Astro Bot's Cut Content: Bird Flight Level and Headless Astro Revealed

Fans of Astro Bot are well-acquainted with the beloved sponge power-up, but did you know that developer Team Asobi also experimented with even more whimsical abilities? From a coffee grinder to a roulette wheel, these were among the many creative ideas explored during the game's development. This fascinating insight was shared by Team Asobi studio director Nicolas Doucet at GDC 2025, during a talk titled "The Making of 'ASTRO BOT'". Doucet provided a detailed look at the creation process of the PlayStation mascot platformer, showcasing early prototype images and revealing some of the cut content.

Doucet kicked off his presentation by discussing the initial pitch for Astro Bot, crafted in May 2021, shortly after Team Asobi began prototyping. The pitch underwent an impressive 23 revisions before being presented to senior management. Initially, it was presented as an adorable comic strip that highlighted the game's core elements and activities, which evidently struck a chord and paved the way for the project's success.

Doucet then delved into the idea generation process, revealing that Team Asobi employed a structured brainstorming approach. Small, multidisciplinary groups of 5-6 people were formed, and each member contributed ideas via sticky notes, resulting in a vibrant brainstorming board:

Not all ideas progressed to prototyping, with only about 10% making the cut. Yet, this still meant extensive prototyping across the board. Doucet emphasized the importance of prototyping, encouraging everyone on the team, including those outside of game design, to experiment with their ideas. An intriguing example was an audio team's prototype of a theater within Astro Bot, designed to test haptic feedback corresponding to various sound effects.

The significance of prototyping was further illustrated with the sponge mechanic, which originated from a fun prototype utilizing the adaptive trigger. This playful experiment was so successful that it became a permanent feature in the game.

Doucet also shared an image featuring a variety of prototypes, some of which made it into the game, like the balloon and sponge, while others, such as a tennis game, a wind-up toy, a roulette wheel, and a coffee grinder, did not.

He further elaborated on level design, explaining that each level aimed to offer unique gameplay to prevent repetition. While mechanics could be reused, their execution needed to be distinct enough to maintain level uniqueness. Doucet cited an example of a cut level themed around bird flights, which was scrapped due to its similarity to existing levels using the monkey power-up.

Concluding his talk, Doucet touched on the game's final scene, which contains **spoilers** for those yet to complete Astro Bot. Originally, players were to reassemble a completely dismembered Astro Bot, but feedback led to a more intact version in the final game.

Doucet's presentation was rich with insights into Astro Bot's development, 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."