The first-party Sony platformer, Astro Bot, oozes with charm and polished gameplay, highlighting the various Sony gaming IPs along this delightful journey. The incredible DualSense haptics and beautiful graphics are only slightly undercut by some repetition of game mechanics and minor gripes.
Platformer games have been around for a very, very long time. Ever since the days of Donkey Kong and Pitfall, platformers have been a staple genre of gaming since the dawn of video games. And extraordinary platformers have graced our consoles and eyeballs. Super Mario 64. Sonic the Hedgehog. Crash Bandicoot. And now…Astro Bot. Personally, this gem absolutely takes a top spot in platforming games.
To be honest, Astro Bot was my very first Platinum trophy game. and I’m damn proud that this game holds that honor, because it deserves every bit of it.
Astro’s a Smooth Operator
Astro Bot looked so excessively charming, I couldn’t help but try it out on a whim. I don’t regret it a single bit. As I waltzed through the various levels and saved a multitude of stranded bots, I did all of it with a glee I haven’t had from many games. Everything about this game just clicks together with the finesse of a team who genuinely cared about their product.
If you’ve ever played through the pre-packed in game for PlayStation 5, Astro’s Playroom, you’ve probably noticed that it’s a tech demo for the DualSense. And Team Asobi did their homework on what all could be done with this controller. Everything feels incredible – walking on terrain feels different between grass, sand, metal, etc. The haptic triggers give another layer of sensory experience while running through the different levels. It just feels so damn good with the controller. I even explored turning everything off, and running the same levels over again just hit much more flat than with the haptics. It’s a testament to what Team Asobi has accomplished and what other developers are missing out on.
The fact that I’m starting this review out by talking about haptics over anything should tell you something. They’re good. Real good.
Running around as Astro not only feels great in the DualSense, but mechanically, it feels smooth. There wasn’t a time where I thought, “damn, that felt like a janky jump.” Very few platformers have come across as smooth as Astro Bot does. I felt like I could fly through the levels with ease on how great it felt. What stopped me from doing so, though, was the sheer amount of detail and personality injected into every level.
The Devil’s in the Details (and Design)
With every level came a new theme; every singular themed detail was so meticulously crafted, from the way the world interacts with Astro to the various level-specific mechanics. The casino level offered a high-stakes platforming challenge while the lone underwater level gave a sense of discovery when seeking out each collectible. And the game is so damn happy, I couldn’t help but smile through a good 60% of the whole game.
Speaking of exploring levels, the level designs were intuitive and simple, but had a surprising amount of depth to the main levels in each Zone. Each one contained a number of bots to collect, both generic bots and VIP bots – these VIPS were created in the likeness of various PlayStation icons and characters. Characters such as Ellie from The Last of Us, Crash Bandicoot, and Dante from Devil May Cry were all waiting for me to come save them. Hidden puzzle pieces are also scattered among the levels; collecting these unlocked more features in the hub zone.
What’s great about these collectibles is the fact that once you completed a level, you could replay it and access a collectible-seeking robo-bird to help 100% the level. Even better – you weren’t required to finish the entire level once you found your missing bot/puzzle piece. I thought it was incredibly respectful of gamers’ time for both of these features. Truthfully, it wasn’t difficult to find each as you joyously explore every nook and cranny, but it’s great to have this option if you’re aiming for the platinum trophy.
About 80% of the levels have a power up, ranging from being able slow down time for three seconds to a set of ARMS-like extendable boxing gloves. Once picked up, the remainder of the level becomes a showcasing of utilizing the power up to progress; such as using the rocket-boost chicken to reach new heights and areas.
I wish once you picked up these power-ups, you kept them through the whole game. Let me choose how I want to tackle the level, even if I’m wrong. I also had some issues with controls, particularly on the monkey power-up, where you can reach for banana-shaped ledges and juts in rocky cliffs. While using the DualSense to physically propel myself upwards, there were times where the game wasn’t registering my action or movement. It made what was a usually smooth feeling game into a slightly janky progression.
What did consistently feel great, however, were the five PlayStation IP character levels you play after defeating the boss of each zone. Essentially taking on the role of the main characters, the level really captured the essence of playing a section of the games. Playing as Kratos-bot with a functional Leviathan Axe felt like I was really playing through a segment of God of War (2018). Even the puzzles featured included ways you would use the axe in the original game. I could honestly play a whole game featuring the Bot of War. These experiences really felt like a fantastic reward for taking down a (relatively easy) boss.
Last thing about levels – I have to talk about some of these challenge levels. Each zone had a set of challenge levels, with each focusing on one face button of the DualSense controller (which finalized Sony’s stance on the Cross vs X debate, by the way). These bite-sized levels were a true challenge for platforming; a few of them were a little jarringly frustrating. One I’ll shout out was the fire covered Square level giving many players LOTS of grief.
More Than the Sum of its Robo-Parts
When you look at Astro Bot, not only does the personality shine through various idle animations, but it simply just looks so good. Graphically speaking, it’s a great looking game, with physics that work incredibly well (walk on any balloon object, and you’ll know what I’m talking about). And the music tracks are all fantastic, especially the character levels.
One thing I’ll knock against it though is the lack of replayability once you collect everything. There’s no speedrun challenges or leaderboards for each level, or even the challenge levels. This will be mitigated in future DLC, but for the here and now, it doesn’t help wanting me to keep playing after completing the game. However, what makes this game really standout is the cohesion among every part, working in unison, to make an exceptional experience.
You could probably take away one aspect of the game, and it would still be serviceable. But all together, it’s a solid package. You could strip away all of the PlayStation nods and specificities, and you still have a great platformer. However, this part in particular really adds to the flair of the game.
Astro Bot is a joyous celebration of everything PlayStation, from software to hardware in all generations. And I think that’s actually incredibly important to the success of Astro Bot; it balances showcasing the history with providing a solid gameplay experience. Everyone knows the Astro series always highlighted PlayStation in some form or fashion. Walking into Astro Bot and thinking it wouldn’t focus on PlayStation history or hardware is just silly.
Here, the game looks back on and celebrates nearly every PlayStation IP in some form or fashion. Personally, I don’t see it as distracting from the gameplay, only enhancing it and lifting up gaming in a way that’s unique and on par with another game which celebrated gaming, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
We can use some positivity in the gaming industry with so many negative events happening; Astro Bot does a fantastic job in injecting positivity to every facet of the game. Occasionally, we as gamers need to look back and see where we started, where we’ve come from, and hold to some optimism for the future of gaming too. Not everything has to be bleak and full of vitriol, hate, and pessimism. We CAN enjoy and appreciate games, even if they happen to be on another platform we don’t use or even like.
The Good
- Stunning use of haptics, vibration and features of the DualSense controller
- Solid platforming levels with a few good challenges
- Absolutely dripping with joy and personality, all while celebrating all things PlayStation
The Bad
- Some of the motions controls didn’t feel great and took away from some polish
- Once you collect everything, there’s little reason to revisit a level
- Lack of speedrun modes or leaderboards (to be fixed with future free DLC though)
The Scoring and Verdict
- Gameplay – 9/10
- Visuals and Art Style – 10/10
- OST/Audio – 10/10
- Story/World Building – 9/10
- Replayability and Value – 8/10
- Overall Scoring – 9.2/10
Whether you are new to the PlayStation environment or have been integrated since day one, Astro Bot is a must-have in your library. It’s a solid all-in-one package, wrapped up in PlayStation themed gift wrap. Every bit of it emits joy and will have you smiling the whole way as you beep-bop through each level.
