Sony’s Astro Bot Rescue Mission was, quite deservingly, the best-selling PSVR game on the PlayStation Store in October.
The third-person platformer, which was developed by the company’s Japan Studio, topped the charts in both the US and EU for October. We don’t know the actual sales data for the game but that’s a good position to be in. What makes this all the more impressive is that Astro Bot wasn’t just sold via the PS Store; a physical copy hit retailers too along with a hardware bundle including a disc for the game, which these charts won’t account for.
We loved Astro Bot, for its inventive gameplay. We said “it fuzes the thrill of seeing a virtual world come to life with the dependably engaging gameplay of one of gaming’s most beloved genres and explores what that can mean with fascinating results. It’s a refreshing reminder of just how astonishing VR can be when there’s nothing in your way, and it’s an absolutely essential experience for any PSVR owner.”
Elsewhere, another big PSVR release, September’s Creed: Rise to Glory, came in second in the EU charts and seventh in the US. Whilst the game also had a physical edition that may have slowed its digital progress, the US store also hosted an exhaustive PSVR sale to celebrate the headset’s second-anniversary last month. With this in mind, we’re not surprised to see regulars like Superhot VR and Job Simulator ranking so highly.
Sadly we don’t see any sign of Archiact’s impressive first-person shooter, Evasion, on either list. The game hit PSVR in early October.
November is another big month for Sony’s headset with games like Deracine and Tetris Effect already released. There’s also a little game called Beat Saber on the way which is bound to have some sort of effect on the next set of charts.
ASTRO BOT: Rescue Mission gilt als absoluter Erfolgstitel für PS4 und PlayStation VR (PSVR). Kein Wunder, denn der VR-Plattformer konnte mit seinem eingängigen Gameplay und der visuell wunderschönen Grafik Kritiker und Spieler-/innen gleichermaßen überzeugen und sich sogar einen Platz in den Top Ten der beliebtesten Spiele des Jahres sichern. Nun gewährt Nicolas Doucet, Creative Director und Producer von Astro Bot in einem Interview Einblicke hinter die Kulissen des PSVR-Titels und veröffentlicht sogar erste Konzepte und Artworks.
ASTRO BOT: Rescue Mission – Behind the Scenes in der Entwicklung des Erfolgstitels
In einem Interview mit Road to VR gibt Nicolas Doucet Einblicke in den Entwicklungsprozess von ASTRO BOT und lässt die Fans einen Blick hinter die Kulissen werfen. So entstanden die kleinen Bots bekannterweise ursprünglich für Minispiele in The Playroom für PS4 im Jahr 2013. Zum Release der PlayStation VR (PSVR) wurde die VR-Neuauflage The Playroom VR entwickelt, welche den Fokus erneut auf kleinere Mini-Games mit den Robofreunden legte.
Mit dem Minispiel Robot Rescue wurden dabei die ersten unerwarteten Grundzüge für den heutigen VR-Titel gelegt, wie er nostalgisch beschreibt:
“Um ehrlich zu sein, war [Robot Rescue] das eigentümlichste Spiel, da alle anderen Titel als schnelle Party-Games entwickelt wurden. Als wir Playroom VR veröffentlichten, liebten unsere inneren Gamer Robot Rescue am meisten, einfach weil es ein Spiel war, das der Essenz eines klassischen Spiels, welches in VR neu umgesetzt wurde, am nächsten kam. Deshalb wollten wir ein eigenständiges Spiel daraus entwickeln. Die große Anzahl an Kommentaren in Foren, Videos und sogar Petitionen gaben uns dann den nötigen Schub, den wir brauchten, um mit Volldampf loszulegen. Bereits kurz nach der Veröffentlichung unseres DLC für The Playroom VR begannen wir mit der Arbeit an Astro Bot: Rescue Mission.
