From the moment the PlayStation 5 arrived on my doorstep, Astro has been the gift that keeps on giving.
Astro’s Playroom truly took me by surprise. An out-of-the-box console demo sounds fun, but no one could have expected it to be a fully developed game, let alone a virtual Sony Hall of Fame. A visual stunner that didn’t shy away from haptic feedback, Astro’s Playroom took everything we’d hoped the next generation of gaming would bring us and packaged it up with a tribute to the PlayStation story so far. The next era of gaming truly seemed limitless.
…or so we thought. For better or worse, despite some true classic releases, the first several years of the PlayStation 5 felt like Sony was stuck in the past more than paving the way to the future. Cross-generational releases aren’t anything new, but they were still going strong years after the console hit the shelves. And with so many remasters and remakes, the true next-gen releases have felt few and far between. How is it that with all the great minds in gaming, few have been able to reach the heights of a simple demo that came with the console?
Team Asobi seems to have noticed that few are following their lead, and have taken matters into their own hands accordingly. Astro Bot is a platformer’s dream come true, taking full advantage of the PlayStation 5 to grant players a rollercoaster of creative levels, easter eggs, and memorable gameplay.
One Small Step for Bots
Where Playroom walked, Bot takes off full-sprint and only continues to gain speed. The game takes full advantage of the DualSense controller, amplifying the sound and feel of Astro’s adventure. Leaves crinkle as you run by; bolts clank as you rattle against them. Everything is crisp, from Astro’s move-set to his pinpoint jumps. Even with gameplay so precise, the controls take only moments to get the hang of.
Of course, Astro Bot also serves as a massive tribute to what has led up to this moment in PlayStation history. Each of the game’s six worlds brings VIP bots galore—from Joel and Ellie to Knack—and culminates with a standout “themed” level that plays as if you’re in a platformer version of Sony’s greatest hits. It’s abundantly clear that Team Asobi didn’t just make this game for Astro fans, but for PlayStation fans.
At the same time, Astro Bot doesn’t do a lot to reinvent the wheel—it recognizes that it doesn’t need to. The comparisons to Super Mario Galaxy and Odyssey were inevitable. After all, Mario is the gold standard for 3D platforming. Team Asobi made a careful decision here to not try and be Mario, but rather take inspiration from him in a way that doesn’t force Astro to live in its shadow.
Where recent Mario games such as 3D World have amplified Mario’s movement, Astro’s is severely limited. He only has a jump, hover, and spin (which, if we’re being honest, doesn’t even get him very far), with special tools within the levels serving as the real drivers of innovation and creativity. A chicken helps Astro scale walls that seem insurmountable; a dog helps propel him through a tornado; and a clock slows down time to help him spot stranded bots that are otherwise nearly invisible.
In these moments, Astro Bot separates itself from traditional platformers to give us something familiar, yet entirely new, complete with constantly fresh and beautiful levels that never leave the player bored.
…And One Giant Leap for Botkind
In a world of gaming that feels bloated to the brim with oversized open-world games and online shooters that are doomed before they hit the shelves, it is refreshing to see a game that understands that you don’t have to stuff a game with hours of empty and overplayed quests just for the sake of more content. There is merit to escapism in gaming, but the same cookie-cutter open-world games have worn thin. At a certain point, I feel like I’m just not seeing anything new.
By contrast, Astro Bot feels like a gift in today’s world. The reasons why are simple: It offers a AAA release that doesn’t feel focus-grouped to death. It feels like a game made with love for players, not for a corporation or shareholders. (An all-time great end-credits sequence only reinforces its strengths.) Team Asobi had a vision, and they hit it out of the park. The team crafted a tribute to PlayStation’s best without being held back by that same history, leveraging it to create an entirely new experience for players. And, of course, they finally gave Sony what feels like its flagship mascot in Astro.
Astro Bot doesn’t do anything that truly reinvents the wheel. It didn’t need to. Instead, it shows us how we can honor gaming history without holding the industry back, paving the way for what’s yet to come with fun, creativity, and an adorable little hero.
Astro’s adventures only seem to be just beginning, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for him next. I only hope that the lessons he teaches us aren’t trapped in the past, waiting for Astro to rescue them all over again.
