Players are only a few days away from getting their hands on the PlayStation 5. And while the prospect of new hardware tends to be exciting for players, this generation will be even more special, as the PS5 comes with the added bonus of a free game: Astro's Playroom.
The cute platformer, starring Astro of Astro Bot Rescue Mission fame, will likely be player's first exposure to the power of their new PlayStation console, and while games that are packed-in with consoles are sometimes lacking in any meaningful content, it seems the game has played an instrumental role within Sony's marketing strategy. In fact, it was recently reported that Astro's Playroom played a major role in the design of the PS5's controller, the DualSense.
Players will be happy to know that Astro's Playroom is a little more substantial than most tech demos. PS5 owners can expect around five hours of total playtime if they wish to find all of the secrets and collectibles Astro's Playroom has to offer.
While Astro's Playroom doesn't seem to have the longevity and replayability like that of the Wii's pack-in title, Wii Sports, reviews for the PS5 launch title have been generally positive. Reviewers for the title have stated that while it certainly feels like a game created to showcase the PS5's technical prowess, it seems like it has the added benefit of being a love letter to PlayStation fans. The game holds many secret collectibles that reference various PlayStation products, like the PlayStation Move Sharp Shooter, and franchises such as Metal Gear Solid.
Although players will no doubt be excited to hop into Astro's Playroom upon receiving their PS5, there is some bad news. Unfortunately, PS5 games will not support PSVR at launch with many speculating that it might be 2022 before a new headset and VR titles will become available on the system. This means that Astro's adventures will be confined to that of the Playroom and Astro Bot Rescue Mission through PSVR backward compatibility.
While Astro's Playroom seems like a great game to have for free during the PS5's initial launch, it's not the only title players will have access to out-the-gate. It was recently announced that PlayStation Plus subscribers will also receive Bugsnax for free as well. Between these two family-friendly titles, it seems that most players likely won't need to invest more than the initial $400-$500 when they get their consoles next week.
Astro's Playroom will launch for free with the PS5 on November 12, 2020.
Source: Push Square
