ASTRO BOT Review

PlayStation has long been criticized for years for straying too far from its playful roots, with classic video games such as Jak and Daxter, Crash Bandicoot, and Spyro favoring more realistic, cinematic third-person narratives. Although these new stories have gained them notoriety and recognition among the gaming community, critics have long argued that they have also lost something crucial in the process: fun. After ASTRO BOT's release, they will certainly have to find a new weakness to speak of because Sony's new mascot has the most joyful adventure to ever grace its system now.

 

Created by Team ASOBI, this studio has been in the background for most of its time. It is partially staffed by former developers of Japan Studio, one of PlayStation's most prolific game designers. Coming up with iconic titles such as Ape Escape, The Last Guardian, and Gravity Rush, its closure was heavily lamented and heralded as the end of creativity for PlayStation's future. Taking that into account, in today's gaming landscape, it is truly a miracle to see that their resilience and inventiveness are alive and well, fueling the engine of ASTRO BOT's charismatic journey.

Acting as a direct sequel to Astro's Playroom, the simple story goes that the PlayStation 5 is their spaceship as they are traveling through space and must recollect all of the internal parts of the system on different planets after being attacked by an annoying alien who has it out for ASTRO BOT and his friends. Straightforward enough of an excuse to have you platforming in an ever increasingly elaborate type of power-ups and creative levels as you dance and celebrate next to your bot friends dressed as your favorite PlayStation characters.

It is also impossible to talk about ASTRO BOT without talking about PlayStation's legacy, as it is intrinsically linked to it. The amount of easter eggs available, in no small part to their 30-year history, is one that should be lauded because it is just as fun as it is to find them, and it is pleasantly surprising to see all the games in display recognized. With blasts from the past, from third-party games like Suikoden and Okami to the tireless Hunter from Bloodborne appearing, there is no shortage of surprises among the 300 ASTRO BOT you need to rescue.

 A full playthrough, rushing and without getting 100% of the collectibles waiting to be discovered, should take around 10 hours. But it must be said that every level, as long or short as it is, feels purposeful and worth your time. A pillar of ASTRO BOT is its unmistakably fun gameplay style, oozing personality with a vibrant aesthetic that you truly cannot help but feel unbridled joy. It also helps that Astro's movements feel snappy and responsive.

 

A true example of an excellent platformer in all the senses of the word, ASTRO BOT is a very entertaining game you do not want to end. Carrying over the straightforward motions from Astro's Playroom, he can move, jump, and have a propulsor carrying him just a bit further, working as a double jump and grabbing stuff. The simple gameplay mechanics lend themselves to an unequivocally easy way to pick up and play.

Of course, to spice things up at almost every level, Astro can activate power-ups with the left and right triggers. This opens up a world of possibilities that Team ASOBI was fully aware of and takes advantage of at every moment. Using a jetpack to reach previously unavailable areas, monkey hands that, with the help of the triggers and motion controls, have you climbing up walls, or the power to be as small as a mouse are a few of the various entertaining mechanics that you will be able to use in each level.

There are five solar systems that you can explore, with five planets each, a boss level, and a few secrets hidden here and there. Among those secrets are several challenging levels to unlock special bots from beloved franchises like Persona and Resident Evil, to mention a few. But when I say challenging, I mean it. They are not long stages but will undoubtedly increase the difficulty to normal levels. They will test your abilities to the fullest.

At the end of each level, if you press the spaceship's boost buttons with L2 and R2 at the right moment, there's a chance you can earn more coins. There are many deliberate little choices like this one that do not necessarily add that much in terms of rewards, but oh, does it feel good to listen to the coin sound effects go up and fireworks explode as you go, leaving triumphantly every stage after you have rescued every bot and found all collectibles.

 

A clever design choice is that the boss level is not exclusive to the only boss fights you will encounter in the game. As you progress, you will find a few levels that will surprise you with unexpected tough enemies that you can only defeat in unique ways at that particular level. Just as there are distinct foes connected to each world, so are charming photo spots in each mission just for kicks, reminding you to embrace the silliness of it all.

ASTRO BOT makes it extremely friendly the second time you visit a stage to avoid missing anything. Suppose you do not want to struggle or have a keen eye for collectibles at the beginning of a revisited level. In that case, there is a robot bird that, for 200 coins, will beep the closer you are to a bot or piece of the puzzle that you didn't see the first time around. To make matters even more accessible, as soon as you grab the items you need, you can go back to the stage and select without having to finish the level to score those goodies and mark that planet off your checklist.

Taking that into account, getting the Platinum trophy is quite an attainable goal, as in most PlayStation games. Outside of the given achievements for finishing the story and the completionist-type requirements of rescuing all the bots in every world, there are hilarious trophies that ask you only a game like ASTRO BOT could. From dancing with 100 bots simultaneously to capturing a picture of two legendary explorers and picking a fight with two street-fighting warriors, there is no end to the amusing activities you will have to do to earn that desired plat.

The only detail that could be a minor gripe for some is how Astro is fragile and can be defeated in only one hit, lending itself to frustrating moments when cheaply positioned enemies attack you from out of nowhere. Although the checkpoints at each level are more than generous, they are still not enough to detract from the constant source of enjoyment that everything else brings. Perhaps if there was an update down the line for a more relaxed gameplay experience, this small criticism could be a moot point, but for now, it stands.

 

One of the factors that makes ASTRO BOT so enjoyable is the music and sound design. Each planet you visit has its original soundtrack made especially for it. Bongos and tribal sounds for the jungle area, upbeat electronic dance music for the more technologically inclined levels, and 16-bit era music for the pixelated worlds. Everywhere Astro stomps on, it also has a dedicated sound effect that is crisp and clear. If he walks on a metal, wood, or grass surface, it will sound and feel accordingly. The attention to detail is unparalleled.

This time, pulling the gacha machine from Astro's Playroom does not give you beloved artifacts of the company's past but something far more appealing, some would say. If you have found the required bot to bring it to life, there are now emotes that the little guys will do for your enjoyment. For instance, who can forget the mindblowing fight with Psycho Mantis on Metal Gear Solid that made you change the controller port? Well, now you can enjoy a cute bot dressed up as your favorite villain recreating that unforgettable scene.

Not many games have taken advantage of DualSense's fantastic Haptic Feedback and Adaptive Triggers over the years. The fearsome pull of the bow and different weapons of Aloy in Horizon Forbidden West or the subtle feeling of raindrops on your controller in Returnal come to mind, but none other has taken full advantage of these features as much as ASTRO BOT does now. This time, the DualSense has never felt more alive. Feeling the brush of the grass as Astro walks across it, the controller speaker sounding the turbines of Astro's spaceship, and a bevy of different abilities that all use the triggers depending on how much you pull, it goes to show the mastery this studio has over this sturdy piece of hardware.

The fact the game's performance is rock solid is another thing worth mentioning. It is known that many games nowadays are released in a somewhat acceptable state with the promise of fixing any underlying issues in the long term. Not in ASTRO BOT's case. What you see is what you get. A sparkly adventure full of gaming references and uses all the capabilities of its home console, ironically, the spaceship that the small Astro calls home. No frame drops, bugs, or crashes on sight.

ASTRO BOT can never be accused of being a tech demo, unlike its predecessor, as many of the ideas previously toyed with in Playroom are now fully fleshed out and in a way that feels just as much a love letter as it does a defiant creative statement in PlayStation's library. Whatever the future holds for this charismatic little robot, it is safe to say that ASTRO BOT is firmly planted as this historic company's new face.