The small robot must save fellow bots from danger, totaling 300 bots to rescue throughout the game. You tend to start writing lines in your head when compiling a review, and one that stuck with me early was to call Astro Bot ‘the best platformer since Super Mario Odyssey’. Then I played a little more and started to think ‘maybe it’s better’. All I know is Astro Bot is a contender for the all-time crown in a genre that has felt a little neglected (especially by Sony, who once nurtured it to greatness) in recent years. It’s so much more than a PlayStation history lesson, and in climbing above those expectations, becomes a piece of PlayStation history in its own right – with Astro Bot, the PS5 may finally have arrived. It can be tough to critically gauge how ‘good’ a platformer is sometimes.
Meet Team Asobi, The Studio Behind Astro Bot
Our charming main hero is rescued by a smaller ship that looks like a DualSense controller. What remains of G28 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.
Games
Many hope Sony will simply let Team Asobi do its thing and are perfectly content giving the next game the time it needs. You must complete the Great Master Challenge in order to find and collect Chop Chop Master Onion Special Bot. As the name implies, this is one of the most difficult levels in Astro Bot, so be sure to check out our full walkthrough for tips on how to complete the Great Master Challenge. Now, I’m sure the gamers who haven’t tasted the sweet joys of Astro Bot yet will agree with me once they get their hands on this PlayStation title. So, congratulations on your well-deserved award and success, Team ASOBI.
Not exactly my jam – but it would seem this, like other games before it, are fun to be had by anyone. That’s why many studios try to compensate by pouring money into those other areas. These games are a celebration of gaming – specifically PlayStation gaming.
Aside from a lack of Final Fantasy representation, Astro Bot pays its respects to several generations of formative games. A handful of excellent stages even go one step further by paying tribute to some key games themselves — expect gaming history nerds to go positively feral over them. What elevates that beyond a bit of throwback nostalgia is that developer Team Asobi may be the most skilled studio working today when it comes down to game feel.
Because of that, Astro does not have anything new that he can try to repair across multiple galaxies. Additionally, the celebration of the PlayStation brand may get stale after two entries do the same exact thing. Team Asobi will need to come up with something different if it wants to capture audiences again, but if it is too different, then it may not excite the fanbase in the same way. Doucet made clear that, while Astro Bot may expand beyond PS5, it won’t return to the robot’s roots on PSVR.
Not only are all of the aspects amazing, from its catchy music and great sound effects, the game actually uses the controller’s speakers perfectly as well. There’s not much else to say about it except that it’s pretty much perfect for the game’s vibe and presentation. Got the plat shortly after release (couldnt stop playing it) and flipped it to a friend. I will be asking for a loan in a few months when a couple more of the speed run levels drop. @2huwman Just let people be lolPushSquare has the guide out on Day 1 because they compete with other organizations who do the same thing and their guides will be out on Day 1 so it’s kinda like a little competition. If people want to “ruin their experience” as you say, then let them.
However, those experiences risk feeling hollow for those who haven’t played the games that Astro Bot seems desperate to reference. San Mateo, Calif. – Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) today announced the launch of Astro Bot on the PlayStation 5 (PS5) console, the latest game in the critically acclaimed series. This highly anticipated release takes players on an interstellar adventure in search of Astro’s lost spaceship crew, who have been scattered across the galaxies after the PS5 mothership is attacked. Astro Bot pays tribute to three decades of play with crew members inspired by iconic games from past and present, helping to kick off celebrations for a significant milestone – the 30th anniversary of PlayStation.
Many of the PlayStation characters appear as short, charming cameos, but a handful play fully-fledged supporting roles. I won’t spoil who gets the star treatment here, aside from one – the previously revealed Kratos. His introduction sees you wield his ice-infused Leviathan axe and take on the role of the exiled Spartan himself in a thrilling change of pace, the frosty blade boomeranging around the level. It’s here where Astro Bot becomes truly magical, elegantly blending nostalgia with new ideas. Such moments essentially let you play these iconic games in miniature, lending Astro their powers and letting him loose in a level entirely built around familiar stories and settings, soundtracked by remixes of heroic themes. They’re charming and often the real highlight of the experience.
Game8 rated it 96/100, calling it the best platformer of the year, praising its stunning visuals, great design, and fun, simple controls. They compared it to Super Mario Odyssey but noted it still feels unique. IGN gave it a 9/10, calling it a fantastically inventive platformer filled with PlayStation memories.