Astro Bot is delightfully good – Review – WGB

Nintendo has been dominating the genre for years, with a certain mushroom-loving plumber as the undeniable king of platformers. Other games have come close to matching Nintendo’s icon over the years, but games like the Xbox and PlayStation that satisfied Mario to take the crown haven’t. But with the launch of PS5 came Astro Bot’s Playroom, an endlessly attractive free product that captured people’s attention with its clever use of Dualsense and nostalgic PlayStation vibe. But at its core, it was a great platformer, and now, a few years later, Astro Bot is starring in a triple-A 3D platformer where he can compete with small pipe fitters.

One of the fun things about it is that it’s cool to play a big-budget, triple-A platformer that isn’t too limited by janky hardware. There are some amazing indie platformers that can compete with the best in gameplay and general atmosphere, but Astro Bot is the whole package. This is a great platformer with a huge hardware budget that allows it to shine. Experience the magic of Nintendo through the dazzling brilliance of PlayStation. Mario showing off in Kratos’ body.

One thing Astro Bot hasn’t lost since his last outing is his strong attachment to the PlayStation brand. I’m worried that Asobi and Sony are focusing too much on connecting Astro Bot to the PlayStation, and I hope that in his next adventure, Astro Bot can stand on his own cute two feet again. But that’s a worry for the future, so I’ll put it aside for now.

We’re immediately greeted by Astro and hundreds of his friends cruising the galaxy on their mothership. That mothership is also the PS5, and that’s when Space Bully Nebulax pulls up in search of a fight. He steals the mothership’s processor, causing the PS5 to crash-land on a nearby planet. It’s up to Astro Bot to rescue his 300 missing colleagues. Most of them dress up as classic PlayStation characters and find the scattered parts they need to repair the PS5 so they can track down Space Bully Nebulax and kick his alien ass.

And that’s the whole story. Like most classic 3D platformers, Astro Bot doesn’t spend too much time on narrative as it wants users to explore and have fun with dozens of bite-sized levels spread across multiple galaxies. What blossoms from that simple premise is about 10 hours of some of the best platforming and adventure I’ve ever experienced. And just when you think you’ve seen everything in the game, another cool boss fight or cool set piece comes along, or you discover another cute little detail.

If you’ve played Astro’s Playroom, you’ll be immediately familiar with the move set available, including simple jumps, laser-powered glides, and two types of attacks. In fact, one of the few criticisms of Astro Bot is its limited collection of moves, especially when once again compared to the Mario series. But while simple, Astro’s move set is a joy to use thanks to precise and responsive controls. It’s almost indescribable. To appreciate the crisp controls, you’ll need to hold the controller and move Astro Bot’s astro hips around.

The result is a game that’s incredibly good at guiding you through a magical, zen-like flow. The way the levels are designed and the sharp controls allow you to maintain momentum and quickly read where to go and what to do, allowing your brain to turn off and go with the flow. It feels magical and something only a select few games can pull off.

Of course, it helps that Astro Bot is obscenely attractive on every level imaginable. You can find this feeling in everything from the cute enemy designs to the catchy, bouncy music that’s still humming at the top of your lungs. At one point I noticed a custom animation of Astro Bot jumping on a cow (all creatures are robots of some kind) and sitting on top of the beast and hugging it. There are lots of little details like this that help bring the game to life. There are countless little ways Team Asobi injected love and passion into Astro’s journey. Just when I thought I’d seen everything the game had to offer, I was gifted a magical level about a music tree or rescuing a giant starfish. There seems to be no end to Team Asobi’s imagination and desire to have fun.

When it comes to bringing games to life, Team Asobi remains the clear leader in getting the most out of the Dualsense controller. Every level begins with you landing carefully (or not so carefully) using gyro controls using a custom Dualsense controller. As Astro runs across the metal, you can feel the soft patter of his footsteps and the steady drumming of raindrops falling on his small umbrella. These details are subtle, but they also help immerse you in the world. I can’t help but wish more companies would use Dualsense’s features. Although I think I can understand why they don’t use it. It takes a lot of development time and money to get into something that most people don’t care about.

