Sony’s PlayStation 5 is already making its mark on the gaming industry and it’s seen an impressive launch that speaks to the faith that the audience has in Sony’s new console and what lies ahead in its future. There have been many memorable consoles to come out over the years and the PlayStation 5’s hardware, perks, and launch titles have given a lot to keep players busy.
One of the biggest surprises to come out of the PS5’s launch is Astro’s Playroom, a preloaded platformer game that doesn’t just show off the console’s capabilities, but it also functions as a thorough love letter to the PlayStation’s past. Astro’s Playroom contains many fun and obscure nods, but some of them are easy to overlook.
10 Sony’s Original Logo Is Hidden In The Labo
Another fun detail that more curious gamers will discover in Astro’s Playroom revolves around the Sony Interactive Entertainment sign. This piece of PlayStation branding is acquired as one of the artefacts that are within the Gatcha machine. However, if the player punches the sign three times, then it will change to the earlier logo for Sony Computer Entertainment, which is slightly different. It’s another creative way to highlight Sony’s evolution and the act will also net players a trophy, so the game wants their audience to be aware of this smaller nugget of knowledge.
9 The Ends Of Worlds Resemble PlayStation Loading Screens
The various worlds that comprise the action in Astro’s Playroom function as tributes to the consoles from Sony’s past, but they all go one step further when it comes to the culminating levels of each world. These levels find clever ways to recreate the different loading screens that Sony has used for when a PlayStation console boots up. Sometimes these effects are displayed by artwork in the background, the use of music, or a structure that tries to turn the artistry of these boot up screens into a tangible environment. It’s a satisfying way to conclude each world.
8 The Final Boss Reference The Original PlayStation Tech Demo
Astro’s Playroom contains four worlds that are composed of more levels within, all of which represent a different generation and console from the PlayStation’s past. The completion of these will unlock a new world, 1994 Throwback, which functions as a recreation of the original tech demo that was used to advertise the first PlayStation’s power.
The centerpiece of the tech demo is a 3D Tyrannosaurus Rex, which Astro’s Playroom turns into the world’s boss, with a version that remains faithful to the past and another that reinvents it for the future.
7 It Highlights Obscure And Forgotten Accessories
The levels and worlds within Astro’s Playroom help showcase Sony’s past consoles, but the game also incorporates a number of artefacts that are hidden throughout the game and require a little more work to collect. All of the artefacts highlight the different pieces of PlayStation hardware that have been released. These are full of popular items, like a PSVR headset, but it also finds room for more obscure accessories like the PlayStation mouse, the multitap adapter, and the PSP GPS Receiver. It wants audiences to learn about these quirkier creations rather than bury them.
6 The Levels Educate About Each Generation’s Hardware
Astro’s Playroom is packaged and preloaded with the PlayStation 5 console because it’s meant to function as an introduction to the DualSense controller’s technology just as much as it’s an addictive platformer title. However, Astro’s Playroom also looks to the past and finds inventive ways for the technology that defined each past console to become the theme of each level. Additionally, the names for the achievements when each area gets cleared also feature the console’s slogans for each generation like “Greatness Awaits!” or “Welcome to the Third Place,” or one of the consoles’ selling features, like “HD Graphics.”
5 It Puts The PocketStation In The Spotlight
Sony and the PlayStation have made a large mark in America, but the console’s popularity in Japan is at even greater heights and there are certain accessories or titles that never came over to America. The PocketStation was an innovative device that could connect to the PS1, but its niche nature kept it out of America.
Astro’s Playroom embraces this odd piece of hardware. It’s not only an artefact in the game, but it’s also used in the PlayStation Labo hub world as the tool that’s used to sort through the player’s artefacts.
4 It References The PlayStation 3 Rubber Duck Tech Demo
It’s easy to breeze through Astro’s Playroom main game, but there are tons of collectible items that are hidden throughout the game. Puzzle pieces are another item that can be found and their collection corresponds to the completion of murals that adorn the walls of the PlayStation Labo hub world. These murals cover the different PlayStation lifespans, but the PlayStation 3 section features a bunch of rubber ducks. These ducks are also prevalent through the more water-based levels and they’re a reference to a component of the PlayStation 3 tech demo, which showed off a ton of high-definition rubber ducks.
3 One Of The Final Boss Fights Shifts To 4:3 Mode
Each new generation of gaming has brought with it some truly remarkable advancements in what the technology can make possible in this medium. The leap forward in this newest generation feels bigger than ever in some ways and so it means even more to see Astro’s Playroom embrace the past. Upon completion of the game’s four worlds, a fifth world, 1994 Throwback, is unlocked. When the boss of this world is encountered, the game’s screen resolution shifts to 4:3 to make the experience even more comparable to the days of original PlayStation gaming.
2 An Appreciation For The PlayStation Home
PlayStation consoles have all had different selling points, but a huge feature that the PlayStation 3 popularized with its audience was its massive Home community service. Home became a place for players to hang out and communicate and it received some stunning updates over the course of its lifetime. It’s now in Sony’s rearview mirror, but considering this was such a big part of what the PlayStation 3 pushed it’s nice to see it get referenced in Astro’s Playroom. The Home logo isn’t just available in the Labo area, but walking through it also rewards a trophy.
1 The Astro Bot Costumes And Actions
Astro’s Playroom puts the player in charge of one particularly determined Astro Bot, a PlayStation mascot who’s entered the scene in more recent years. Spread throughout the various levels in Astro’s Playroom are many other Astro Bots that help add to the scenery and sense of environment. The majority of these Astro Bots wear costumes or act out scenes that are tributes to the biggest titles from the respective PlayStation eras. It’s a lot of fun to see franchises like Devil May Cry, Resident Evil, Crash Bandicoot, and even more recent properties like Dreams get referenced in cute ways.
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