Astro Bot Could’ve Been An Open-World Game

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Astro Bot Could've Been An Open-World Game

Highlights

  • Team Asobi considered open-world design for Astro Bot, but ultimately chose a level-based approach, as it wanted to ensure the game had plenty of variety throughout.
  • Astro Bot will offer over 80 levels and pay tribute to PlayStation’s rich gaming history with over 150 VIP bots.
  • The upcoming platformer will still break the mold by being a fully-fledged experience, set to launch on September 6.

As a seasoned gamer with a soft spot for platformers and a deep appreciation for PlayStation’s rich gaming history, I’m thrilled to hear that Team Asobi considered an open-world design approach for Astro Bot but ultimately chose the level-based approach. While open-world games offer endless exploration and freedom, I believe that Astro Bot’s charm lies in its simplicity and densely packed level design, which echoes Super Mario Odyssey.

The developers of “Astro Bot,” Team Asobi, have shared that they initially contemplated creating an open-world design for their upcoming 3D platformer. With “Astro Bot” being the most extensive project in the series so far, it has garnered attention for its uncomplicated yet intricately populated level layouts, reminiscent of “Super Mario Odyssey.” However, the initial brainstorming sessions for the game could have significantly altered its structure.

Enthusiasts of the “Astro Bot” series looked forward to Team Asobi’s first major release during PlayStation’s May State of Play presentation. Previously, the series was limited to small tech demos and pack-in titles designed to highlight PlayStation hardware. However, the upcoming “Astro Bot” game is set to change things up as a heartwarming, fully-realized platformer that honors PlayStation’s illustrious history of games, while still offering something fresh and distinct amidst the console’s typical action-adventure lineup.

Astro Bot represents PlayStation’s initial return to creating first-party level-based platformers since 2017’s Knack 2. However, this innovative game could have deviated significantly from this design concept. In a recent interview with Edge Magazine, Astro Bot’s creative director Nicholas Doucet shared that during the game’s planning stages, Team Asobi briefly pondered over creating an open-world title. Eventually, they opted for a level-based approach since it granted them greater control over the game’s diversity and consistency. Astro Bot boasts more than 80 levels upon release, which is a considerable number for this genre.

Team Asobi Considered an Open-World Design Approach for Astro Bot

Although numerous excellent open-world platform games exist, Astro Bot from Team Asobi seemed to recognize that this format wasn’t the ideal choice for their game. Previous Astro Bot titles followed a level-based structure and garnered significant popularity due to their enjoyable and uncomplicated experiences. Adhering to this design philosophy may have been Team Asobi’s wisest decision, as the generally favorable response to Astro Bot supports this notion.

Team Asobi stayed faithful to Astro Bot’s distinctive reference-laden theme by incorporating over 150 bots inspired by characters from various PlayStation games. Simultaneously, they planned to seamlessly integrate these bots into the game storyline. Intriguingly, Doucet hinted in a past interview about a possible future for Astro Bot without relying heavily on PlayStation references. Such a shift would mark a significant change for the series, but an intriguing one to watch out for. For now, Team Asobi is preparing Astro Bot for its upcoming release on September 6.

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2024-07-14 01:53