overlords lol

[@calebnolan4726]

Was I the only one who thought the ad transition would lead to one of the online masters degree programs?

[@RowbotMaster]

I love how "discussing" with Yahtzee looks like arguing that quickly turned into a poor martial arts stand-off

[@thetruemandalorian2637]

I think...............Ludo needs everyone's love and support! And money! Excellent video though, always appreciate a breakdown of recent games like this.

[@BryanSolo_1]

It comes down to what you’re looking for in a game. If you want a difficult game where you are going to be killed repeatedly to brutal mechanics that require you to play the same boss fight for hours on end… there are plenty of other games that offer that. Astrobot felt like a throwback to when everybody was releasing simple & fun 3d platformers. Saying “the game plays itself” feels like a cynical take. It’s a game where you can explore, collect the shinies, go kill and collect stuff and yeah, if you die then the checkpoint system is reasonable. The game felt fun and fair to the player. It’s refreshing (even if it’s a shameless PS5 party lol)

[@CompleteAnimation]

Dang, I think some people are reading into the whole premise of the game way too much. I didn't think deeply about playing with PlayStation hardware while also seeing that same hardware in the game beyond thinking that it was neat.

[@paperwatt]

I think the vague friend names is cool. It puts off the people that don't know it a little bit (there's undoubtedly a list online that translates each one), but for the fans that can puzzle them out, they feel 5 times smarter.

[@MichaelEvans-jn3yx]

1:44 Bro, there are two pinwheels in front of you, the game gave you a visual tell of blow on your controller. It ain’t that deep a 6 year old would understand what to do.

[@mx.e2176]

The easter eggs are more so there for if you get them, and not every ip that appears is a PlayStation exclusive, such as monster hunter’s Palico, Atlus’ Persona mascots, Guilty Gear’s Sol Badguy, Metal Gear, etc.

[@B.J.Camire]

What do I think? I think you should look up a video on PaRappa the Rapper.

[@magma2050]

Given J's reaction to that robot, nobody better ever show him the cover art of Queen's album News of the World 😁

[@jamesmcbride5754]

Missing Names "issue" = Poor Take

[@RioManegos]

It's easy to see Astrobot's DNA when you look at the previous 'games' in the series that proceeded it: Literal 15 minute tech demos for Playstation hardware. Astrobot is more of the same, but with an actual retro-style collectathon platformer attached.

[@crappling]

Seeing "Onion Man" brought back some old memories. Kick! Punch! It's all in the mind!

[@mattparkent440]

Polish I've not heard anyone else use the word to describe the game, but this is the most polished game I've ever seen. It's figuratively mind blowing!

[@Kelebriel]

I think Astrobot would have been better being NOT exclusive. It would have served to advertise the PS5 to people who just have a Steam account or whatever, say “look at all the fun you could be having on the PS5”, instead of saying that to people who already have a PS5

[@TimEd.o7o7]

PS can't carry through on that promise though. If you remove Astrobot, that basically means you'd have no reason to get a playstation since you could fulfill the "promise of fun" on other platforms. PS aren't selling games, but their empty console.

[@OrangeDog20]

Though most of the games it's referencing aren't actually available on the PS5

[@Maverickx25]

Every one of controller gimmicks can be formed off, which is nice.

[@HeyRileyLemon]

Astro Bot is such a joy because when playing it feels like it actively wants the player to solve its secrets by its conditioning and foreshadowing. You can argue it makes it easier really its about making it fair. To contrast that with other games that might requires a set of convoluted steps so willfully obtuse, half way through following with a guide I'm thinking "This cant be right, if this works I'm actually gonna be so pissed"

[@zactheboie8075]

5:00 WATCHING SOME GOOD FRIENDS SCREAMING: LET ME OUT

[@zorprimeqc]

I always feel that dog is a perverted elf from disenchanted called "Lewd'o"

[@cloudkitt]

I do not recognize all the bots in this game. But you not knowing the PaRappa onion guy is making me feel old.

