There is no way to turn the touchpad controls off, nor is there an alternate control method. I handed the controller to my sister asking her to do the area for me, with the expectation this would be a one-off. This next area features a series of platforms rotating in rectangles. Head right and jump onto the first set, but instead of jumping left, ride the platform right. Despite looking like a handheld, the PlayStation Portal doesn’t run games by itself.
Puzzle Piece 3/4 – From the start on the right side of the area, jump to the wooden platform and pull out the three wires to spawn this puzzle piece. Puzzle Piece 3/4 – After sliding down the long cable, pull the next wire and go up the two platforms moving up and down. Every time I had fun with the game, it always ended in me encountering an area that is simply impossible for me to finish.
The interior display is four times the resolution of the original, and 3D audio adjusts with your head position. Eye tracking also allows for foveated rendering, where areas you aren’t looking at will not be given priority in order to optimize game performance. The HD Camera follows in the footsteps of the PlayStation Camera, PS Eye and EyeToy before it.
Gold Trophies
If you get it wrong, then you’ll need to scale the hill again, grab another bunch of bananas, and retry the dance minigame. If you’re successful, you’ll unlock the bot and get the “No Escape! They are located high up above at a tree on the hill top just ahead. To reach the tree, progress the level so you end up behind the hill, and use the PS1-shaped clouds and the steps on the rock face to climb up the wall. Go back along to the front of the blue pipes and the sandstorm, and this time, go along the outside on the right. Go past the PlayStation face button symbols in the sand, and punch the shell tucked away under the pipe towards the end.
Discover how to earn each trophy with ease and enjoy the game’s creative levels and DualSense features. Astro’s Playroom comes pre-installed on every PlayStation 5, so when you first start it up, you may assume it’s a tutorial designed to introduce you to the system’s capabilities. Yes, the game is a great showpiece for the PS5’s DualSense controller, applying its haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, and motion-sensing technology to a variety of inventive situations. But Astro’s Playroom is much more than a tutorial; it’s a joyful and polished platformer that ushers in a new generation of PlayStation hardware with a big smile.
Can I Play That?
Is improved force feedback and the same funny little collection of gyros and touchscreens carried over from the DualShock 4 really the next-gen difference? I’m not entirely sure, and it may well prove to be another false dawn that, like HD rumble on the Switch, is a pleasant addition that soon fades into the background. It doesn’t stop at the collectibles; some bots pay tribute to past icons. You’ll see a bot holding a camera throughout the levels as they record their companions as fellow PlayStation characters.
Every single PS2 God of War was released in a PS3 collection in 2009, while the PSP duo were in 2011. Astro’s Playroom could easily have been a simple tech demo, and in a way it is that. Its main function is to demonstrate the possibilities of the DualSense. It’s the kind of charming 3D adventure rarely seen outside of Nintendo, one dripping with inventive ideas and heartwarming details.
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.
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. https://w188tyc.com/ 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.
That’s not very much content — but I still have well over half of the game’s collectibles left to discover, which could easily double the amount of time spent if I wanted to go for the platinum. I used this example last time and I like to explain that with how precise the haptics are here I can actually tell the difference between when Astro walks on wood, metal, glass, and so on. It’s really mind-blowing and is frankly impossible to articulate in words. And the way the adaptive triggers provide resistance for pulling down on things like a robot spring or the string of a bow is wonderful. The DualSense is the most innovative update to game controller technology since the debut of the analog stick.
The first level of the game opens with Astro barreling down a waterslide before splashing in some water and walking up onto a beach. It’s hard to put into words, but the thunk of landing in the water is a dull, flat sensation that feels, well, like landing in water. Similarly, there’s a grainy effect when you walk across the beach, as if you could feel the sand. The vibrations even alternate between the left and right sides of the controller as Astro walks, so you sense each footstep. One family , “the Labo level is great for little ones to get the hang of mastering 3D movement. There are no enemies or places to fall but still some things to interact with and so platforming too”.
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.
Puzzle Piece 4/4 – When you reach the room with the fans blowing downward toward electrical hazards on the floor, this puzzle piece is between an electrified mine and these hazards. Puzzle Piece 2/4 – In this same starting area, go around the back of the rock pillar in the middle of the purple plants to find this puzzle piece. Puzzle Piece 2/4 – At the second hang glider section some rings will appear. You need to launch yourself through the ring on the right to grab this puzzle piece. Artifact 2/2 “Playstation Vita”– At the top of the above tower, jump and hold break the glass on top, then pull the revealed wire to get this artifact.
