As a love letter to the entire PlayStation franchise,Astro Botis chockful of references, from instantly recognizable icons to more obscure deep cuts for real gaming heads.
Sure, you could go around the crash site and immediately recognize Nathan Drake, Kratos, or even Lara Croft, but would you be able to recognize the more niche references?
Even the most dedicated gamers wouldn’t be able to clock the obscure characters Team Asobi has chosen to include.
It would be a Herculean task to include every reference in this game, so we’ll look at the 12 stand-out references that many could consider niche.
Whether they only enjoyed short-lasting popularity or didn’t cross the borders of Japan, we can at least take comfort in knowing that Team Asobi has chosen to honor them.
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Sony’s Most Bullied Game
Developed by Japan Studio,Knackwas supposed to be Sony’s new flagship game bundled with the PlayStation 4 release in 2013. Sony wanted to show off the graphical capabilities of their new console, so they designed a mascot made up of hundreds of tiny shapes resembling a troll… thing.
Unfortunately, the reception was tepid at best, mostly due to the uninspired narrative, repetitive gameplay, and bland character design. You can tell that Sony wanted Knack to join their cast of iconic mascots, like the likes of Kratos and Crash Bandicoot. But alas, Knack didn’t cut it.
Seeing Knack mentioned in Astro Bot is like seeing the weird kid at the cool kids' table. Even Team AsobiacknowledgedthatKnackis a failed franchise. It’s sad, really.
The Inspirational Cult Classic
It’s nice to see Team ICO’s work get some much-needed appreciation inAstro Bot. Best known for the classicShadow of the Colossus(also represented in Astro),Icowas the game studio’s debut work and was released in 2001 for the PlayStation 2.
Icoturned the third-person narrative game on its head and set the standard for the rest of Team Ico’s works. The simple gameplay, minimal dialogue, and vibrant visuals allowedIcoto properly tell the story, and emphasize Ico and Yorda’s relationship with as little distraction as possible.
Even though it was considered a commercial failure because ofone fatal errorduring its release to Western audiences,Icoinspired the gaming industry and beyond, placing a heavy emphasis on artistic expression and effective storytelling in video games.
It’s not surprising that Team Asobi paid respect to Team Ico by putting all three of their games as references inAstro Bot.
10Boku no Natsuyasumi
Nostalgic Virtual Vacation
Have you ever visited the countryside during your childhood, spending many days blissfully playing in the summer heat while cicadas screech under the canopies? It’s an oddly specific description, but this is a pretty common memory for many Japanese people, best represented by the 2000 adventure franchiseBoku no Natsuyasumi,developed by Millennium Kitchen.
The game chronicles a young boy named Boku (coincidentally sharing the same name as “me” in Japanese) while he stays with relatives on the countryside for the summer.
This game is meant to be relaxing; you get to choose what you want to do during those 31 days and experience a side of Japan you don’t often get to see in your typical game or anime.
Summer memories like that mean a lot to many Japanese people, and including the reference must have been meaningful to Team Asobi.
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9Doko Demo Issyo
Sony’s Unofficial PlayStation Mascot
If you don’t recognize this cat, then you’re not alone.While Toro Inoue is super iconic in Japan and most of East Asia, he is largely unknown to the rest of the world.His franchise,Doko Demo Issyo(lit. “Together Everywhere”), is a huge commercial success there and has mostly only seen release in Japan.
TheDoko Demo Issyofranchise mainly featured Toro and his friends, who were virtual pet characters you could interact with. ThinkTamagotchiback in its heyday. Because of the franchise’s success, Toro became an iconic character in East Asia.
While I’m not Japanese, I recognize him becauseDoko Demo Issyowas also used as a mascot for PlayStation promotional equipment during my childhood in Hong Kong. Seeing Toro and Kuro inAstro Botfelt like bumping into a couple of old friends.
Knowledge Is Power
Developed by thenow-defunct studio Relentless Softwareand released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2,Buzz!was considered one of the best quiz games, even winning a gaming BAFTA award for “Best Casual Game,” and the gameseven came with their own buzzers.
Buzzwas so successful that Relentless Software managed to produce 14 games within five years, totaling around 10 million in sales.
ButBuzz’s success didn’t last long, as keeping up with the times became increasingly expensive.Buzzon the PS3 didn’t sell as well ason the PS2, and the advent of next-gen consoles also meant producing unique controllers would demand more resources.
Relentless Software also shut down in 2016, but its key members later made a spiritual successor namedKnowledge is Powerin 2017.
If you remember playingBuzzwith your friends and family, then seeing it referenced inAstro Botwas probably a pleasant surprise.
Buzz!: The Mega Quiz
WHERE TO PLAY
7Puppeteer
Don’t Lose Your Head.
Many of the deep cuts featured on this list are probably a few generations old, but this one is relatively recent. Released on the PS3 in 2013,Puppeteeris a whimsical platformer that conveys its story and gameplay through the pretense of a stage play.
The headless protagonist is Kutaro, a boy-turned-puppet who can swap heads and use a pair of scissors to chop up his environment.
Created by Japan Studio,Puppeteerwas undoubtedly creative and cute, but in a world where PS3 games were becoming more gritty and realistic, it simply couldn’t find the right audience.
6Polygon Man
The Forgotten Mascot
If you’ve playedPlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, then you’ve probably seen this creepy mug before, since he was the final boss for Sony’s version ofSmash Bros.
Originally intended to be an “edgy” spokesperson for the console, Polygon Man was an early concept character for Sony to market for the PlayStation in North America. He was supposed to appeal to teenagers put off by the “Play” in “PlayStation.”
But that didn’t fly at all. People hated it because it looked scary, and the PlayStation brand head, Ken Kutaragi, thought it misrepresented the console and the brand. Polygon Man was quickly shelved and forgotten, doomed to fade into obscurity.
5Vib-Ribbon
Vibin' On Musical Lines
This one’s a bit of an oddball. Filled with messy and scratchy lines with a touch of a minimalist aesthetic,Vib-Ribbonis a unique rhythm game that was released on the PS1 in 1999.
The game features a silly little bunny named Vibri as she skips along a single line, navigating through abstract shapes procedurally generated by the game’s soundtrack.
What madeVib-Ribbonspecial was the fun twist that you could insert your music CD and generate stages that match the song’s intensity.
Really! You can find some footage online where people put onDaft Punkor evenMichael Jackson, and the game would generate the most insane tracks.
Vib-Ribbon
4Incredible Crisis
A Nuclear Family’s Surreal Hijinks
Mini-game compilationswere popular during the early days of the gaming industry. Games likeCooking MamaandWarioWarewere all the rage, and one of the wackiestcompilations has got to beIncredible Crisis, developed by Polygon Magic for the PS1 in 1999.
Incredible Crisisfollows Taneo and his working-class family as they make last-minute preparations for the family’s grandmother’s birthday.
In their desperation not to disappoint Grandma Hatsu, the entire family rushes into unlikely shenanigans that become the crazy mini-games that you play, ranging from saving a UFO and escaping a bank robbery to fighting a kaiju teddy bear.
Incredible Crisisrelies heavily on slapstick and surreal humor, so saying this game is zany would grossly undersell it. And it’s so obscure that we don’t even have a tag for this game!
3Arc the Lad
Faded Into Obscurity
Named “Guardian of Mankind” inAstro Bot, this little lad is Arc, the main protagonist of the aptly namedArc the Lad, a tactical RPG released only in Japan for the PS1 in the olden days of 1995.
The game was popular enough to spark a trilogy and a manga and anime spinoff, but since the games weren’t published in the West,Arc the Ladinevitably faded into obscurity.
