Astro Bot is supposed to make people feel cynical, it’s a digital-based 3D platformer designed to inspire nostalgia for the PlayStation of 30 years ago (the Deadpool and Wolverine of the video game world). It’s a cash game that borrows ideas from other games and adds some iconic flourishes on top, like a standard Victoria sponge topped with yellow Minion Frosting fondant. Eat more of this cake, because you love Minions so much, don’t you, Timmy! Enjoy what you love and enjoy it on social media!
However, Astro Bot is definitely none of those things. It’s a colorful, joyful leap into PlayStation’s past and present, and it exudes a love for the medium that’s usually only experienced by the best at Nintendo, or dare I say, Sega at its blue-sky peak Only then can you experience this kind of love.
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As a modern 3D platformer, the absolute basics here are as tight as you’d expect from Nathan Drake’s eyelids in Sandstorm. Jump and hit the levels, as well as spray hover (anything underneath the hover explosion dies), spin, and use any power-ups the level design has to offer. If you’re eager to make a comparison, Astro Bot is most similar to Mario Odyssey rather than the more action-oriented Ratchet & Clank: Rift – though it has its own quirks. Given the array of gadgets on display, you might have a hard time convincing developer Team Asobi to make a pure platformer, but this is as close as we can get for now.
To extend the comparison further, I’d say Astro Bot’s hidden bot (an actual little robot modeled after a famous PlayStation character about 50% of the time) is less than a million miles away from Odyssey’s moon. There aren’t as many things here, so they don’t come as densely and quickly, but they’re usually found by completing mini-challenges or finding secret areas. These bots then allow you to unlock new areas from your “home” area, which also serves as a location for you to store the game’s many other unlockable items – Playroom’s Gacha Machine is back, a way to use your in-game Fun way to earn coins for free in the process.
It’s easy to spoil Astro Bot’s menu, especially if you’re familiar with PlayStation’s history. There’s a variety of clever uses of classic franchises here that put the “guest character” and “classic skin” fanservice you might find in other games to shame. There’s actual gameplay in Astro Bot, not just a knowing wink or hat removal, designed to stimulate your historical receptors and make you feel something without actually being anything. Importantly, Astro is friendly to its fans but also doesn’t rely on players wearing rose-tinted glasses.
If your eyes are twitching while reading this because you’re desperately trying not to Google the classic games played by Astro Bot to find some of the most memorable moments, I strongly advise you not to do so. Go in knowing you’re in for a fun ride and know nothing more than what the rest of this review says. This is one of those games where you ask vague questions when you talk to your friends: “Have you mastered the classic series and the cool mechanics?” “Have you done that big guy thing?” “Yeah, being that robot When it came out, I knew what was coming and I couldn’t help but laugh.”
It would be unfair to attribute all of Astro Bot’s success to its homage to PlayStation history, because much of what we get here isn’t that. Whether intentional or not, it also shows a great deal of respect for the platformer genre. Those who are joyless, heartless, and tunnel-visioned may claim that Astro Bot steals too much from the genre masters, but that’s not the case. It all feels like it belongs, rather than a collection of classic ideas thrown together and called “Ready Player One.” This is a game for all ages and experience levels to have fun and discover wonder, so don’t let anyone tell you you need an encyclopedic knowledge of PS history.
A slight rebuttal that in no way undermines the previous statement: Astro Bot has its own level of challenge to test you. For the most part, I found the core stages to be a cute, joyful jaunt, but the special areas can throw some cats among the robotic pigeons. There’s no requirement to complete these tougher special stages, and most people only hand over a single bot upon completion, but they add an excellent end-game value if you want to clear out everything Astro Bot has to offer – in fact, unlock one of them Some levels are a challenge in themselves.
Although I was enthusiastic about the DualSense controller when the PS5 launched, my attitude toward it has soured somewhat over the years, but it’s a wonder in Astro Bot. It’s like the controller was designed for gaming, perfectly connecting you to the world and experience. It’s top-notch stuff, and that sells the whole package, as well as the bold visuals and punchy soundtrack.
Astro Bot doesn’t really push the boundaries of visuals, but its levels are full of character, full of little details, and add just the right amount of spectacle when needed.
I’m not as disappointed as some with the PS5’s game lineup, and I’ve enjoyed most of the games Sony has released, but I won’t deny that I feel a lack of unbridled excitement. Part of that is due to games getting older and games having a harder time doing something truly unique, but a lot of it is due to the baggage that AAA games carry with them these days.
Take God of War: Ragnarok: it’s a remarkable achievement, filled with a layered story, great performances, top-notch combat, and days of content… but it’s also a suitably arduous one at times. Effort – something that says a lot about three –onegame. Astro Bot, on the other hand, has a soothing effect.
Astro Bot doesn’t care about such baggage, but if it did, you’d probably use your robotic arm to throw it at a giant robotic ape, then crush the ape’s teeth and propel yourself into its about-to-explode head. Astro Bot is all about fun, and I really can’t think of a single moment where it made me wish something was handled differently, tweaked to be easier, or expanded upon. It’s perfect.
Astro Bot will be available exclusively on PS5 on September 6, 2024. PS5 review copy provided by the publisher.
