Astro Bot Review – Super PlayStation Galaxy

With the fanbase that the Astro Bot IP has garnered over the course of the last decade or so, you wouldn’t expect it to have managed to do so without ever having seen a proper, full-fledged console release. As its popularity has grown, however, so, too, has the demand for a more prominent presence for the IP in PlayStation’s first-party lineup- which now seems to be on the verge of coming true. After already having endeared itself to the masses with the incredible VR platformer Astro Bot Rescue Mission and the ever-so-delightful pack-in tech demo Astro’s Playroom, the franchise is ready to finally have its time in the sun. Enter: Astro Bot, a brand-new 3D platformer that sees the adorable robot mascot star in his own full-fledged console game for the first time. The results? Unsurprisingly charming. 

Of course, anyone who will have played any of the two aforementioned games will have expected as much. In fact, there’s plenty that Astro Bot borrows from Astro’s Playroom in particular- such as the emphasis it places on PlayStation-related cameos, easter eggs, secrets, and more. Much like the free 2020 PS5 launch title, Astro Bot leans heavily on all things PlayStation, packing in everything from the most prominent and popular references to the deepest of cuts, lovingly plucked from across the entirety of PlayStation history. 

"Astro Bot leans heavily on all things PlayStation, packing in everything from the most prominent and popular references to the deepest of cuts, lovingly plucked from across the entirety of PlayStation history."

That takes many different forms. As in Astro’s Playroom, many of the bots that you rescue throughout the game are robot versions of popular characters who have had important roles to play in the history of PlayStation, from beloved first-party icons like Ratchet, Jak, and Kratos to beloved third-party characters like Solid Snake, Spyro the Dragon, Crash Bandicoot, and many others. And that’s barely even scratching the surface. Of the 300 bots that are scattered throughout the many levels in the game, a whopping 150 are VIP bots, which is what the PlayStation characters are referred to as. 

Astro Bot’s love and dedication for PlayStation also shines through in other ways- including the game’s core premise, which sees Astro having to find and rescue bots so together they can repair their mothership, which is basically just a giant PS5 flying through space. The ship parts that you find throughout intergalactic journey are, like in Astro’s Playroom, named after actual console parts, while Astro even has a smaller ship that he uses to transport himself around the galaxies that is shaped like a DualSense. There are even minigames and fun little interactions tucked away throughout the experience that will tug hard at your PlayStation nostalgia- but I’ll leave those unspoiled. 

Oh, and speaking of the DualSense, Astro Bot is once again a spectacular advertisement of the controller’s unique capabilities, to the extent that it’s almost embarrassing how much better it is at that than most other games that have released for the console since it came out four years ago. From the changes in the haptic feedback based on the surfaces that you’re walking on to being able to use the DualSense’s gyro controls to control Astro’s ship in the beginning of levels, to abilities built around the motion controls and adaptive triggers, the game once again sets an incredibly high bar for how to properly utilize the DualSense. Very rarely have I played games where the DualSense’s features are used well enough for them to actually stand out as something that actively makes the gaming experience better. Funnily enough, Astro’s Playroom is high on that list- and it’s now not only been joined, but even surpassed by Astro Bot. 

"Astro Bot is packed with PlayStation winks and nudges that you’ll love if you’ve ever had any affinity for the platform. It is not, however, overly reliant on that aspect, because even though that is clearly a really important part of the game, Astro Bot is also an incredible platformer in its own right."

Back to the game’s adoration for PlayStation though, because there’s still plenty more to talk about on that front- because the bevy of easter eggs and VIP bots found throughout the game, as excellent as they are, are not even the highlight. Every so often, Astro Bot will either throw you into entire levels that have been inspired by other PlayStation franchises, or give you abilities that are based on them. For instance, the early hours of the game will be an absolute treat for Ape Escape fans. One level sees you running around with a giant net in your hand as you try to chase around and catch mischievous and playful monkeys. Another, meanwhile, hands you an ability that gives you monkey arms that can be used to grab onto special ledges and scale heights. 

Clearly, then, Astro Bot is packed with PlayStation winks and nudges (and often outright pokes in the rib) that you’ll love if you’ve ever had any affinity for the platform. It is not, however, overly reliant on that aspect, because even though that is clearly a really important part of the game, Astro Bot is also an incredible platformer in its own right, period. First and foremost, that shines through in the way the game plays and feels. Seriously, the movement here is excellent, with every single jump, punch, hover, every single action feeling exactly as precise and responsive as it should. 

