Oh, the difference a couple of months makes. If you recall, the last State of Play event by PlayStation happened in May, just before the MANY gaming announcements in June, and that one will go down as one of the most divisive showings that Sony has ever done. After all, it featured an 11-minute breakdown of a game that would later on be shut down within two weeks of its launch, and then, it ended with Astro Bot. So, clearly, they saved the best for last. That adorable robot would go on to charm many when his title was released, and now, at this State of Play event, he kicked off the whole show!
No, he didn’t get a sequel announcement, although that would’ve been hilarious, given how things have gone since that last State of Play event. Instead, we got an announcement for a free update for the title, alongside numerous new bots that’ll join Astro in his adventures.
For example, there will be five new online speedrun levels that you can test yourself on. They look fun and beautiful, so be sure to test them out when they arrive. The other key thing was that the update will bring not one, not five, but TEN new bots to save! These new bots include the Helldivers, Eve, and more! So prepare to have fun and dance the night away with them!
The update itself doesn’t have a release date, but it was given a “Fall 2024” tag. Plus, Team Asobi commented that DLC for Astro Botis coming later on, so think of this as a teaser for what’s in store for fans.
Aside from the placement, the irony of this game is still apparent to all who have enjoyed it so far. This is a game that kind of came out of nowhere, wasn’t made with the biggest of budgets, doesn’t take the longest of periods to beat, and yet is one of the most enjoyable titles to come out in 2024. It’s already the highest-rated game on Metacritic for 2024, only coming in second to a certain FromSoftware DLC.
It’s also shining a BIG light on how people still love single-player titles, and want to enjoy quality ones versus being told about “huge open-world experiences” that tend to be more bland and empty than anything else.
So, if the sales of Astro’s new adventure match up with the critics and praise from gamers, then, hopefully, Sony will make more games like these going forward.
