Then, in 2020, it was quite a meteoric rise for Astro Bot. His next game, Astro’s Playroom, was provided for free to every single PS5 owner, helping them get to grips with the new console’s many upgrades. Suddenly, Astro Bot was something of a household name.
In 2020’s Astro’s Playroom, surrounded by relics from PlayStation’s hardware history, you guide the adorable bot through a variety of imaginative platforming levels on a quest to collect his equally adorable little friends around the galaxy.
And now, with both of those previous games being pretty much universally beloved, Sony has tasked the developers from Team Asobi with crafting Astro Bot’s biggest adventure yet. But is it the best one? We’d say yes. It’s certainly the most complete-feeling entry in the franchise. But it’s not without flaws.
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In terms of the basic set-up, there’s no prizes for guessing that you guide the adorable bot through a variety of imaginative platforming levels on a quest to collect his equally adorable little friends around the galaxy.
Third time around, we should say upfront that the shtick is starting to feel less overwhelmingly joyously surprising and more like a nice little treat that you knew was coming.
And with so little story to cling onto (the game has no real voice acting, the villain is a bland gargling alien, and the main quest is the exact same as the previous two games), it is hard to form an emotional attachment to Astro Bot.
Story is rarely the main attraction in a platformer, of course, but it is particularly light here. My main motivation to keep playing was curiosity — what will be the fun little twist in the next level? — while my wife’s playthrough is more geared around being a completionist and collecting every little thing that’s available.
This time around, those collectables are largely geared around PlayStation’s software history, though we’ve been asked not to spoil too many of the surprises on that front.
One example that has been confirmed ahead of time is that Kratos from God of War is in the game, in Bot form, so that gives you an idea of what to expect.
Some of these cameos feel like really fun moments, celebratory high-fives with the fans who love all these characters and will be happy to see them pop up.
Other cameos, however, leave less of a pleasant aftertaste. When you see a character rolled out here, even though Sony hasn’t used them for years and seemingly has no plans to bring them back for a new game on their own, it does feel a bit odd to try and high five those particular fans.
If you’re the type of player that keeps track of industry acquisitions, this can also be a bit distracting, and it does somewhat make the game’s overall pitch a bit less clear. Is this a celebration of PlayStation, or just gaming in general?
Astro Bot’s saving grace, thankfully, is its gameplay. If you’re a fan of platformers, you’ll find some great examples of it here. There are a wide variety of enemies to navigate and skills to master as you galavant around the galaxy collecting gaming icons.
With both of Astro’s previous games being pretty short, it’s so welcome to have a wider galaxy to explore here. There are different nebulas you can visit, each of which will have multiple levels and a big boss battle at the end (which can be quite challenging). There are also hidden levels and mini challenges to uncover as you go.
It’s hard to stress in words quite how fun the gameplay can be here. If you’ve ever enjoyed a Crash Bandicoot or a Spyro game, this is the modern version of that, with heaps of imagination being poured into the level design.
My only qualm with the gameplay, or suggestion for the next game, is that it would be cool to have more than one gameplay mechanic with you at a time. Swapping between them would be next-level stuff.
The graphics are impressive, it’s worth mentioning, with some really lovely vistas. The game also makes great sense of the DualSense controller features. And the music is really best in class stuff, with original electro-pop anthems playing all the time. The lyrics are often packed with jokes, too!
If you played Astro’s previous two games, you might notice some returning mechanics and reused ideas. But there’s so much else here, so much additional content, that you’ll soon get over any grumbles about that.
The joy you feel when you master a platforming segment, or overcome a tricky boss, is exactly what the doctor ordered.
It’s also nice to see a game so focused on joy. In an age where many games opt for mature themes, tragic deaths and grim dystopias, this is a reminder that gaming can also pull your heartstrings in a happy direction.
The game does have an overall vibe of ‘corporate synergy, but make it cute’, but it’s hard to complain too much when you’re having this much fun.
Astro Bot launches 6th September on PS5. You can order your copy now.
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