One of the best 3D platformers ever made, Astro Bot perfectly blends nostalgic notes with novel gameplay ideas.
What Is It? Astro is a cute robot character that has lived on the fringes of the PlayStation universe for a while now, first being introduced over a decade ago. More recently, Astro’s Playroom came pre-installed on all PS5 consoles and was a delightful 3D platforming game that focused on showing off the power of the new console with many tips of the cap to PlayStation’s history. Astro Bot represents a full length (about 11 hours for the base game, and maybe another hour added with the free DLC) game for the robot who might have earned the title of mascot by this point.
The game is a true 3D platformer; run, jump, climb, explore, advance. Do whatever it takes to make it to the end of the level before moving onto the next one.
The most unique mechanics here are the various bot abilities which you’ll find at the start of most levels. One is a backpack holding a dog which gives you a sudden burst of speed, even mid-air, in a direction. Another is turning into a sponge to soak up water and put out fires (among other things). I’ll leave most of them for you to discover, but these abilities are pretty much all fantastic. They offer unique ways to play levels and the superb level design takes full advantage. Not all of them are jaw-droppingly great, but many of them are.
It is important to note that Astro’s Playroom was essentially a tech demo for the PS5 with a heavy emphasis on the new controller. Astro Bot carries this over as the game leverages all of the Dualsense 5 features.
Throughout levels there will be a handful of bots to free. These bots each represent a character in legacy PlayStation titles. There’s a Crash Bot, Kratos Bot, Nathan Drake Bot, etc… To further increase the nostalgic string pulling, there are a few levels modeled in the style of some of Sony’s biggest IPs. I won’t spoil what those are, but they are some of the best levels here if you are fond of the source material.
Maybe the most telling thing about all of this is that the game is still great even if you don’t recognize the bots you are rescuing. I had to look up a lot of them after I was done because I wasn’t sure what game many of them were representing.
The main game is never overly difficult, but there are a handful of optional areas/levels which ramp things up considerably. There have also been DLC additions which add time trials and new levels.
The Best Part: The jaw-dropping moments where the game does something so simple, yet clever that you can’t believe you hadn’t seen it done before. This happened every few levels for me. The level design and the interaction with the special bot abilities are top notch.
The Worst Part: I might want more of it? I’m not sure here, because too much of a good thing can be, well, too much, and Astro Bot seems near perfect as-is. However, it’s hard not to want more levels, more abilities, more cameos…more everything!
The Verdict: Astro Bot is a pure old-school 3D platformer. If you like the genre you should play this game, it brings back many joys of the past through gameplay, cameo appearances, and the sense of wonder that comes with playing perfectly designed 3D platforming levels.
How to Play: PS5
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