When was the last timePlayStationhad a true mascot character? During its infancy, we saw icons like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro The Dragon shepherd the platform, while Kuro & Turo and Polygon Man were other early attempts to give the powerful grey box a cultural sense of identity. In the generations that followed, we had Crash Bandicoot, Kratos, Nathan Drake, Aloy, and a selection of other characters all belonging to first-party series.
But has there ever been a character that distills PlayStation down to its very essence? A face that expresses the unparalleled whimsy, technical wizardry, and overall excellence of a name that has now been around for over 30 years? Finally, we have an answer inAstro Bot.
Greatness From Small Beginnings
The energetic robot didn’t begin life as a mascot character. The Playroom was a free launch title for thePS4and, much likeAstro’s Playroomseveral years later, was intended as a way to showcase the new hardware and exactly what its controller, camera, and new features were capable of. To get the point across, the game would unleash a small army of adorable robots onto the screen as they sprinted around your living room as you swatted them with a hand or two, all before being sucked back into the controller for an impromptu disco.
You grew bored with The Playroom pretty quickly once all of its minigames were exhausted, or you’d gained all the Trophies, so it was put away and remembered as a cute albeit fleeting gimmick. Then Playroom VR came along in 2016 and reintroduced the character alongside the larger, more innovative world these machines existed within. Once again, it was over quickly, but it planted the seed for more. Team Asobi was cooking and would break cover two years later with one of the greatest 3D platformers in recent memory.
Rescue Mission was a creative triumph, using virtual reality as a means to create a mascot platformer that PlayStation hadn’t seen since the days of Knack. It also took one of the bots, gave them a fluorescent blue accent, and made them a hero. He travelled the galaxy saving his fellow bot brothers with a spring in his step and a smile on his face.
There is an effortless joy to Rescue Mission that has become synonymous with everything Astro Bot has appeared in ever since, and that culminates with the release of this year’s masterpiece.
Astro Is PlayStation’s First True Mascot
But it wasn’t until Astro’s Playroom on thePS5that the cutesy robot became a symbol for all things PlayStation. Now he was exploring an original series of worlds that were inspired by an entire platform’s history and the machines that made it, acting as a comprehensive love letter filled with catchy songs anda laundry list of cameosdesigned to capitalise on our nostalgia for the brand.
It was the finest game on PS5 until its fully-fledged follow-up burst onto the scene four years later, and now it seems Astro Bot is here to stay. When I see him, I think PlayStation because both of his last two adventures have been about parading around a legacy in a way that never panders, but understands the reverence both fans and creators have for this gaming giant.
He’s also the character every other bot in his world looks up to. With a press of a button, he’ll whistle an army to follow his every command, while he’s constantly gifting them new accessories and charms that help them celebrate their identities to the fullest. All world leaders should pull their citizenry into a tight collective only to floss all over them. A true icon.
In the past, we have seen Crash and Spyro go multiplatform, while taking a human being like Kratos, Nathan Drake, or Aloy and claiming they represent the platform feels like an unusual choice. Sackboy is the one exception that could take Astro’s place, but it never hit mainstream heights and, these days, Media Molecule’s knitted fellow seems obsolete. Sony’s past mascots still matter, but Astro Bot feels like the first time PlayStation has ever had someone that can ever hold a candle to Mario. In fact, I think he has the potential to go even further with the right guidance.
Growing up with PlayStation as my main console - as the second youngest of nine siblings, a console war erupted out of necessity - I worried that I’d grown disillusioned with its history in recent years. But with every immaculately designed level, surprise cameo, or random little discovery in Astro Bot, I felt something come back. I felt that PlayStation could have a future that goes beyond live-service failures and cinematic blockbusters, one where it gives people a chance to stretch their creative wings and do something new. To celebrate a legacy that is unmatched in the medium and has so much brilliance to draw from.
Astro Bot is the perfect figure to make that future a true possibility, and will define PlayStation for decades to come.
Astro Bot
WHERE TO PLAY
When the PS5 mothership is attacked by Astro’s long-standing galactic nemesis, scrambling its wires and scattering the crew throughout space, only Astro can make things right! Setting off on his biggest mission yet, he needs your help to rescue the stranded crew and rebuild the mothership.Override