Nach 18 Monaten Entwicklungsarbeit und einem Team bestehend aus bis zu 25 Personen wurde der VR-Titel schließlich fertiggestellt. Dafür waren jedoch detailliertes Arbeiten und ein geplantes Vorgehen nötig. Entsprechend entwickelte man das Spiel auf dem Konzept der vier Schlüsselpfeiler des ASOBI-Teams der SIE Japan Studios. Das Konzept dreht sich um die Worte: “magisch”, “innovativ”, “verspielt” und “inklusive”. Unter diesen Rahmenbedingungen begann man daraufhin mit ersten Ansätzen für das Spiel:
“In den ersten sechs Monaten haben wir viel mit den Mechaniken herumexperimentiert. Aus den erfolgreichen Ideen haben wir am Ende das gesamte Spiel zusammengestellt. Solche Prototypen entstehen meist in kurzer Zeit durch die selbstständige Arbeit der Programmierer-/innen. Daraufhin sammeln wir alles zusammen, was Spaß macht und uns ein Tool-Set für zukünftige Interaktionen gibt. Die Artworks kommen erst später dazu, wenn das Gameplay steht. Dadurch entsteht gar nicht erst eine Versuchung, sich auf die Grafik zu verlassen, bevor sich das Gameplay beweisen konnte.”
ASTRO BOT: Rescue Mission – VR-Tauglichkeit muss gewährleistet sein
Damit sich der Plattformer letztlich von Genre-verwandten Titeln unterscheidet, erstellten die Verantwortlichen eine Checkliste für VR-Tauglichkeit, um einen Wiederkennungswert zu gewährleisten. Einer der wichtigsten Punkte bestand darin, die Spieler-/innen komplett in die virtuelle Welt zu integrieren. Dafür wurde besonders der PS4-Controller mit einbezogen und als fester Bestandteil des Spiels zur Interaktion mit der Umwelt genutzt. Damit dies realistisch funktioniert, wurden spezielle virtuelle, aufwertbare Gadgets entwickelt:
“Es war besonders wichtig, dass diese Gadgets in unterschiedlichen Spielstrukturen funktionieren. Genau genommen in drei speziellen Fällen. Deshalb muss das Wasser-Gadget zum Beispiel zum Wachstum der Vegetation, zum Aktivieren von Propellern und zum Härten von Lava verwendet werden. Sämtliche Anwendungsbeispiele korrelieren direkt mit dem Prinzip des Plattformings (sie eröffnen einen begehbaren Weg für Astro und unterstützen die VR-Tauglichkeit des Spiels).”
Einige andere Gadgets wurden allerdings im Entwicklungsprozess gestrichen. Dazu zählten beispielsweiße ein Magnet. Damit das einzigartige Spielgefühl aufkommt, wurden die Level so gestaltet, dass sie auf die Spieler-/innen beeindruckend wirken und zeitgleich das Gameplay für Astro gewährleisten. So wurden Umgebungen auf zwei unterschiedlichen Ebenen entwickelt, um den immersiven Effekt beim Spielen beizubehalten. Auch die Gegner wurden nach diesem Prinzip gestaltet, da sie sowohl gegen Astro wie auch gegen die Spieler und Spielerinnen kämpfen.
Um die komplizierten visuellen Effekte im Endprodukt zu behalten, wurde außerdem ein lokaler Multiplayer-Modus entfernt. So waren einige Level ursprünglich für bis zu drei weitere Spieler-/innen konzipiert. Damit dies reibungslos läuft, wäre jedoch einiges an Downgrading nötig gewesen. Durch den Verzicht auf das Multiplayer-Feature konnte man mehr Fokus auf Effizienz und Performance legen. Und das ist auch gut so, denn die Singleplayer-Erfahrung gilt als absoluter Vorreiter im Genre.
Das gesamte Interview sowie die veröffentlichten Konzepte und Artworks findet ihr hier.
From the very first time we previewed an early build of ASTRO BOT Rescue Mission, it was clear that there was much care and craft behind the work. At its October 2018 launch, the finished game not only didn’t disappoint, it saw critical praise, quickly becoming PSVR’s top rated title and even one of PS4’s top titles overall for 2018. The reception was a testament to the undeniable art and skill of the creators at Sony Interactive Entertainment’s JAPAN Studio. But how did they succeed where so many others struggled? For the latest in our Insights & Artwork series, we spoke with Astro Bot’s Creative Director and Producer, Nicolas Doucet, who gave us a glimpse into the game’s design process and a look at some of the artwork which guided the way.
