Astro Bot is finally here for the franchise’s full-fledged PlayStation 5 (PS5) debut.
Coming to the critically acclaimed PlayStation VR exclusive Astro Bot Rescue Mission and a PS5 tech demo Astro playroomTeam Asobi’s latest platformer is set to be the true successor to PlayStation’s pint-sized robot mascot.
The formula is largely the same as in other games, as players control Astro through dozens of levels, jumping and bouncing in different colorful areas.
However, Astro Bot rises above its two predecessors and proves once and for all that PlayStation’s relatively new platform series deserves to be mentioned among the greats of the genre.
Happy boxing across the galaxy
Starting point Astro Bot is simple. Astro and his PS5 spaceship full of bots are cornered in the universe by a nefarious alien, Space Bully Nebulax, a UFO-bound villain who destroys their ship and sends Astro and his fellow robots scattered across the universe against seemingly insurmountable odds. .
From there, Astro must race across the stars, recover his community of dead-end robots, and the pieces of his abandoned PlayStation-shaped apartment, all while taking out Nebulax and his minions.
While this narrative coverage is fairly straightforward, it serves as an effective foundation for the adventure to come as Astro visits a variety of unique and exciting planets across multiple solar systems.
Each of these colorful worlds is crafted with meticulous detail and creativity. Despite Astro’s moveset remaining the same in these planet-based levels – jumping, punching and briefly hovering – each of them feels completely different, with the kind of inventive panache typically reserved for the adventures of a certain iconic video. the plumber of the game.
Players can move from one level to another by changing the time in the terrain they are walking on, to jump over the platform gauntlet to the beat of the drum. These are just two examples of what seems like endless level design ingenuity.
This almost genius level of design also extends to the game’s many bosses and mini-bosses. The scale of some of these battles is truly mind-boggling, and each one has a different exciting mechanic that will keep the player guessing until the Credits roll.
However, this would all be pointless if Astro Botthe controls were messed up. Fortunately, though, our hero is a joy to control. He runs, jumps, and hovers perfectly, and it’s honestly hard not to smile as you watch this adorable protagonist run belly-first into the platforming challenges that come his way.
A technical marvel
Although 3D platforming is not necessarily considered the most technically demanding genre, Astro Bot takes such preconceived notions and throws them into space.
This game is amazing to watch. Everything shines with the technology-based brilliance that has come to be expected Astro world. While the environments mimic the look of tropical beaches, molten volcanoes, and bustling jungles, they are held together by steel plates and other metallic materials.
Astro itself offers the kind of big-budget graphical splendor expected of a first-party PlayStation character. Looking at this cute bag of bolts, you can pick up individual workpieces with every swing of your arm or graceful step of your foot.
As if Astro playroom before that, Astro Bot uses every PlayStation 5 and its Dualsense controller. Team Asobi continues to show that they have more control over the PS5 hardware than just anyone working on the console.
Every movement of Astro, attack of an enemy or nuance of the environment can be heard and felt in the controller itself.
Some of the lesser-used Dualsense features may sound like gimmicks from the outside, but feeling the smallest details, like the distinct ping of raindrops hitting Astro’s head, makes you wish every game used the PS5 controller this impressively.
More than just platforming
Yes, Astro Bot is no doubt a solid platforming adventure, but it elevates it above that Super Smash Bros.-style dressing that can be found everywhere.
Astro Bot is a love letter not only to the history of the PlayStation but also to the entire history of gaming.
Scattered across its intergalactic world are literally hundreds of hidden bots for Astro to discover. Many of these are PlayStation/gaming themed, making them more than just a simple collectible.
This turns the traditional hidden game memory into a PlayStation-centric scavenger hunt where a puzzle piece or hidden artifact seen in other games is traded for bots themed like Kratos. God of WarFrom the ratchet Ratchet and Clankor from Jin Sakai Ghost of Tsushima just to name a few.
Gamers – especially those with a connection to any Sony IP or PlayStation game – will find themselves frantically battling through levels in hopes of finding the next PlayStation Easter Egg.
The player can then take the collected bots back to a sort of hub world called a Crash Site. There, they get the chance to spend their hard-earned in-game currency on collectibles for each of these game icons.
By the end of the game, this creates a sort of diorama that allows the player to wander through the game’s history, greeting each costumed bot they’ve encountered during their adventure and interacting with all of them.
Collecting these robots is just scratching the surface From Astro a commitment to respect what had preceded it. There are even more surprises to be found, but players have to find them themselves.
The arrival of the Instant Classic
Finally, Astro Bot Team Asob is, in a word, amazing. If Astro Bot Rescue Mission and Astro playroom were then the appetizers of this experience Astro Bot is a full five-course meal with unlimited sides and a sundae included.
In a world (and industry) dominated by negativity, Astro brings out the positivity of Kasatu’s plate for the players.
It’s so full of clever Easter eggs and giggling surprises that it will leave players with tears in their eyes and a twinkling childlike smile on their faces.
This game catches up to Sony’s other first party games such as The last of us or God of War and pegs it to the platformer genre. It goes toe-to-toe with gaming’s greats and proves it deserves to be in the same conversation.
Simply put, Astro Bot is not only one of the best platformers I’ve ever played, it’s a celebration of what makes both the PlayStation and gaming great.
Astro Bot coming to PlayStation 5 on Friday, September 6.
