PlayStation has unfortunately been devoid of a mascot for many years now. Crash Bandicoot has been sold, Jax and Daxter had a moment, Spyro nearly got there and the less we say about Knack, the better. Fortunately, Astro and the Bots made a massive splash with a 2018 Playstation VR debut and the popular Astro’s Playroom as a free game with purchase on the PlayStation 5 console.
At long last we get a full-blown Astro game in the form of a platformer, and it seems the wait has been worth it. Astro Bot is not only beautiful to look at, but it is also incredibly creative and innovative, easily delivering the best platformer in years and, if I can be so bold as to say, the best game on the PlayStation 5 console.
Sure it’s easy to get swept up in the nostalgia of this game. While Astro’s Playroom truly showcased the hardware history of the franchise, this game focuses on the characters and IPs that have made them so successful and there are some profoundly deep cuts here.
While I will be avoiding spoilers as much as possible, the God of War level and accompanying bots have been heavily featured in the trailers and marketing, while it was fantastic to wield Kratos’ Leviathan Axe and go through a level inspired by the series, this is the least exciting of the guest franchise levels and having them pop us as surprises was a great enhancement to the already stellar game.
While the nostalgia hits you with a massive dopamine hit, it doesn’t define the game or is the only ingredient that makes this game so fantastic to play, it simply enhances it and shows the love that the devs have for these franchises and giving them a cute and comedic bot persona is a testament to developer Team Asobi.
The Galaxy Awaits
The game has 80 levels spread out over six galaxies and 50 planets. While some are objectives and are right in front of you, some are hidden and need to be unlocked to access special areas and abilities. You cruise around the solar system using a DualSense controller as your shop, each galaxy is represented by a boss in the form of an animal and the various levels use different mechanics to get your character to the finish.
Some are reused from Astro’s Playroom like the giant monkey hands you use to move around on different grips, the rest are brand new and offer an innovative and exciting traversal through each level. You can swim underwater with speed thanks to a penguin bot that propels you through the water, you strap on a bulldog bot that allows you to head-charge through solid barriers, and by far my favourite was the PSVR2 backpack that allows Astro to slow down time to get past fast-moving enemies. If you ever wanted to live out being Quicksilver from the X-Men, this is the perfect way. These powers are used over various levels with different scenarios that keep it feeling fresh.
A large part of Astro’s Playroom was using the DualSense controller motion controls at each level, here it is still evident but not as prominent. As you blast into each level on your DualSense rocket ship, you can use these motion controls to sheer your ship into coins and collectibles before landing, but that is as much as it is used. The DualSense controllers have never had this much of a workout before, so make sure yours are fully charged before playing as they will drain quite quickly.
Given that this is one of the few games that take full advantage of the features of the controller, if you are using a surround system to play, the sound that bounces through your speakers and the DualSense controller only enhances the experience even further.
The Keys to Platforming
Your ship is a PlayStation 5 console that has crash-landed on a desolated planet, its internal parts and 300 bots have been captured and spread across various galaxies. You control Astro who must glide around the galaxies rescuing the bots, collecting puzzle pieces and then facing a boss who has captured one of the parts of your ship. It is straight out of a classic platformer, most similar to Super Mario Galaxy 2 in terms of inventiveness, colour palette and general fun.
There are many new mechanics here, a solid rock wall that you have to feel the vibrations in to unlock its secrets, in one level you transform into a giant absorbent sponge and you must jump into rivers and pools set across a gigantic Japanese bathhouse to put out spot fires, inflate sponges to access different parts of the level and absorb the oil from enemies before being able to get past them.
This game is visually beyond anything we have seen on the PlayStation 5 console for a platformer. It runs at 4K resolution and a solid 60 frames per second that barely dips, even when the screen is loaded with 200 + bots. The vibrant and colourful worlds pop out of the screen creating a vivid world that looks incredible. This works well with the incredible soundtrack that smartly incorporates some of the catchy numbers from Astro’s Playroom (GPUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU anyone!) if you order the deluxe edition, you also get a digital soundtrack player so you can relive the absolute bangers here.
A Few OId Friends
Much can be said about the appearances of characters from PlayStation IP past, along with some third-party ones that can be associated as PlayStation exclusives or were released originally before moving to other platforms. A lot of spoilers are out there, particularly from PlayStation Studios’ social media accounts so if you want to go in as blind as possible, it would be best to stay away till you have finished. The most advertised is the God of War: Ragnarok level and Bots that are a joy to discover and play.
When you unlock characters and powers, they then are transported to the crash site for you to interact with and watch their fun animations when running around this site. This extends out to the other 150 PlayStation bots you collect.
Final Thoughts
Astro Bot is a complete triumph, a stunning platformer that is easily the best game available on the PlayStation 5 that manages to provide a throwback to some of Playstation’s greatest (and forgotten!) franchises while still managing to deliver a solid game that is full of fun and innovation that works even if you strip all of that nostalgia away.
Astro Bot is with Super Mario Galaxy 2 when it comes to quality. It’s a big call, but one that will hopefully set Astro and the team up for mascot status for Sony moving forward. It is a perfect game to celebrate PlayStation’s 30th birthday with and an easy contender for game of the year.
FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Beautiful graphics; Innovative gameplay that pushes the boundaries of platformers.
Lowlights: None (We just didn’t want it to end)
Developer: Team ASOBI
Publisher: PlayStation Studios
Platforms: PlayStation 5
Available: Now
Review conducted on PlayStation 5 with a pre-release code provided by the publisher.