Astro’s basic moveset is, meanwhile, bolstered by a over dozen unique abilities to be found throughout the game, each of which brings entirely different flavours to the gameplay. One ability lets you puff up and float through the air like a balloon, while another puts a dog on your back that acts like a boost to push you forward. One lets Astro suck up gelatinous liquids and then use them to form temporary platforms, and another equips him with spring-loaded boxing gloves, giving him greater reach in combat. Each ability feels drastically unique from the others, and each is also great fun to use and mess around with. 

"Astro Bot does an incredible job of building entire levels around different abilities in endlessly creative ways. Just when you think you’ve got a full understanding of how a certain ability works, the game effortlessly conjures up a new way for you to use it, masterfully combining straightforward mechanics in increasingly clever ways."

Of course, the level design is greatly responsible for that as well, because of how well the levels are built around the abilities that they hand to you. Heavily taking cues from the likes of Super Mario 3D World or Super Mario Galaxy in this area, Astro Bot does an incredible job of building entire levels around different abilities in endlessly creative ways. Just when you think you’ve got a full understanding of how a certain ability works, the game effortlessly conjures up a new way for you to use it, masterfully combining straightforward mechanics in increasingly clever ways. The fact that it manages to do so while almost always finding the perfect balance where difficulty is concerned cannot be praised enough (though there are much stiffer challenges to be found for those who go looking for them, as well). 

And if the incredibly tight platforming, endlessly creative abilities, and top-notch level design aren’t enough for you, each level is also brimming with tiny little details and interactions to discover and be delighted by. As such, even though you can run through most levels pretty quickly, the game does reward you for letting your curiosity guide you and exploring and trying to interact with every nook and cranny in every level. From hidden secrets and collectibles to even charming little visual flourish with no actual mechanical impact, Astro Bot keeps coming up with ways to reward your curiosity, and does so in ways that are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. If there’s one tiny issue that I have with the level design, it’s that the checkpoint placement can be mildly and occasionally frustrating.

Where Astro Bot’s enemies and combat are concerned, things are somewhat less impressive. On paper, the game does boast a large amount of different enemies to encounter and fight, and on paper, they do bring unique threats and challenges, and demand different strategies to be beaten. In practice, however, Astro Bot’s combat is so easygoing and straightforward that that part of the gameplay experience often ends up feeling like an afterthought. Most enemies die very quickly, which means they may not even get the chance to show what’s unique about them. Conversely, the fact that Astro tends to die to most foes in one hit can also make the combat feel artificially difficult at times, even though it obviously isn’t. It’s an oddly frustrating and underbaked part of the game. Thankfully, the boss fights fare much, much better. From the big set-piece battles against the major bosses that end every galaxy to the many smaller bosses and minibosses that you encounter throughout the other levels, every single one of these encounters is a joy to experience. 

"From the big set-piece battles against the major bosses that end every galaxy to the many smaller bosses and minibosses that you encounter throughout the other levels, every single one of these encounters is a joy to experience."

Visually, Astro Bot is unsurprisingly a treat to behold. Obviously, it’s not the technical masterpiece that Sony’s big blockbuster releases tend to be, but it still looks incredibly sharp, with its bright, colourful, and vivid art design being bolstered by top-notch tech. More importantly, the game runs with near-perfect frame rate. That’s an incredibly important thing in a platformer, and in my time with Astro Bot, I’ve had no complaints on this front. Meanwhile, just as good as the visuals and performance are the audio side of the experience, with a soundtrack that’s fill of songs that have buried their way into my brain and are refusing to leave.

Astro Bot perfectly captures the familiar and delightful joys of a well-made 3D platformer. It instantly proves exactly why so many people have been desperate for the robot to get his own full game for so many years, while also sending him straight into the company of great PlayStation platforming mascots like Sackboy, Ratchet, Crash Bandicoot, and others- and that’s just with one full game! Astro Bot is a wonderful platformer, one that never runs out of ways to bring you joy, and I, for one, cannot wait for Sony and Team Asobi to follow up on it with more similarly excellent Astro platformers. 

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.