Update (July 19th, 2019): Over at the official PlayStation Blog, Nicolas Doucet today shared some additional background on Astro Bot’s development, which seemed fitting to include here to add to this deep-dive background on the game’s creation. Doucet shared a look at a ‘mecha spider’ enemy prototype which was ultimately cut from the game but lived on through similar mechanics which manifested in the ‘bamboo stack’ enemy, which the team found “simpler, clearer, more versatile, and gratifying to shoot.”
Image courtesy SIE JAPAN Studio
He showed how level segments were built modularly, which allowed them to be rearranged and even repurposed where needed. A segment of the Canyon stage was pulled from that level and visually adapted to fit right into the Volcano level.
Image courtesy SIE JAPAN Studio
Doucet also elaborated a bit on Astro Bot’s cut multiplayer mode, which was clearly a tough decision but seems to have ultimately worked out in the game’s favor. “It was probably the hardest cut we ever made, and it created some controversy within the team, especially because it felt like we were taking something of quality away,” he said. “But at times, such decisions are necessary for the greater good and there is no more regret today as it allowed the game — and the team — to reach new heights.”
Continue reading below for our deep-dive with Doucet on Astro Bot’s development.
Editor’s Note: The big, beautiful pictures and exclusive artwork in this article are best viewed on a desktop browser with a large screen, or in landscape orientation on your phone. All images courtesy SIE JAPAN Studio.
Winding Roots
Original Article (November 7th, 2018): While Astro Bot has only been out for a month now, the game’s origin stretches at least back to 2013 when JAPAN Studio released THE PLAYROOM, a piece of PS4 bundleware which was designed to show of the console’s then new camera peripheral. The Playroom included a series of mini-games where the studio’s adorable ‘bot’ characters were heavily featured. When PS4’s next major peripheral came along—PlayStation VR, which launched in 2016—JAPAN Studio was tasked with creating The Playroom VR. Just like the game before it, The Playroom VR was bundled as a showcase, and included a series of VR mini-games with the bots back in action.
JAPAN Studio’s ‘bots’ were a fixture in THE PLAYROOM VR (2016)
It was there in The Playroom VR where Astro Bot’s foundation was solidified. One mini-game called ‘Robot Rescue’ had players guiding one of the bot characters around a fantastical world from a third-person perspective, but still embodied the player as a first-person character in the game world. Looking back today, the fundamentals of ‘Robot Rescue’ and Astro Bot are one in the same, but with the latter, JAPAN Studio had the time and resources to fully explore what the mini-game could become.
“To be honest, [‘Robot Rescue’] was the odd one out as all other games [in The Playroom VR] were built as quick-fire party play.” Nicolas Doucet, Astro Bot’s Creative Director and Producer, tells Road to VR. “As we released The Playroom VR, the gamers inside us loved ‘Robot Rescue’ because it is a game closer to classic gamers’ taste re-invented for VR, so we wanted to make a full game.” As it turned out, the interest in ‘Robot Rescue’ wasn’t just from within the studio. “The vast amount of [player] comments on the forums, videos, and petition gave us the boost we needed to go full steam. So shortly after releasing our DLC for The Playroom VR, we started working on Astro Bot Rescue Mission.”
Image courtesy SIE JAPAN Studio
18 months later, and with a peak development team of 25, Astro Bot was born. Packed full of smart VR game design, a distinctly ‘playable’ feel, and enough meat to feel satisfied by the end, Astro Bot is the first game we’ve rated a 10 out of 10.
A game like Astro Bot doesn’t just happen; it’s the product of talent, time, and direction.
“One thing to establish first is that [JAPAN Studio’s] ASOBI Team is articulated around four key pillars that define the emotions our games must convey. They are ‘Magical’, ‘Innovative’, ‘Playful’ and ‘Inclusive’. These words are to be considered in their broad meaning and anything we create should be relatable to these four key pillars.” Doucet says.
