3D Platforming Bliss: An Astro Bot Review

By Teepu

Players: 1
Platforms: PlayStation 5

The world of gaming has changed significantly since I was a child. 3D platformers were a dime a dozen, and you never ran out of games to play in the genre. These days we get the occasional great indie release, and then the once a generation 3D Mario from Nintendo. Team Asobi then came around and released a cute and short game to show off the PS5’s capabilities called Astro’s Playroom for the console’s launch. I had no expectations of receiving a full game from them, yet here we stand, with the full release of Astro Bot for the PlayStation 5.

Sony has spent a lot of time this generation and the previous one cultivating a set of titles that are focused on action, emotional journeys, or mature themes. Between Uncharted, The Last of Us, God of War, and more, there has not been much room for an innocent, family-friendly game. They gave it an attempt with Sackboy, but it did not have the same impact that previous games in the LittleBigPlanet franchise enjoyed. Astro Bot finally fills that space and does it spectacularly.

The first thing you will notice when you boot up the game is how gorgeous it is. It has a very cartoony and playful aesthetic, with a focus on making everything robotic. It looks vibrant, pleasing, silly and crisp. It is quite nice to see a first-party title use the amazing capabilities of the console in something non-realistic for a change. I am especially impressed with its use of ray tracing. So many games use it for fancy lighting that feels overbearing to try and justify that ray tracing exists. Here, it feels like a natural part of the visuals rather than something tacked on to show off tech. The music and audio are amazing as well with a lot of very catchy and upbeat music tracks which has me yearning to own the OST to listen to on its own.

Piggybacking off that, it's important to talk about how the game uses the DualSense Controller. The previous game, Astro’s Playroom, was designed to show what the controller could do as a sort of mega tech demo. This game takes all those concepts and builds on them through clever level design. Every single aspect of the controller is utilized in some way: the motion, light bar, touch pad, microphone, adaptive triggers, haptic feedback, and speaker are all utilized for inventive gameplay. My particular favorite is the use of the speaker. Depending on how loud you play your game normally, you may need to adjust the speaker’s volume, so it is not overbearing, but once you find the right balance it feels like a natural extension of the TV. From the simplest things like hearing rain drops through the controller to hearing clues for solving puzzles, it all feels so natural. I understand that not every game can benefit from all the features of the controller, but it does make me wish more games tried to utilize it creatively. What is most impressive is how accurate and tight the controls feel despite all the various features being utilized simultaneously.

All of this is moot if the game is not fun. Thankfully, it absolutely is. There are five worlds, plus a secret world. Each world consists of a small handful of levels, with each in turn having an extremely focused theme. For example, one level might be a cloud-based level where you are using a powerup to float from platform to platform facing various obstacles along the way. Another might be based on a casino where you will use slots and other casino related objects to progress. Since they try and make every level around a unique theme, the game never feels dull. Most of the game revolves around a small handful of styles of gameplay, but the unique level designs help keep things fresh while you progress. It reminds me a lot of Super Mario Galaxy, in the way that they used planets to convey an immense variety of themes in bite-sized chunks. 

Challenge is not an issue here either. The main game is approachable, allowing people of all ages to enjoy it. There are a bunch of side levels and secret levels that will test your skill, if you are more seasoned and find the main game to be too easy. That challenge spread is perfect and as it should be. After you beat all the main stages in a world, and then the boss (each one being unique and fun), you are presented with a special level themed around a game from PlayStation’s history. I do not want to spoil what they all are because the discovery is half the fun, but as an example I will talk about the first one: Ape Escape. In this one, all the apes are on the loose and you must use a net to capture them all in order to complete the level. Each of these themed stages plays remarkably similar to the source material, but with an Astro Bot twist.

That brings me to the last point: nostalgia. The entire game is riddled with references to PlayStation’s history. I have seen some refer to it as a giant ad, but I disagree. To me, it feels like a celebration of everything Sony has done in gaming up to this point. There is a lot of love put into every minute detail in the game with a ton of easter eggs. I found myself constantly veering off the main path simply to observe or interact with random objects. What is particularly nice is if you grew up on this stuff you will smile a lot, if you did not, it will give you ideas of new things to check out. It is a win-win either way.

Finally, there are many collectibles in the game. This is to be expected in a 3D platformer. You can find other bots, many of which are based on characters from other games. These are used to unlock the bosses, so you want to try to find as many as you can. Puzzle pieces are hidden in each level which are used to unlock various bonus functions at your home base. There are also very well-hidden portals in various levels which will unlock challenging bonus stages in the extra world. (Think of the Lost World in Donkey Kong Country 2.) Every single collectible has a use, so none of it feels pointless or like busy work, a common issue in games of this genre. There is also a gacha machine you can spend your coins on to unlock accessories for bots you have found, costumes for yourself or paint jobs for your spaceship. Again, nothing feels pointless and has a purpose. To make the deal sweeter, you can observe everything you’ve collected doing interesting things on the hub planet.

Astro Bot is an incredibly special experience that deserves every bit of praise it has received. I wish there were more levels, but that is a personal problem. The game never overstays its welcome and is just the right length to keep your attention. It is a rare case of a $60 game that is relatively short (took me a little over 20 hours to 100%), yet feels worth every penny. Here is to hoping Astro Bot officially becomes the new mascot of Sony, and we get more fun and experimental games out of the character. If you are somehow still on the fence, check out Astro’s Playroom which is a free game for all PS5 owners. Realistically though, if you own a PlayStation 5, you should own this game.

Check Out Astro Bot on PlayStation 5:
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/astro-bot/

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Story: B
Gameplay: A+
Graphics: A+ 
Music/Sound: A+
Value: A

OVERALL: A+

Pros:
+ A beautiful celebration of not only PlayStation, but video games in general.
+ Incredibly good usage of DualSense features, along with very tight controls.
+ Large variety of extremely creative levels.

Cons:
- Could have a bit more content, as it is over too quick for my tastes.
- Collectibles requirements for progression are a little too strict sometimes.
- Biggest con: the game eventually ends.

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