The Astro Bot Mastery Challenge

My son, who is 5, did something pretty impressive. Now, before I mention it, it is video game related. What he accomplished is so hard that I can’t even do it, and I’ve got decades of video game experience on him. Some of you may not like video games, and that’s fine. But this is not so much about video games as it is the determination of a child. Onward.

Astro Bot is a game for the PS5 about a small robot that (because of a sinister alien) crashes his spaceship with all his robot friends and they all get strewn about the universe. You have to travel to many different galaxies and planets to rescue them. It is a very kid friendly game, and it is cleverly designed. It’s predecessor comes included already in the PS5 and that’s how we were introduced to this franchise.

My son is autistic. Between my wife and I, we thought it would be okay to introduce him. The Astro Bot predecessor (called Astro’s Playroom) is a showcase for what the PS5 remote can do, with its ingenious haptic designs. Because of the sensory aspect of that game, we decided to get Astro Bot, because it can only be more advanced, right?

As he progressed through the game, he would ask me to bail him out of certain situations you can find yourself in in the game. I would always tell him to figure it out, and I would step in only when he was at the point of chucking the PS5 remote.

He finally got it (with a lot of help from me) to a level called the Mastery Challenge. This is important because no matter how I try, I cannot get past that level. On my best day. Those of you who know this game know what I’m talking about. And after many times that I had to be talked down from chucking the PS5 remote, I accepted my role as a spectator.

And over the course of a month, he would try really hard to beat it. There is a final bot to be rescued in the level, and you also unlock an outfit (skin) when you beat it.

He would have such a determined look on his face. Whenever he’d hit an enemy or fall to his doom, he’d get really mad, only to hear “you have to try harder” from me or mom. Like I mentioned earlier, I also would give it a stab, but I’d eventually realize that for me to beat the level, I’d have to tap into an amount of patience that is reserved for more prudent causes.

I mean, what other vehicle allows for you to tap into the “you’re not going out like that” of an autistic 5 year old? I know that maybe t-ball or soccer works for other kids, but he’s not like other kids. In fact, he has shown brilliance in other facets of learning, shattering my expectations at times. Making me wonder if I have the next Einstein or any other mover and shaker on our hands.

Do you want to see what I am talking about? Here is him beating the level:

He had been playing for a while that night, and it was bedtime. Normally, we set a timer for when he is to go to change into his PJs and/or go to bed. The timer went off, and I allowed him to try to finish, only for him to commit an error close to the end. Realizing that he had to start over, he was not happy with the praise we gave him of “you did so good!” His conviction and gumption at that moment sold us on letting him try one more time. And in a clutch manner, he got it.

Celebrations in the game. Celebration with his parents. Everybody was jumping up and down because he did it. Without my help. All by himself.

Now - to anyone who isn’t familiar with the game and sees the video above, I bet that looks oddly impossible. If you have a PS5, give it a go…Maybe my son is can overcome what seems oddly impossible. He has shown that he can do anything others can if he puts his mind to it. It may be in an unorthodox and unconventional way, but he still gets it done. And no, Tylenol is not responsible for the making of this content.