An Astro Bot sequel may not be able to drink from the same well again

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First-party IP has become an extremely important part of the gaming world and is often a determining factor in the platforms players choose. Over the course of a console generation, players will gradually form attachments to the IPs that resonate with them, growing to love their stories, characters, and unique game mechanics. Astro Bot hails these attachments at every turn.

The first major PlayStation mascot platformer in quite some time, Astro Bot has players taking control of the titular automaton hero as he searches the galaxy for his missing bot buddies. Many of these bots wear costumes meant to reference a specific game series, often ones closely tied to PlayStation history. Finding these cameo Bots is a consistent highlight Astro Bots game from moment to moment, but if/when Astro Bot gets a sequel, it probably won't be able to use the same trick twice.

Astro Bot, the Game Awards logo

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Every award Astro Bot won at The Game Awards 2024

Astro Bot, the bubbly, sparkly platform darling of 2024, took home The Game Awards this year, scooping several prestigious awards.

An Astro Bot sequel might need to shake up its cameos

Astro Bot already contains 190 Cameos

At launch, Astro Bot featured well over 150 cameo Bots, most of which were scattered across its 50+ planets. Although PlayStation has a lot of IP that it has created and worked closely with over the past few decades, developer Team Asobi did its best to include as many as it could, and it did a phenomenal job.

Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the dragon, Resident Eviland countless other flagship PS1 titles were referenced in Astro Bot. Newer PlayStation franchises like The God of War, Unchartedand Horizon was placed front and center on several of Astro Bots stages. Even deep-cut franchises that haven't been seen in over two decades, such as Vib band and The Boy Arcfound the way to Astro Bot.

But the celebration didn't end there. In the months after Astro Bots release, the game received a handful of free updates that added several new levels and a handful of new cameo appearances. 18 cameo bots were added in total, again running the entirety of PlayStation history, from modern day heroes like Marvel's Spider-Mans Peter Parker and Miles Morales, to long-forgotten mascots like Gex and Croc, to popular third-party characters like Resident Evilis Albert Wesker.

Astro Bot 2 would have to get creative with its cameos

Astro Bot has cemented itself as a series that celebrates PlayStation history, but it needs to find a careful balance with the next entry. With so many franchisees already in the Astro Bota potential sequel probably couldn't rely on just including the same kind of collector references, especially if they were referencing the same franchise from the first game.

Instead the next Astro Bot need to do something different with their cameos, something a little more special. One option would be to include fewer cameos in a sequel, but make those cameos feel much more substantial. For example, the sequel can take the first Astro Botpp Uncharted, The God of War, Horizon, Ape Escapeand LocoRoco levels and expand them to include more PlayStation series.

However, it might feel a little overwhelming if it was the full game, as many fans would still want to experience original levels without a PlayStation theme. Another option would be to give Astro Bots power-ups an overhaul in a potential sequel, themed after a PlayStation character, such as Notorious“lightning superpowers, Spider-Mans web-swinging, or Spyro the dragonfire sprinklers.

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