ASTRO BOT Rescue Mission brings 3D platforming into virtual reality, where perspective, player movement and DualShock 4 gadgets directly contribute to exploration.
Synopsis
Astro Bot: Rescue Mission follows Astro, the captain of a robot crew whose members have been scattered across space.
Taking control of Astro, the player sets out on a virtual reality rescue mission, traveling through the different environments of the adventure in search of the Bots lost during their dispersion.
Astro’s objective is therefore to find his companions one by one and bring them back with him in an adventure centered on exploration, platforming and the search for his missing crew.
Trailer
Overview
Developed by Team Asobi and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Astro Bot: Rescue Mission is a video game released on October 2, 2018. The platform listed in this entry is virtual reality. The associated genres are action, adventure, science fiction and platforming. The specified game mode is Single player.
The game adapts 3D platforming to virtual reality by placing the player directly within the environments Astro explores. The PS VR headset makes it possible to observe levels with a sense of depth and viewing angles that directly contribute to movement and the search for paths.
The player does not simply control Astro from a distance. They also exist within the environment as a large robot accompanying the character. Certain sequences therefore require moving the head or body, looking around an obstacle, avoiding an attack or directly interacting with elements of the scenery.
This use of perspective changes the way levels are designed. Platforms or paths can be hidden behind scenery, below the player or off to the sides, encouraging players to lean and observe the space from different angles rather than simply following Astro’s movement.
The adventure includes 26 missions spread across five worlds. They combine platforming, enemies, traps, secrets and boss battles, with environments ranging from urban rooftops to beaches, caves and volcanoes.
The central mission is to recover the missing crew members. Each level contains eight lost Bots hidden throughout the environment, sometimes clearly visible and sometimes placed in areas that require closer observation.
The headset’s 3D audio also contributes to this search. The Bots’ calls can help determine their location and complement the visual clues provided by the environment.
Astro has the classic movements of a platforming game, including running, jumping and attacking enemies. The sense of depth provided by virtual reality also makes it easier to judge distances during jumps and to follow his movement from different angles.
The DualShock 4 controller is itself represented within the virtual world and can transform into several gadgets used to help Astro.
These tools notably include a grappling hook, a water cannon, a slingshot and shuriken. Their functions vary depending on the sequence: some can eliminate enemies, while others cut through obstacles or create elements required for progression.
The grappling hook can, for example, help create paths or platforms, while the water cannon interacts with certain environmental mechanisms. These gadgets are therefore part of the level design rather than simply functioning as additional weapons.
Battles against bosses also make use of the relationship between Astro, the player and the virtual space. Attacks can target the controlled character but can also force the player to physically react within their own field of view.
In addition to the Bots that must be rescued, levels contain various secrets and hidden elements. Space chameleons can notably be found in order to unlock additional content.
As the main story progresses, the game provides access to 26 additional challenges centered on platforming skills and the use of mechanics introduced throughout the adventure.
Collected coins can also be used in a claw machine mini-game to obtain rewards for an interactive collection room. This area gathers elements that allow certain memories from the adventure to be revisited in diorama form.
Astro Bot: Rescue Mission therefore builds its platforming around a constant relationship between the character, the player and the virtual environment. Headset perspective, physical movement, DualShock 4 gadgets and the search for Bots all contribute together to progression across the different worlds.
Astro Bot: Rescue Mission structures its platforming around the player’s position within virtual space, using depth, viewing angles and physical movement as gameplay elements.
Astro retains the foundations of 3D platforming, while searching for Bots and secrets regularly requires examining environments from different positions.
DualShock 4 gadgets add a second form of interaction by allowing the player to directly affect certain enemies, obstacles and mechanisms required for progression.
The game therefore combines platforming, exploration and virtual reality within a structure where controlling Astro and the player’s own actions in space contribute simultaneously to the levels.