Astro Bot contains a lot of references to PlayStation games and hardware from the past few decades. And with over 150+ so-called “Cameo Bots” representing various PlayStation characters, like Nathan Drake from Uncharted or Ratchet from Ratchet and Clank, it might seem like every big Sony franchise and cult classic is represented. But that’s not the case.
In fact, we came up with a list of 15+ characters and franchises that are nowhere to be found in Astro Bot . And while it’s possible some of these folks might show up later this year in the platformer’s first free DLC, I’m not holding my breath. When I think PlayStation, I think Final Fantasy 7.
I’m not even a big FF7 sicko or anything. I’ve never played the OG game. Yet, it’s one of those PS1 games that is fundamental to the console and the PlayStation brand.
Likewise, later Final Fantasy games would be extremely popular hits on PlayStation consoles, too. As well as Square Enix games like Drakengard, Dragon Quest 8, Grandia III, and more. And yet, despite being such an important part of PlayStation’s history, not a single Square Enix character appears in Astro Bot, something fans have noticed and complained about.
The gruff secret agent star of the Syphon Filter games is sorely missing from Astro Bot. Sure, Syphon Filter in 2024 is far from a popular franchise, but back in the PS1 days the first three games were big sellers and had a large fan base. So it’s odd that nobody from the third-person stealth-.
