While flying to a rainy tropical island behind Astro Bot, the first thing you see is the giant robot’s frowning face. A handful of glowing purple locks anchor the giant metal creature to the ground. Destroy them and the entire world around you glows with change.
An excellent Astro Bot planet, Free Big Brother sees the levels change with emotion. It started out as a darker tribute to Shadow of the Colossus and evolved into the epitome of platforming delights like rivals exploring the sun-drenched secrets of Super Mario Sunshine’s Delfino Plaza. The raindrops become less and less frequent before the final stage of the level itself is a giant friendly creature.
Whether it’s Ape Escape or Uncharted, Astro Bot is good at recreating the emotions the franchises it presents have made us feel. The adrenaline rush of a ruin-destroying gunfight or the feeling of awe inspired by the toy-sized scale of Jormungandr is evident, even if the feeling only lasts for a few minutes.
Free Big Brother achieves something even more impressive by infusing the grim themes of Shadow of the Colossus into a platformer that only brings smiles, but makes its sadness feel genuine.
As soon as the umbrella-hatted Astro Bot touches the sand, the main goal is to destroy each lock holding Big Brother as quickly as possible. The massive machine pulls at your breasts, writhing and groaning with each lock cracked. Exploring every nook and cranny of this island is not a priority. Saving Big Brother is of utmost importance.
PlayStation fans will immediately recognize this somber note as a tribute to Team Ico, creators of Shadow of the Colossus. As soon as reality sets in, images of Wander, Mono, Dormin, and the 16 Colossi flash.
It felt especially appropriate to see work very clearly inspired by Fumito Ueda, as Team Ico worked with Team Asobi prior to the Japan Studios merger in 2021. Some of the Japan Studio developers have “re-centered” around Team Asobi. Of the 69 developers involved in Astro Bot, one worked on Shadow of the Colossus and 12 worked on The Last Guardian, Team Ico’s last game before many of the developers joined Ueda’s new studio.
This crossover is part of why all this praise is so incredible. Aside from the fact that studios like Naugthy Dog and Santa Monica Studio consulted on sections praising the game, developers who worked on Ape Escape, Gran Turismo 5, Knack, and other games are all credited as developers of Astro Bot. Tributes feel great because some of the same people who created the original made them.
As soon as Big Brother is released, a giant metal man walks out into the sea as fresh sunlight begins to bathe the island. After exploring the tropical area, he beckons Astro Bot to join him in the water. The Astro Bot then climbs onto Big Brother’s limbs, neck, and head, and the entire island becomes visible on the horizon.
The sunlight, views and music, combined with the natural fun of the little robot exploring unique spaces, create some of the best moments in Astro Bot.
I’m especially excited now that I know Ueda is working on some sort of successor at his new company, GenDesign. He, along with former members of Team Ico, recently debuted their untitled new project at The Game Awards.
The magic of Astro Bot is that even though it has over 50 levels and over 15 hours of gameplay, it still feels very short. There are dozens of moments as meaningful as the somberness found in Free Big Brother, but none reaches an emotional peak quite like the Team Ico tribute. Every moment is short and sweet and leaves you wanting so much more.
Astro said, “12 to 15 hours of condensed fun that doesn’t feel too long or lacking for 5 minutes is much more valuable than 40 hours that have moments you want to skip.” Bot creative director Nicolas Doucet in an interview with Bloomberg.
Freebig Brother stands out because of the brief sadness experienced during those 15 hours. Team Asobi’s adventure is unlike any other. A beautifully woven narrative in level design, a true tribute to a beloved franchise, and fantastic moment-to-moment gameplay combine to make this one of the standout moments of 2024.
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