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

Astro Bot fans are familiar with the story behind the creation of the sponge power-up, but did you know that developer Team Asobi also experimented with even more unconventional powers? At GDC 2025, IGN attended a talk by Team Asobi studio director Nicolas Doucet titled, "The Making of 'ASTRO BOT'", where he delved into the development process, showcasing early prototypes and cut content.

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. Interestingly, the pitch was illustrated as an adorable comic strip, highlighting the game's main pillars and activities—a method that evidently paid off.

Doucet then explained the team's approach to generating ideas. Through extensive brainstorming sessions, small groups of 5-6 members from various disciplines collaborated, jotting down ideas on sticky notes. This process resulted in a visually striking brainstorming board, illustrating the team's creative process.

Not all ideas progressed to prototyping, with only about 10% making the cut. However, the importance of prototyping was emphasized by Doucet, who encouraged all team members, including those outside game design, to experiment with their ideas. An example he shared involved audio designers creating a theater within Astro Bot to test haptic controller vibrations linked to various sound effects, like different door openings and closings.

Prototyping played a crucial role in shaping Astro Bot, with dedicated programmers focusing on non-platforming elements. This led to the development of the sponge mechanic, which utilized the adaptive trigger for squeezing water out and became a beloved feature in the game.

Doucet showcased an image of several prototypes, including the balloon and sponge that made it into the game, alongside others like a tennis game, a wind-up toy, a roulette wheel, and a coffee grinder that did not.

He also discussed how levels were chosen and designed around specific mechanics, ensuring each level offered unique gameplay. Doucet highlighted a cut level themed around bird flights, which was discarded for being too similar to existing levels that used the monkey power-up. "In the end, it was decided that the overlap was not healthy enough to create variety, and we just cut this level entirely," he explained. "We'll never know if that level would have been popular. But in hindsight, I think it's a good thing that we got to spend that time elsewhere."

In closing, Doucet touched on the game's final scene, which involves reassembling a broken Astro Bot. Initially, the player was presented with a completely dismembered Astro Bot, but this was altered to a more intact version after feedback indicated it was too distressing for some players.

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