Astro Bot is meticulous love letter to PlayStation’s wealthy historical past

If you’re a PlayStation 5 proprietor, likelihood is Astro Bot has already found a way into your heart. The would-be Astro’s Playroom tech demo confirmed off precisely what the console may do however did so with ample quantities of attraction, and innovation and by honouring PlayStation’s historical past. Workforce Asobi returns with the titular character’s first standalone launch. Ratcheting up the visuals and stage design, a reasonable quantity of latest DualSense integrations and utilizing a ton of PlayStation crossover characters, Astro Bot shortly turned a GOTY contender.

I’m a agency believer in there being an excessive amount of of a very good factor. So in my first few hours of Astro Bot, I saved considering, “Can this actually be sustained by way of to the credit with out shedding its attraction?” The reply is a bonafide sure. The reason being nothing ever felt half-baked. Workforce Asobi introduced a lot creativity and thoughtfulness to their sport, that you may’t assist however need to spend extra time enjoying. From the intricate methods, Astro Bot pays its respect to the practically 30-year-old model to the music. There wasn’t a minute throughout my 12-hour playthrough to achieve the Platinum Trophy that I wasn’t smiling, buzzing, or laughing.

Worth, availability and specs

Astro Bot will probably be accessible on PlayStation 5 on September 6th for $59.99. As a sequel to Astro’s Playroom, Astro Bot is a 3D platfomer. Incorporating modern puzzles and themes, the place gamers can traverse 80 distinctive ranges and rescue over 300 bots, together with many character cameos.

What I favored about Astro Bot

Astro Bot is a celebration of gaming throughout many unimaginable character cameos.

The sport affords 80 well-detailed ranges, cut up throughout six galaxy clusters (with a couple of surprises within the combine). In every stage, I jumped, twirled, and labored in direction of rescuing misplaced Bots, lots of that are impressed by basic PlayStation mascots. Seeing online game characters come collectively in miraculous methods by no means fails to place a smile on my face. Astro Bot does this at a fast tempo. After all, you get to see Astro Bot rescue and work together with among the most prolific faces of the PlayStation model. To no shock, characters like Joel and Ellie make an look. Partnering builders and publishers of PlayStation additionally lend their characters to the sport. There are additionally some surprisingly deep cuts to find. Going way back to the unique PlayStation console, mascots will be discovered and found. As soon as rescued, they’ll return to the Mothership Crash Website the place they might help resolve puzzles round an open map. You can even spend cash on the Gacha machine to unlock gadgets for every character. This lets you work together with each on a deeper stage. It doesn’t matter if you recognize the character or not, they every have a uniquely impressed design and considerate interactions. With out spoiling something, one among my favourites is Metallic Gear’s Psycho Mantis.

Not one of the core ranges are overly troublesome or lengthy. Nevertheless, I discovered myself spending upwards of quarter-hour on each trying round each nook and ensuring there was no stone left unturned. Astro Bot is a sport the place you simply need to work together with every little thing. Every stage is themed or has a core idea. Whether or not it’s a haunted graveyard, a collection of platforms within the clouds, or the extent at which Astro positive aspects the flexibility to show small. There’s a lot consideration to element in every stage. Astro Bot quelled a few of that ache by making the extent so vibrant and fascinating to discover. Even ranges which can be significantly protected so far as 3D platformers are involved nonetheless really feel recent all due to enemy placement, the music swelling all through, and the pacing to succeed in the end line. As Astro reaches the tip, your reward is seeing Astro and the rescued bots dance their little robotic hearts out. 80 ranges in, this by no means received outdated.

Past all of the cameos and the lovable PlayStation nods, Astro Bot shocked me with its well-curated PlayStation franchise ranges. Every galaxy cluster affords a singular expertise. In a single case, you’re transported to an Astro Bot-inspired model of Midgard. After assembly Kratos and Atreus, you’re in a position to wield the Leviathan Axe in all its glory. What makes these PlayStation character-specific ranges so memorable is how well-detailed all of them are. It’s not that you just’re enjoying by way of a run-of-the-mill stage. No, each affords gameplay mechanics, skills, and visuals all drawn from the supply materials. Even the music is splendidly drawn from the respective franchise. It didn’t matter to me whether or not I used to be a die-hard fan of the impressed IP or not, every franchise-inspired stage left such an impression on me.

What I did not like about Astro Bot

Astro Bot was a sport I by no means needed to complete enjoying. But it ended after 12 hours.

Astro Bot resonates with me to such a robust diploma. I have been a lifelong fan of 3D platformers and to see such a robust entry within the style launch in 2024 excites me to no finish. Workforce Asobi clearly put a whole lot of effort and time into curating each side of its sport, leading to the next mid-tier pricing mannequin. At $59.99, Astro Bot is significantly cheap for the standard of the sport. That mentioned, I’m making an attempt to be conscious of its run time. I totally accomplished Astro Bot, Trophies and all in about 12 hours based on the PlayStation 5’s monitoring. As credit started to roll and I ran by way of the restricted endgame content material, I used to be barely upset I accomplished the sport this shortly. Not for an absence of disappointment in how a lot Workforce Asobi created for the sport. Moreso that I performed the sport so shortly for evaluate that I now stay in a submit Astro Bot world. As I sit right here, scripting this evaluate, I’m actively counting down the moments till post-launch content material releases.

The opposite factor to think about is that Astro Bot is constructed off the framework of Astro’s Playroom. The methods during which you traverse and interact in fight are roughly the identical as its predecessor. Nevertheless, Astro Bot does embody 15 new skills to make use of, that are all a delight. The Twin-Frog Gloves, for example, give Astro the ability to punch enemies from afar. There’s additionally a pleasant means given when Astro wears a PS VR2 headset, permitting me to decelerate enemies and platform sections. With all this mentioned, there’s solely a lot Workforce Asobi can do to essentially extract new makes use of from the DualSense. Although Astro’s Playroom felt like a model new expertise, the place delicate haptics and makes use of of the adaptive triggers have been fascinating, they’re barely much less novel in Astro Bot. It does not imply that gameplay or fight is stale by any means. Nevertheless, that thrilling response I as soon as received from pulling again on the DualSense’s triggers and feeling the resistance has worn down a bit. That mentioned, feeling the haptic suggestions from Astro working round will not ever develop outdated.

Do you have to play Astro Bot?

Astro Bot is a not-so-small PlayStation 5 powerhouse.

When Astro’s Playroom debuted alongside the PlayStation 5, it was a “best-of” spotlight reel, displaying off the potential of the console and its accompanying DualSense controller. Flashforward 4 years, and expectations have understandably been heightened. Workforce Asobi took that to coronary heart. It gathered all of the bones of Astro’s Playroom and expounded on each little spectacular function we collectively gasped at in 2020. Astro Bot is greater, bolder, and makes use of the PlayStation 5’s energy to a significant diploma.

Astro Bot isn’t only a success story for PlayStation 5. I’m firmly within the perception that anybody who’s adopted the PlayStation model for over 30 years will take rather a lot away from enjoying Astro Bot. It capitalizes on nostalgia, recollections, on bonds we’ve shaped with mascots and characters. However it does so in genuine methods, paying homage to every little thing that’s come earlier than it. That goes double for the PlayStation 5. The PlayStation 5 is as essential as Astro Bot on this sport. Thus, the sport has to correctly give its flowers to the wealthy historical past of {hardware}.