Months of Experimentation
With that framework in mind, the team set aside one-third of the game’s development time for experimentation, before locking in key mechanics and interactions.
“We prototyped lots and lots of mechanics for the first six months, as we always do. We then assembled the entire game from the various successful ideas,” says Doucet. “These prototypes happen over a very short time and are mostly made by programmers working on their own. We then gather everything that is fun and that gives us our tool set for interactions. We only bring art in once the gameplay is robust so there is no temptation to rely on graphics before the fundamental gameplay is proven.”
Doucet and the team specifically set out to make sure Astro Bot was more than just a third-person platformer thrown into a VR headset.
“[…] there was a strong desire for the game to not become a traditional platformer in panorama view. That would have no value for PS VR,” he says. “[…] so a checklist of ‘VR-ness’ was created, such as verticality, lateral gameplay, volume play, perspective play by leaning your body, proximity play to create a bond, far-distance play to create dramatic moments, and also physical play via the player’s head, blowing mechanics, etc.”
Astro looks at the player’s avatar.
Central to the game’s “VR-ness” is the way that it embodies the player as not just a camera but an actual character that’s present inside the virtual world. That’s reinforced especially with the PS4 controller which is motion tracked inside the game and becomes as critical to the gameplay input from buttons and sticks. This happens primarily through ‘gadgets’, virtual tools that attach to the in-game controller allowing the player to uniquely interact with both Astro and the environment.
“It was important that these gadgets worked on several layers, at least three strong use cases to be precise,” Doucet says. “This is why the water gadget for example can be used to grow vegetation, activate propellers, and also harden lava. All of these use cases have a direct correlation with platforming (they essentially create a path for Astro and support the various ‘VR-ness’ [we were seeking].” In fact, there were a few gadgets—like a magnet and a vacuum cleaner—that got cut because they didn’t meet the bar of interactivity that the team had set.
Since Halloween is over and Christmas is coming up, that means that various retailers, particularly in North America, are gearing up for the big sales on Black Friday. As part of this preparation, Target are advertising some very cheap prices on PlayStation VR bundles.
Target have already started to advertise for their Black Friday deals, among those is an impressive $100 (USD) discount that will apply to all of its PlayStation VR bundles for 23rd November, 2018.
The retailers are particularly promoting the PlayStation VR bundle that includes Creed: Rise to Glory and SUPERHOT VR. Usually priced at $350, for Black Friday, the price is dropping down to $250.
The bundles comes with the PlayStation VR headset, two PlayStation Move controllers and the PlayStation Camera, which means everything is ready to hook up to the PlayStation 4 right out of the box.
Target is also offered two other bundles. One of which includes DOOM VFR, and Astro Bot Rescue Mission, both of which are titles that got excellent marks from the VRFocusreview team, with the DOOM VFR review saying: “Ultimately DOOM VFR stands as a fine example of just what can be achieved with the FPS genre in VR as of today, lining-up against Robo Recall as an action-heavy experience that throws the rulebook out of the window.”
Where the Astro Bot Rescue Mission review said: “Astro Bot Rescue Mission is a great old-school platformer for the VR era, bringing some of the best features of both 2D and 3D platformers of old and incorporating VR in a way that doesn’t feel awkward.”
With the 1TB PlayStation 4 bundled with Spider-Man also available at Target for a discounted price of $200, its possible for a user to walk into a store on Black Friday and walk out with everything they need to start VR videogaming.
For future coverage on discounts and offers on VR hardware and software, keep checking back with VRFocus.
Yes, Halloween is out of the way and now the real terror is almost upon us; it’s time to start talking about Black Friday deals.
Early as it may be, the first PSVR Black Friday deal has just been spotted. Target is set to slash $100 off of the price of the recently released Creed hardware bundle, taking it to $249.99. That’s a pretty significant saving; this bundle includes the headset, camera and two Move motion controllers before throwing in Survios’ excellent boxing game and one of the all-time great PSVR titles, Superhot VR, on top.
