Astro Bot: Cut Content Revealed - Bird Flight Level and Headless Astro

Astro Bot fans are well-acquainted with the beloved sponge power-up, but did you know that Team Asobi also experimented with other quirky abilities, such as a coffee grinder and a roulette wheel? These fascinating insights were revealed during IGN's attendance at GDC 2025, where Team Asobi's studio director, Nicolas Doucet, delivered an enlightening talk titled "The Making of 'ASTRO BOT'". In his presentation, Doucet delved into the intricate process of crafting the PlayStation mascot platformer, sharing early prototype images and cut content that never made it into the final game.

Doucet kicked off his talk by discussing the initial pitch for Astro Bot, which was drafted in May 2021, shortly after Team Asobi began prototyping. The pitch went through 23 revisions before being presented to top management. It was uniquely presented as an adorable comic strip, effectively showcasing the game's main pillars and activities. This approach evidently resonated, leading to the project's green light.

Doucet then explained the team's ideation process, which heavily relied on brainstorming. Team Asobi formed small, interdisciplinary groups of 5-6 members to generate ideas. Each participant contributed their thoughts via sticky notes, resulting in a vibrant brainstorming board. However, not all ideas progressed to prototyping; only about 10% made the cut, though this still meant extensive prototyping across the board.

Doucet emphasized the importance of prototyping, encouraging all team members, including those outside of game design, to experiment. An example he cited was audio designers creating a theater within Astro Bot to prototype haptic controller vibrations tied to sound effects, such as varying door movements.

Prototyping was so integral to the team's process that certain programmers were dedicated to exploring non-platforming ideas. This approach birthed Astro Bot's iconic sponge mechanic, which utilized the adaptive trigger for a fun, squeezing action that ultimately made it into the game.

Doucet shared an image showcasing various prototypes, including the balloon and sponge that were incorporated into the game, alongside others like a tennis game, a wind-up toy, a roulette wheel, and a coffee grinder that didn't make the final cut.

He also discussed how levels were chosen and designed around specific mechanics, aiming for unique gameplay in each level to avoid repetition. For example, a level themed around bird flights was cut because it reused Astro Bot's monkey power-up in a way too similar to existing levels like Go-Go Archipelago and another in Astro's Playroom.

In closing, Doucet touched on the game's final scene, which involves reassembling a broken Astro Bot. Initially, players were to receive a completely dismembered Astro, but this was changed due to negative feedback, opting for a more intact version in the final release.

Doucet's talk provided a wealth of insights into the development of Astro Bot, a game that IGN praised with a 9/10 score, describing it as "A fantastically inventive platformer in its own right, Astro Bot is particularly special for anyone with a place in their heart for PlayStation."