[@DarkBloodbane]

Players come with various skill level so devs had to make decision who to please and they had chosen.

[@leatherhidegaming]

One of the best tings about the controller sounds is that it mutes when you plug in a headset.

[@TheMaskedGamer]

I loved that Yahtzee cameo! 😂 Now you've gotta show up in his somewhere. Maybe in the background making mischief.

[@chrisosborn6401]

Big Brother is watching. Always watching.

[@eb-the-gamer6287]

Dudes really complaining about the celebration of playstayion being a celebration of playstation. And his own inability of being able to look up references. You are the kind of person who'd fall for buying a ps5 pro XD

[@MorrisseyMuse]

If you've ever played the 'triangle' levels, you'll know it certainly doesn't play itself..! lol

[@ArmoredChocoboLPs]

I never played Parappa and I knew that bot was Master Onion.

[@Influfferious]

Most lovely is Sony celebrating its history of games, then asking Insomniac, their best studio, to fire 300 employees to increase profits

[@ho-hyongyoo3251]

Ludo have masters in Geology He is actually the one fit for digging in the mine

[@MasterPringles]

To be honest, I am not a very smart person. So often in games, especially if it's a puzzle orientated game, I find myself getting more frustrated than satisfied after completing a difficult challenge that's taken longer than it really should. Now that is a me problem, but if a game is assisting me in play, I don't mind it as long as it's towards a fun flow of gameplay and isn't too patronising.

[@rinket7779]

Lol talks about "object permanence" of the cut card staying around. The card disappeared after 1 second.

[@Roccondil]

The cut card disappeared, just like every other destroyed item. The uncut ones, though? They did stick around.

[@rinket7779]

@@Roccondil yes but he specifically talks about the card that results from cutting - which is the point he's trying to make. Obviously it's not surprising "object permanence" applies to set-dressing (the cards already there); he's trying to say it also applies to dynamic objects generated during gameplay

[@Roccondil]

@@rinket7779 Actually, the cards were not already there, they were not developer-placed set dressing. They were actually the cards that the dealer enemies throw at you which you use as platforms in slo-mo. THAT'S what was being talked about: the fact that the cards being thrown stayed in the world to be curt in half later after being thrown by the enemy despite having no further use Most games will remove anything that an enemy throws at you unless the projectile is part of the solution to a puzzle.

[@alldayagain]

It is a funny thought to say "Does mario play itself? I mean, it limits your direction either left or right" 😅

[@ToyKeeper]

Maybe in 20 years when we're all playing ps5 on emulators, there will be a translation hack which puts the characters' actual names in.

[@rodsimon7]

I feel that the gap in the "What... ... ... do you think?" gets bigger in every video

[@Sylfa]

If I had a chance of remembering it I'd post "What…" to you in this comment, and then find you in the next design delve and post "…do you think?" Probably would be too meta anyways, but the thought was amusing.

[@JulesNekro]

It's just like Yathzee's outro getting louder every video

[@rodsimon7]

@@Sylfa Lol. I rarely comment, so it would end up being a veeery long joke.

[@arkturhellsing1484]

Ludo has a masters degree in communications.

[@duhmez]

Astrobot is a masterpiece

[@Ukyoprime]

The original Astro's playroom was an incredible little snacky game with low stakes that made it ideally approachable for pretty young kids who are still getting the hang of things like pressing both the button and the stick at the same time to jump forward. In some ways, everything discussed here makes AstroBot a good evolution of that. But the hardcore corporate mind control and some of the emotional beats in cutscenes really undermine it.

[@WeeklyMusicalShitposts]

I feel the same way. Astro Bot's controls and level design are GENIUS and incredibly well-done, but I can't help but feel it's being held back by its only identity being a Playstation mascot.

[@boxrick1]

In my world a game "playing itself" is a dull pointless waste of time... 😢

[@doublepinger]

Someone was playing Kirby for GB & NES for the first times recently, and they didn't realize how much was there in the first games, and just... continued, generation after generation, not messing with success. Weirdly, the two buttons of GB / NES was giving the player some weird overload, when they could play Elden Ring, Armored Core 6, Super Mario Sunshine, etc, without issue.