But the saving doesn’t stop there. Target is also taking $100 off of two other PSVR bundles with also feature big games. First, there’s a bundle featuring last year’s Doom VFR for $200 (which we weren’t super keen on), but easily the better of the two is the Astro Bot pack, which features last month’s critically acclaimed VR platformer and another one of the best VR games of the year, Moss. That pack is also $200, but none of these bundles include Move controllers as they can all be played with the DualShock 4 that comes with your PS4.
Black Friday takes place on November 23rd and you can be sure there’ll be a mountain of deals to announce in the weeks leading up to it. No doubt HTC and Oculus want in on the money, too.
One of the most highly anticipated virtual reality (VR) titles to come to the PlayStation VR was none other than Astro Bot Rescue Mission. Developed by Sony Japan Studio the title has been on many peoples radars for sometime and now following its release it seems that it has been somewhat of a success, as it now stands as the highest rated VR videogame of all time.
As reported by gamingbolt, Astro Bot Rescue Mission is doing surprisingly well on a number of different aggregator websites. This includes Opencritic where the title has a rating of 89 and is one of the highest rated titles of the year. On top of that the aggregator VR Game Critic has the score for the title at 91 making it the highest rated VR videogame on their record. If that was not enough than Metacritic, one of the more popular aggregator sites, sees the title again standing as the highest rated VR videogame of all time with a score of 90 and a user score of 9.0 from over 200 ratings.
These numbers go to show just how magical the title is and how much of a success the launch as been. Though there is no information available at this time regarding sale numbers, it is clear that it has done well with those playing it regardless of how many that might be.
VRFocus’ Staff Writer Rebecca Hills-Duty reviewed Astro Bot Rescue Mission giving it plenty of praise and saying: “While Astro Bot Rescue Mission isn’t quite as charming as Moss, or as superbly crafted as Mario Odyssey, it is a great old-school platformer for the VR era, bringing some of the best features of both 2D and 3D platformers of old and incorporating VR in a way that doesn’t feel awkward. This is a fun, lighthearted way to spend some time in VR, and worth checking out.”
If that was not enough, the title has also been confirmed to have a demo coming soon as well which will give players who have yet to try it out a chance to experience the adventure for themselves. Though only a small taste of the full journey, starting on October 16th PlayStation VR owners can download the free demo and joy the fun.
VRFocus will be sure to bring you all the latest on Astro Bot Rescue Mission in the future so make sure to stay tuned for more.
Der VR-Plattformer Astro Bot: Rescue Mission für PlayStation VR (PSVR) wird zurecht von zahlreichen Kritikern gefeiert. Das putzige Jump’n’Run sorgt dank des eingängigen Gameplays, den geschickt umgesetzten Steuerungselementen sowie der wunderschönen Grafik für jede Menge Spielspaß. Auf Metacritic zieht der PSVR-Titel nun in die Top Ten der besten Spiele des Jahres ein und wird als bestes, jemals veröffentlichtes Spiel für die VR-Brille gefeiert.
Astro Bot: Rescue Mission – Bestes PSVR-Spiel und Top-Ten unter den beliebtesten Spielen des Jahres
Das Jump’n’Run Astro Bot: Rescue Mission für PlayStation VR (PSVR) erschien am 5. Oktober und begeisterte seitdem die Spielerschaft. Nun sorgt der VR-Titel rund um die beliebten Robos aus Playroom für erneutes Aufsehen, denn er bricht zahlreiche Beliebtheitsrekorde.
Auf Metacritic dürfen Spieler/innen und Kritiker gleichermaßen ihre Meinung zu Spielen unterschiedlichster Genres und Plattformen kundtun. In den Rankings der Meinungsplattform konnte sich Astro Bot nun mit einem Metascore von 90 von 100 Punkten sowie einem User Score von 9.0 an die Spitze der PSVR-Spiele setzen. Insgesamt 36 Kritiker und 210 Spieler/innen gaben ihr Urteil über das Spiel ab und krönten es damit zum besten, jemals veröffentlichten Spiel für die PlayStation VR (PSVR).
