With less than two weeks left until Christmas Day, Team Asobi and Astro Bot taps into the holiday season with a bonus Christmas-themed level. The holiday season is not the only reason to check this new level out though.
Officially announced by Sony a day in advance on the PlayStation Blog, the new Astro Bot level titled “Winter Wonder” landed on Thursday night December 12. This happened roughly a month after Team Asobi dropped the last Astro Bot speedrun DLC level, as previously reported by Push Square.
Winter Wonder is loaded with Christmas outfits and decorations galore. Players are treated to the level being covered in snow, bots dressed up as reindeer, Christmas balls/lights, and even what looks like the Papa Tree as his own giant Christmas tree. All of these details and more (such as the level theme) help make this season bright by announcing to the world that “Santa Bot has come to town!” Or is he the Astro Claus?
The new holiday-themed level invites players to explore and collect new sets of gold Christmas presents that unlocks new Astro outfits. Several new VIP Bots have made their debut in the game, also unlockable by finding the gold presents. Let’s say that four of those new bots are cameos of somewhat obscure 90s platformers and New Yorkers of the Friendly Neighborhood type.
As previously mentioned, there’s more than just the holidays to play the new level. Team Asobi’s game update is also a product of lucky timing, as Astro Bot won Game of the Year (and three other awards) at The Game Awards Thursday night (via Forbes). The TGA also saw some heavy announcements including that of an unnamed Okami sequel in the works (or soon to be).
Along with the ongoing PlayStation 30th Anniversary celebration, there are now three reasons to play and celebrate Astro Bot during the holidays.
