Summary
Astro Botis a massively fun 3D platformer, and working through each of the world’s jam-packed full of levels will provide plenty of enjoyment, with or without prior direction. However, Astro Bot, like a lot of 3D platformers, has a little more depth than you might expect when first going in.
You can still have an amazing time playing Astro Bot if you go in completely blind, but there are some tips that you can keep in mind that will make for a smoother experience when completing the game. So, what do we wish we knew before starting a play through of Astro Bot?
7Yellow Marked Bots Are Cameo Bots
Who’s That?
As youcomplete each of the levels in Astro Bot, you’ll soon realise that each of the collectibles available in each of the levels will have a slot on the menu showing you how many you have got, and how many you are missing.
One icon that could easily cause confusion is a little yellow symbol next to the empty slot for a missing bot that you might not have collected. This yellow symbol shaped like the four main buttons on the DualSense controller lets you know that the missing bot will bewearing a costume designed after a characterfrom PlayStation history, and if it doesn’t have this symbol, then it will be a plain bot.
6Each Level Has Two Or Three Hidden Puzzle Pieces
Piece Together The Puzzle
While it might be easier to spot the missing bots hidden throughout a level since there are more of them, the other main collectible you should be keeping an eye out for is puzzle pieces. There are usually about two or three of these hidden around each standard level, and they are sometimes even more challenging to find than some of the more obscure missing bots.
This optional unlockable is not needed to progress throughout the story, but there are different tricks for finding them compared to missing bots. For example, you will never find missing bots right on the glide into a level, but this is a common hiding place for puzzle pieces.
If you end a level and see you’re missing the first puzzle piece collectible, this is a giveaway that you could’ve easily missed it on the glide in or perhaps behind the landing area.
5Search In Between Levels To Find Hidden Secrets
Bonus Challenges And Trials
While some platformers will give you a simple selection screen to choose each level you play through, in Astro Bot you’ll be empowered to fly through space in between each of the levels. These levels are found in different systems, and these house more secrets than you might originally notice.
Sometimes it’s worth flying around the different planets looking for secrets, and some might pop out after a little while, so don’t rush when looking for something. These hidden secrets could be the mystery behind a missing bot or jigsaw piece, so keep an eye out.
4Don’t Miss Out On Bots
Unless You Want To Backtrack
While you could easily rush to the end of each stage in Astro Bot for a speedy challenge, you’d be missing out on about half of what the level has to offer since there are just so many secrets that are usually hidden throughout.
However, if there is only one thing you should be doing besides progressing through a level, it’slooking out for missing bots. As well as purely satiating the completionist within all of us, you also need to get a certain number of bots to unlock the boss of each space system, so while they might seem optional, they really aren’t.
3Test Out The Laser Hover In The Early Game
Astro’s Platforming Prowess
Every 3D platformer controls differently, but for the most part, running and jumping is easy to understand. However, each main character usually has a quirk to their platforming to help them stand out from the crowd, and for Astro, that’s his laser hovering.
In the earlier levels, dedicate some time to getting down this occasionally awkward ability. When there are low stakes, keep testing out the laser hover and standard jump to compare distance, so when you are later in the game and the stakes are higher, you’ll always be confident about which jumps you may make and which might send you back to a checkpoint.
2Don’t Miss Out On Whole Other Levels With Warp Holes
Warp Between Worlds
When selecting each main level, you’ll notice there are missing spots for the bots and jigsaw pieces you can collect, but one collectible that is a bit easier to miss is the slot sometimes next to the section for puzzle pieces that is shaped like a portal.
In each space system, there are two levels that feature this warp hole symbol, and that means that somewhere in each of these levels there is a hidden area that will unlock another level to play through. These levels are plenty of fun, and you won’t want to miss out on them, so keep an eye out when playing through levels with this marker.
1Experiment With Exploration
Empowered By Frequent Checkpoints
One of the best design features in modern 3D platformers is how much exploration is encouraged. If it looks like you might be able to reach somewhere, it’s likely that you can. Whether it needs some tricky platforming, pulling on some loose wires, or a button you need to push down, there is usually a way to reach that mysterious, slightly out of reach area.
This design philosophy is in full swing in Astro Bot, and with how common and forgiving the checkpoints are, it’s always worth risking the adventurous robot to try and get somewhere. Dying to a fall or an enemy never sends you back far, so always try and get to every little corner that a level has to offer!