Und mit diesen positiven Bewertungen kann es ebenso in Konkurrenz zu releasten AAA-Titeln treten. So schafft es das Game auf Platz sechs aller PS4- und PSVR-Titel dieses Jahres und konkurriert dabei mit populären Spielen wie God of War oder Divinity: Original Sins II – Definitive Edition. Im Wettkampf mit den besten PSVR-Spielen Allerzeiten schafft es Astro Bot auf Platz 23.
Zahlreiche weitere Kritiker feiern das innovative Spiel aus der Spieleschmiede der Sony Japan Studios und auch wir haben uns den epischen Plattformer bereits angesehen. Unser Review findet ihr hier.
Astro Bot: Rescue Mission ist für 39,99 Euro für PlayStation VR (PSVR) im PlayStation Store erhältlich. Zudem erscheint am 16. Oktober eine kostenlose Demo im selbigen digitalen Store.
Astro Bot Rescue Mission (2018) is objectively an overwhelmingly great VR game, earning our first ever [10/10] review rating for good reason. Starting next week, you’ll be able to find out why when a free demo lands on the PlayStation Store.
On October 16th, you’ll be able to strap into your PSVR and play a little bit of the charming single-player VR platformer, which exclusively uses DualShock 4 controller.
In our review, Road to VR’s Ben Lang calls Astro Bot “a genre-defining moment for VR platforming on PSVR,” and says it has “tremendous polish and excellent game design.” Check out our full review of Astro Bot Rescue Mission to see just why it scored so highly.
And we know what you’re thinking; Astro Bot was created by Sony’s Japan Studio, so that means it’s a definite platform exclusive.
Zum zweiten Geburtstag der PlayStation VR (PSVR) veröffentlichte Sony zahlreiche neue Software-News und Goodies zu kommenden sowie bestehenden Spiele-Titeln. Neben dem Release von Borderlands 2 und einer kostenlosen Demo zu Astro Bot Rescue Mission erscheint zudem am 16. Oktober ein neuer DLC für Firewall Zero Hour.
Astro Bot Rescue Mission – Kostenlose Demo ab 16. Oktober verfügbar
Zwei Jahre wird die beliebte PlayStation VR (PSVR) am 13. Oktober alt und zur Feier gibt es neue Inhalte für populäre VR-Titel. Der wohl beste Jump’n’Run des Jahres Astro Bot Rescue Mission ist ab dem 16. Oktober in einer kostenlosen Demo-Version für die Konsole erhältlich.
Die Anspielsession führt euch durch einen Levelabschnitt über den Wolken und lässt euch am Ende gegen einen der Bossgegner antreten. Wer den VR-Plattformer bisher noch nicht ausprobiert hat, sollte sich diese Chance nicht entgehen lassen.
Firewall Zero Hour – DLC-Pack bringt neue Items und Skins
Zeitgleich am 16. Oktober erhält auch der Multiplayer-Shooter Firewall Zero Hour neue Inhalte. Ein DLC-Pack integriert neue Items sowie Skins ins Spiel, um euren Charakter individuell an euren Spielstil anzupassen.
Neben den zusätzlichen Inhalten kündigten die Verantwortlichen zudem den PSVR-Release von Borderlands 2 für PlayStation VR (PSVR) an. Die VR-Adaption soll im Dezember 2018 erscheinen.
Astro Bot: Rescue Mission is without question one of the best PSVR titles to date. It’s an excellent showcase for how VR technology can transform something familiar in surprising ways and the team at Sony Japan did an excellent job of crafting a game that’s a genuinely great platformer in its own right and enhancing that with the power of VR.
Today, Sony announced on the PS blog in celebration of PSVR’s upcoming 2nd birthday that they’re releasing a free demo for Astro Bot that will hit the PSN Store on October 16th — that’s exactly one week away.
This is great news since there isn’t a proper demo for the game out yet. If you download the (free) Playroom VR collection if mini games you can play the spiritual predecessor to Astro Bot, which was named Robot Rescue, but it’s not an actual demo for the game as it exists today.
What do you think of the news? Have you been interested in trying Astro Bot but unsure of picking it up at full price? Read our full review for more details on the game and let us know what you think of the news down in the comments below!
