Astro Bot Rescue Mission

Astro Bot Rescue Mission is a 2018 platform video game developed by Japan Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4's PlayStation VR headset. It stars a cast of robot characters first introduced in The Playroom, where they appeared as little robots that lived inside of the DualShock 4 controller and the white and blue robot from the Robots Rescue mini-game from The Playroom VR who is given the name Astro Bot. In the game, the player teams up with Captain Astro and goes on a quest to rescue his lost crew scattered across different worlds.

Astro Bot Rescue Mission
North American cover art
Developer(s)	Japan Studio
Publisher(s)	Sony Interactive Entertainment
Director(s)	Nicolas Doucet
Producer(s)	Nicolas Doucet Teruyuki Toriyama
Designer(s)	Gento Morita
Programmer(s)	Takumi Yoshida Yuki Miyamae
Artist(s)	Sebastian Brueckner Jamie Smith
Composer(s)	Kenneth C. M. Young
Series	Astro Bot
Platform(s)	PlayStation 4
Release	WW: October 2, 2018 JP: October 4, 2018
Genre(s)	Platform
Mode(s)	Single-player

The game was released in October 2018 and received critical acclaim, with praise for the game's use of the DualShock 4 and its varied level design. It is the first game in the Astro Bot series, and was followed by Astro's Playroom in 2020 and Astro Bot in 2024.

Gameplay

Astro Bot Rescue Mission is a 3D platformer where players control Astro Bot, a small robot navigating various levels using a DualShock 4 controller. The game is designed for VR, so players experience the game world from a first-person perspective, essentially becoming a giant robot that interacts with the environment. This includes actions like smashing walls with head-butts, dodging attacks, and using the headset's microphone to blow petals around.

In each level, the main objective is to rescue Astro's crew, scattered throughout the game's five worlds and twenty levels. Players also face bosses at the end of each world, which require a certain number of rescued bots to challenge.

Each level also hides Space Chameleons, which, when found, unlock special challenge stages that add extra content to the game. Additionally, players can discover Magic Chests containing gadgets such as a Hook Shot, Water Gun, Tight Rope, Magic Light, Machine Gun, or a Slingshot. These gadgets help Astro navigate through levels, providing tools to manipulate the environment in various ways.

Development

Astro Bot Rescue Mission was developed by Japan Studio's Team Asobi division. Due to popular demand and fan feedback of the mini game called "Robots Rescue" in The Playroom VR, Japan Studio decided to make a fully fleshed game based on the mini game. Astro Bot Rescue Mission was developed in 18 months by a team of 25 people.^[1] The music was composed by Kenneth C M Young.^[2]

Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	90/100[3]

Review scores

Publication	Score
Computer Games Magazine	8.5/10[4]
Destructoid	7.5/10[5]
Edge	9/10
Game Informer	9/10[6]
IGN	9/10[7]
Jeuxvideo.com	17/20[8]
PlayStation Official Magazine – UK	8/10
Road to VR	10/10[9]
Metro	9/10[10]
UploadVR	8.5/10[11]

Reception

Astro Bot Rescue Mission received "universal acclaim" from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.^[12] As of July 2019, Astro Bot Rescue Mission is the highest-rated VR game in history according to Metacritic, and the 6th highest-rated PS4 game in 2018. The game was especially praised for its use of the DualShock 4 controller's features and varied level design.^[13][14][15]

Chris Dunlap's 10/10 score on GamingAge stated that "Astro Bot Rescue Mission is an extremely fun and engaging game, and a dynamite addition to the growing PSVR library."^[16] PSU.com said "Easily the best platformer and PS VR game on the market this year."^[17]

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Result	Ref(s).
2018	Game Critics Awards	Best VR/AR Game	Nominated	[18]
	Gamescom 2018	Best Puzzle/Skill Game	Nominated	[19]
	9th Hollywood Music in Media Awards	Best Original Song ("A Fire in Your Mind")	Nominated	[20][21]
	The Game Awards 2018	Best VR/AR Game	Won	[22][23]
	The Edge Awards 2018	VR Game of the Year	Won	[24]
		Game of the Year	5
2019	New York Game Awards	Coney Island Dreamland Award for Best Virtual Reality Game	Nominated	[25]
	22nd Annual D.I.C.E. Awards	Family Game of the Year	Nominated	[26]
		Immersive Reality Game of the Year	Nominated
		Immersive Reality Technical Achievement	Nominated
		Outstanding Technical Achievement	Nominated
	National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards	Animation, Artistic	Nominated	[27]
		Control Design, VR	Nominated
		Direction in Virtual Reality	Nominated
		Game, Original Family	Nominated
		Sound Mixing in Virtual Reality	Nominated
		Use of Sound, New IP	Nominated
	SXSW Gaming Awards	Excellence in Technical Achievement	Nominated	[28]
		VR Game of the Year	Nominated
	Game Developers Choice Awards	Best VR/AR Game	Nominated	[29]
	15th British Academy Games Awards	Best Game	Nominated	[30]
		Game Design	Nominated
		Game Innovation	Nominated
	Famitsu Awards	Special Award	Won	[31]
	British Academy Children's Awards	Game	Won	[32]
	Italian Video Game Awards	Innovation Award	Nominated	[33]
	Japan Game Awards	Game Designers Award	Won	[34]
	The Independent Game Developers' Association Awards	Best Arcade Game	Nominated	[35]

Sequels

See also: Astro Bot (series)

Astro's Playroom

Main article: Astro's Playroom

A sequel, Astro's Playroom, was released for the PlayStation 5 as a launch title that is pre-installed on every console and serves as a tech demo for the new DualSense controller.

Astro Bot

Main article: Astro Bot

Astro Bot is the most recent entry in the Astro Bot series and was released in 2024 for the PlayStation 5 in celebration of PlayStation's 30th anniversary. The game received universal acclaim from critics.