Astro Bot on PlayStation 5
It was always a shame that Astro Bot Rescue Mission was stuck on PSVR. While the virtual reality perspective was unique, it was always a game I felt could work just as well on standard consoles. When Astro Bot was revealed, my main emotion was a sense of relief that more PlayStation fans would be able to play what is an extremely inventive platformer.
Astro Bot on PlayStation 5 follows a similar structure to Rescue Mission. As the cute little hero, you head out to planets to save lost bots and find puzzle pieces. However, this time, the main aim is to recover the stolen mothership parts (elements of a PS5) from the alien who attacked you at the start of the game.
Much of what you do during each level is the same too. You search every corner for secrets, taking out little enemy bots with a punch or Astro’s laser feet, and trying to make your way to the end.
Where the variety comes in Astro Bot is in its smart use of its mechanics to elevate the simple into the mindblowing, all while taking full advantage of PlayStation’s back catalog of heroes.
Each planet you travel to also has its own theme – underwater Atlantis, Haunted Mansion, and Egyptian desert to name just a few. In most, you also get a particular additional ability to help you traverse the level. You’ll find the ability to jump higher, create a platform, or something much more wild.
I want to avoid spoiling much of the surprise, since that first discovery is part of the magic, but some of them are unbelievable in the design and execution. Some change the perspective of the game entirely, changing the world you’re in in drastic ways. I can just see the Team Asobi designers coming up with each incredible idea in their offices, marveling at how smart each one is, all while wondering quite how they’re going to make them a reality. Somehow, every single one is perfect.
That inventiveness goes hand in hand with incredibly smart level design. Whether the linear ones we’d expect, or the few that open up the possibilities for exploration a bit more, they’re all varied, easy to follow, and gorgeous. When flying Astro’s DualSense ship into a level, the beauty of some of the settings is staggering.
Talking of the DualSense, Team Asobi didn’t fall into the trap I was afraid they would. The DualSense’s unique features aren’t overused in gameplay. Yes, you blow into the microphone once or twice to spin something, and you can fly by titling your controller, but it never feels forced or repetitive.
In fact, none of Astro Bot’s gameplay feels repetitive. While Astro’s borrowed abilities are used more than once, they’re often spread out between galaxies, with some surprise ones coming from time to time.
There are some smaller side-levels too that are much more about challenging you with platforming puzzles than exploration. One-life sprint levels and single-platform combat encounters to save a single PlayStation mascot are just the right level of tricky. Astro himself isn’t the most agile little guy, so I got frustrated from time to time, but none of them are overly complicated. The boss fights at the end of some levels, while continuing the game’s inventive streak, are certainly on the easy side.
But, as I said, it really is the quality of the level design and its personality that makes Astro Bot as magical as it is. And that is never more evident than in a handful of levels that are themed on PlayStation franchises, rather than storybook-style locations. Now, I absolutely want to leave the theme and structure of these levels as a surprise, but a couple of them are among the best platforming levels I’ve ever played, so I had to talk about them.
They meld the standard Astro Bot gameplay with the gameplay of the series it mimics, alongside its music, weapons, characters, locations, and more. They’re genuinely mindblowing at times. I can’t wait until more people get to play them. I had a massive grin on my face the entire time and could play an entire game of franchise-themed Astro Bot levels if they were all as clever as these.
They also maintain Astro Bot’s cheeky personality and style. There’s a consistent slapstick nature to the game. The way the hero runs around, the way bots fall over themselves, and the way crowds of saved heroes rush to your help at the hub world Crash Site is silly and cute in equal measure. Astro is destined to be among the pantheon of elite PlayStation characters in the years to come.
That Crash Site hub world, where you rebuild the mothership and send saved bots, is also a wonderful celebration of PlayStation’s history. You’ll have hundreds of bots, many of which are versions of iconic heroes, running around to help you reach areas, or they’ll just be chilling out while you don’t need them. Almost any character associated with PlayStation is there to be found somewhere, and they’re all perfectly designed.
Completionists will also be in a dream world. Exploring every corner of every planet to find every bot and secret is a lot of fun, with nothing hidden in a place you’ll never find it. After all, every level is a joy to play, so what could be wrong with going back to them to find everything? Also, shout out to Astro Bot’s trophy list. It’s the perfect level of challenging and attainable. Complete and find everything, and do a few silly things in Crash Site, and the Platinum is all yours.
In its playful personality and incredibly inventive design, Astro Bot reminds me a lot of Mario Odyssey. It truly does sit alongside the best platformers of all time, providing some moments of pure magic and joy. Considering how smart and unexpected much of Astro Bot is, the possibilities for future adventures are endless.
- Incredibly smart level design
- Fun and surprising gameplay
- Great for completionists
- A wonderful celebration of PlayStation
- Gorgeous worlds to explore
- Cute and playful tone
- Bosses are on the simple side
Published: Sep 5, 2024 08:00 am