[@Lastkoss]

This is a very interesting look at the argument of I guess Auto pilot in some ways being good. Nice video JM8

[@danielshults5243]

Shout out to the OGs who knew the onion dude from the demo disc that came with the original Playstation.

[@SimuLord]

Amen! After years of playing NES and SNES games, that Parappa demo was the perfect way to learn where the buttons were on the PlayStation controller and get that muscle memory I'd spent nine years building up and lost overnight.

[@daaaah_whoosh]

Some other youtuber has said, the illusion of freedom in games is less about always saying yes, and more about never having to say no. And I think that's true of controls, the more intuitive and 'plays for you' controls are, the more players are going to feel like they're good at the game, up to the point where they try to do the 'wrong' thing and can't. I've had that issue in shooters, where the aim assist tracked the wrong targets and got me killed. I think generous enemy and projectile hitboxes are a better solution to bad aim, because it's much less likely for you to notice that the shot you missed by an inch actually hit, than it is for you to notice your crosshair getting pulled across the screen to track something you weren't aiming at.

[@C_to_the_S]

Very interested in this video because I had this exact same question myself, even whilst having the biggest blast playing it.

[@roboknobthesnob]

JM8 today woke up and wanted to start a war over the title of his video alone

[@snegglepuss6669]

What I find interesting is that the PS5 the game shows, the canon one, the prototype image they want you to have of the system, is the disk drive version they're trying to do away with

[@nathandts3401]

Did it really take 7 minutes to mention the age demographics? How do you talk about the controls assisting the player for 5 minutes without highlighting that it's designed that way to help the kids that they're targeting the games at? Fair enough not mentioning the age range when talking about teaching the players through design; that's universally beneficial for all players, but I feel half of this video is rendered moot when talking about controls without mentioning who it's for.

[@EvanCWaters]

To a certain extent I think the game actually does want you to be conscious of the controller- the haptic feedback and the motion control bits and so on are part of exploring what fun can be had with this technology, which I think was the overall approach of the designers. And while I understand the idea of wanting the feeling of control to be seamless, I think there's some value in exploring that space. While there are times the game feels like Sony finally picked up a book on branding, I do also feel that it may do good to remind people that consoles used to get weird stuff like Ape Escape and Parappa the Rapper alongside the big action adventures. Maybe this will make people demand more fun quirky games like that!

[@schwolmart]

Commenting before I watch. I couldn't get into Playroom because of what this title alludes to

[@geldonyetich]

I'd say it depends on the challenge being mitigated. If I fail a jumping puzzle I'm usually like, "Okay, so my reflexes weren't good enough, so what? Let me to the other platform." But if I'm pressure washing something in Pressure Washer simulator and a big gob of clearly-visible dirt disappears because I hit the prerequisite 98.5% needed, I'm like, "HEY, that was MY challenge, flow be DAMNED, give it back!"

[@silverlight6074]

On the naming thing, I don't hate it. For all the characters I recognized instantly, I liked the humor put into their name and extra text blurb. For the ones that I didn't recognize, or completely didn't know, it got me to look up the reference and learn about gaming history. My main complaint is that almost *HALF* of the bots are just generic bots instead of more references, and they absolutely could have made more references and had more of an even spread of references. It's great that they did remember more obscure characters, but they absolutely have enough IPs that they could have filled every spot. On the corporate aspect of it, there's a dark, tragic humor to the fact that, currently, one of the best games on PS5 is a showcase of dozens of IPs that they have snubbed and forgotten over the decades. They're advertising the PS5's features and graphic capabilities (which are quite impressive, to be clear, I haven't seen detailed particles and object physics on this level used as more than a one-off gimmick), and they're using the likenesses of IPs that they seem to have absolutely zero interest in bringing back to life or using as inspiration for new games.