P5’s Free Astro’s Playroom Brings Back Midnight Launch Parties

The long gone are the standing outside a GameStop at midnight for days waiting for the official release of a new Halo or Last fantasyBut Team Asobi brought back the party spirit with a launch party for their newest game, inside an older game.

Astro’s playroom was a “free” package for the PlayStation 5 that showed off new features, including the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback. But it was more than just an extended tech demo, and established the Astro franchise, previously a VR exclusive, as an emerging Sony first-party A-lister. Leading up to the release of the third game, Astro botTeam Asobi even added a countdown timer to the mission room in Astro’s playroom for the launch on September 6.

That’s where players could wait before they could actually play Astro bot and watch the little ones count down like it’s New Year’s Eve 1999. It was a nice little easter egg that fits in with the franchise’s dedication to celebrating PlayStation’s past and taking the time to add little details that make it all extra special.

Astro bot is out now on PlayStation 5 and I’m not alone in thinking it’s a strong frontrunner for GOTY, as well as one of the best 3D platformers ever made. It’s packed with quirky little details and eye-popping set pieces, with levels that revolve around clever mechanics and make full use of the DualSense controller, from the haptic triggers to the speaker. It gives the game the same tactile satisfaction it feels like playing with a toy in real life.

But the seeds of many of those ideas, including blowing on the touchpad to create gusts of wind in the game, were already present in Astro’s playrooma short game that not enough people played, despite it being free with every one of the 60+ million PS5s sold to date. It only takes three hours to beat and gives you a good taste of what to expect in Astro botPlus, it gives you a point of reference to see how far the franchise has come in just four years, and a new appreciation for all the innovative ways the new game builds on what Team Asobi has tried before.