Astro’s moveset is enhanced with a variety of power-ups in the form of cute animals that jump onto his back and ride him. While the Mario games choose to sprinkle multiple power-ups around, Team Asobi prefers one per level so they can build up entire areas to make the most of them. There are some absolute power-ups here, but let’s talk about a few of them. My favorite might be jumping over obstacles at high speeds to reach a platform and then freezing because of how quickly you get to the other side in a short amount of time. There’s also a fantastic power-up that shrinks the Astro Bot, which is used in some great sequences. oh! And there’s one that can absorb water like a giant robot sponge! And what a wonderful chicken that rises upwards like a rocket! and… And another thing that creates a platform in the air! and… Yes, you get the point.

A lot of the appeal comes from collecting the 300 little robots scattered throughout the levels. Many of them are generic Astro Bots, but many of them are cosplaying classic PlayStation characters or references to other games. You can collect Nathan Drake, Lara Croft, Dante, a horde of monkeys from Ape Escape, Kratos, and more. It’s basically a PlayStation Pokemon.

Collecting the little bots scattered throughout the levels like gifts is fun in itself, but the game does it better by sending the bots home to the crash site. Every time you return, you will be greeted by all the bots you have found. They all gather together and rush to welcome you cheerfully, have a good time and wait for you to visit. It’s like being welcomed into your home by 300 dogs who love you! It also offers practical functions. It forms ropes and bridges that help you reach new areas of the crash site, but it feels secondary to the greater purpose it serves. It’s just fun. It’s cool to see them all hanging out together, and you can even use coins on the gacha machine to unlock props.

But there’s a strange undercurrent to collecting every piece of PlayStation history that most people probably don’t even think about. As you know, there are quite a few lost bots these days representing IPs and games that aren’t even playable on PlayStation. For that matter, you’ll need a PS5 to play just one of the IPs that exist. Everything else can be played on PS4 or elsewhere. None of this really affects your enjoyment of the excellent platform, but it’s interesting nonetheless. The book explores PlayStation’s past and celebrates the many games that made the brand successful, while also highlighting how unnecessary the PS5 can sometimes feel. It’s not so much a celebration of PlayStation’s present as it is a celebration of the company’s history.

Each level’s little galaxy concludes with a special themed area where the Astro Bots don their PlayStation icon costumes and inherit their abilities for spells. The first of them is Ape Escape. Astro Bot runs around swinging a classic net to catch pesky apes wandering around hidden in the bushes. Another level has you playing as Astro Kratos, complete with a throwable axe and a cool techno remix of the God of War theme music. Of course, these levels are the highlight of the game, so it’s a shame there are so few of them. I would have liked more of it, covering a wider range of PlayStation IP, but I think the Asobi team should leave something for the future. And maybe if they were too focused on dressing up Astro Bot, they wouldn’t have gotten as much attention from the little android.

The boss battles towards the end of each galaxy are another highlight of an already excellent game. Some people complained that Team Asobi reused bosses from the Astro Bot titles, which is true. However, the actual combat mechanics are completely different. I actually thought it was really cool to see the bosses again. After all, if Mario can fight Bowser for the millionth time, why can’t Astro Bot face off against some of his returning enemies? The boss fights, like the rest of the game, are very easy (except for a few more challenging optional levels, they’re not really a challenge), but they’re incredibly fun.

One word that sums up Astro Bot is: Well, let me say it in two words: But that’s because I’m kind of stupid. It’s so fucking fun. I really enjoy it. Delightfully charming. It’s really fun to play. It’s a pleasure to look at. male, I really enjoy it.

Astro’s past adventures in VR and the PS5’s tech demos were great in their own right, but Astro Bot proved beyond a doubt that mechanical marvels can’t just star in their own triple-A, full-priced bangers. But he could become PlayStation’s new mascot if the company is interested. He may not be as popular as PlayStation’s more serious characters, but he has a family appeal that the brand doesn’t quite have.

Astro Bot has everything you want in a 3D platformer. It has crisp controls, gorgeous visuals, excellent level design, fun power-ups and tons of charm. Mario is very competitive, and unlike the plumber, this hero doesn’t need mushrooms to have a good time.