Astro Bot Unveils New Speedrun Levels: Weekly Updates From Sony

Sony has unveiled the release timetable for Astro Bot's upcoming speedrun levels, starting tomorrow, October 17, with new stages arriving weekly.

Kicking off with the launch of the Building Speed level tomorrow, players will be introduced to five new levels, each hosting two unique Special Bots to rescue, according to Team Asobi studio director Nicolas Doucet in a recent PlayStation Blog post. These levels are crafted to test your platforming skills, with an online leaderboard for competing against friends on PlayStation.

In the Building Speed stage, players join forces with Barkster, the bulldog assistant, in a dynamic cityscape in the clouds. Challenges include dodging construction tools, smashing through crates, and zooming through an aerial car wash as you strive to save your team.

A new speedrun level will debut each week, offering new challenges just as you've mastered the previous level's jumps, hovers, and spins. Updates for Astro Bot are scheduled from October 17 to November 14, releasing every Thursday at 6 am PT / 2 pm BST / 10 pm JST, adding a total of 10 new Special Bots. Confirmed appearances so far include Eve from Stellar Blade and characters from Helldivers, with more announcements anticipated, as Doucet mentioned.

Doucet also teased further post-launch support for Astro Bot, hinting at additional surprises ahead. Renowned as a PS5-exclusive 3D platformer, Astro Bot is noted for featuring 173 cameos from various PlayStation titles. However, the absence of characters from the Final Fantasy series, particularly Cloud, has caught the attention of fans, given the series' long history with PlayStation.

Responding to inquiries about Cloud's omission, Doucet stated that while there was an intention to include him, unforeseen obstacles arose, stressing the need to honor the decisions of individual publishers.