Many of us dreamt of a full-blown sequel that could expand these ideas into a larger adventure and that dream has finally been fulfilled with Astro Bot. Let me say this up front – Astro Bot is so good, it single handedly reminded me why I enjoy video games in the first place. This is a game that celebrates the entire history of video games and one of the few 3D platform games I’ve played that truly goes toe to toe with the best Nintendo has to offer. Astro Bot is a stunning 3D platformer, and easily among the best games in PS5’s library. It fully delivers on the promise of Astro’s Playroom, building on the rock solid core of tight controls and inventive gameplay and turning everything up to 11. With tons to see and do, almost endless fresh ideas, innovative use of the DualSense’s features, and truly charming presentation, it’s a confident and cohesive experience that players of all ages will love.

Nebula #7: Lost Galaxy

It feels finely tuned from top to bottom and I think that’s something to commend. Astro Bot is an explosion of colour and creativity that constantly flips your expectations on its head. When it hits, you’ll feel the urge to stand up and cheer in excitement – but let’s step back and break this down into chunks to better understand why it’s so impressive.

I haven’t seen a platformer marathon through so many varied, whimsical, and blatantly cool ideas like this before. Sony just never seemed to have an answer to Nintendo’s Mario or Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog. Crash Bandicoot was an iconic character that was exclusive to the PlayStation at the time, but he belonged to a third-party studio. And while Toro from the Doko Demo Issho series reached mascot-like status in Japan, the cute feline character was hardly known outside of PlayStation’s home country. That was followed up with the PSVR-exclusive game Astro Bot Rescue Mission.

While the bulk of time will be spent hunting down every collectible and bot, as there are 304 of them at the time of this review, Astro Bot is roughly around 10 hours in length for a standard playthrough. Personally, that length worked well to not overstay its welcome or feel padded, especially as additional content like time trials is set to release for free. Astro’s Playroom, a game bundled in with every PS5 is approximately 3 hours long, and many spent double or triple in that world just exploring and attempting to beat other player’s times at each level.

What Are All Special Bots In Astro Bot? Pekerone – Exuberant Blob

Our charming main hero is rescued by a smaller ship that looks like a DualSense controller. What remains of the PS5 console crashes onto a small, sandy planet, which will serve as our home base from now on. While ruminating on the game’s score, which is finally balanced between an 8 and 9, it’s the force feedback and audio design which pushed us over the edge. All of this accounts for just a portion of what makes Astro Bot so interesting and fun. The technology is important but the core design and what they do with it is what made me fall in love with the game.

Some of the levels are even themed around different franchises and implement mechanics from those games. An extra level of difficulty can be found in the semi-hidden trial-like stages found by exploring among the overworld’s stars, though. These short sprints are littered with fast-moving objects, numerous enemies, and precise gaps to hop across that are designed to trip you up.

The usage of the controller’s haptic feedback, gyro controls, and adaptive triggers makes the game a way better experience. Not only that, the game also has unique gimmicks in each level, which make them fresh and interesting to play. Team Asobi further drills down on the toy-like charm of gaming by fully committing to the DualSense’s unique features. g28 feel pronounced haptic feedback when I hop into a stormy level and feel each raindrop in my palms. When I turn into a metal ball to stop a ceiling from crushing me, I can feel the resistance of the adaptive triggers pushing back on me.

The prizes you get here, earned by spending the coins you’ve collected, more often than not, are attributed to one of the bots you’ve found, like a specific weapon or object that gives them a fun interaction in the hub. Other prizes include cosmetics for Astro himself and his Dual Speeder, letting you customise his look with some iconic outfits. You can also unlock the Safari Park, a special zone to hang out in, but it also gives you access to a simple Photo Mode, then usable throughout the game. There are some levels in here that almost had me pulling my hair out (in the best sort of way). But regardless of the difficulty scale, you feel so cool when you figure out the latest mechanics or platforming puzzle. It’s structured in a way too where if you want to dig into the difficult stuff you can, but if you want to keep things simple with the main campaign, you can also do that.

Astro Bot may feature a simple tale, yet it is a gleeful game that absolutely nailed all the aspects of a platformer. It became the highest-rated standalone game of 2024 for a reason, right? Team ASOBI redefined the modern 3D platforming experience with the vibrant adventures of Astro Bot. From beloved PS5 pack-in game to Game of the Year winner, Team ASOBI’s ASTRO BOT has achieved gaming’s highest honor at The Game Awards 2024, triumphing over acclaimed titles with its innovative gameplay and creative excellence. No, each planet already has plenty of coins to find and spend in the Gatcha Lab! The game provides a complete experience with all content available through gameplay.