A new review presents itself for this Tuesday evening. It's a game that many have bumped up to the top of Game of the Year rumblings and talks: Astro Bot. Well, it's managed to do the same thing for me here at SuperPhillip Central, too! Here's my review!
Fun and charm off the charts in Astro-nomical levels.
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the PlayStation brand, which of course, as someone a little bit older than Sony's gaming empire, makes me feel ancient. That notwithstanding, one way that PlayStation celebrates 35 years, as well as one way that it attempts to appeal to a wider audience, is with the sequel to what I consider one of the best pack-in games of all time, Astro's Playroom. This full-fledged sequel, Astro Bot, takes some concepts and ideas from Playroom as well as the PlayStation VR-exclusive Astro Bot: Rescue Mission and creates one of the most compelling reasons--in this reviewer's opinion--to own a PlayStation 5.
Bumming around in the emptiness of space with nothing but their PlayStation 5-shaped ship and some toe-tappin' tunes, we start Astro Bot's story with our eponymous protagonist moving and grooving with myriad other Bots inside the safety of their shi--oh, shoot! An alien UFO attacks said ship and sends the entire vessel, including all occupants, all hurtling towards parts unknown. A crash landing results in our hero Astro waking up in a barren desert wasteland. With a nearby satellite which bestows the coordinates to some of his friends and the desire to repair their broken vessel, yet another rescue mission is on for Astro! Charm pours from every part of Astro Bot, and you'll get an immediate sense of that through the opening cutscenes. What is of the story is rather basic to start, but somehow, someway--and without spoiling anything, of course--the ending managed to pull my heartstrings a little bit. Not too shabby for a platformer.
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| With lasers shooting from Astro's shoes, does that mean these foes have just been... de-feet-ed? |
As for the said platforming of Astro Bot, our little droid dude does not have the acrobatics or move set of, say, Mario (and how can you not compare a 3D platformer of this scope and size to Nintendo's portly plumber?), but what he has to work with works well. He can jump (which to be fair, is expected of a platforming mascot), he can punch, players can hold the attack button down to perform a spinning punch that can turn on various interact-ables like platforms, lifts, and more. He also has lasers on his feet when he hovers--which has a dual purpose: one for extending the duration of his jump, and the second being to defeat foes underneath him. That's pretty much all there is to Astro's kit, which makes for an accessible lineup of moves, but also for veteran platforming fans, it doesn't bring much of a high skill ceiling either.
That said, in various levels, Astro stumbles upon a chest, when opened, grants him a new power-up ability for use only in that level. It essentially becomes an extension of his move set, adding further utility to Astro. Generally, a given power-up only adds one extra button to remember to press, and when combined with Astro's base move set, you have a complete package that doesn't overwhelm players.
Whether it's an elephant backpack that causes Astro to inflate himself to fly high in the air and bounce around, a backpack in bulldog form that serves as a means for Astro to rocket his way upwards or forwards, breaking through glass like it was nothing, or green retractable boxing gloves that can pummel obstacles and enemies alike with ease, these extra abilities and power-ups add to Astro's repertoire. They certainly make for even more compelling platforming gameplay than what's already present and accounted for in Astro Bot.
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| Great for pulverizing baddies, pulling switches, and even knocking projectiles back at enemies, these gloves have just the right amount of "punch" for the job! |
Whereas part of the star is the platforming, which feels phenomenal and one always feels in control of Astro, the other part that the platforming shares the spotlight with is the immaculate level design. Between constantly throwing new ideas at the player in a way that I haven't experienced since Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2, and bringing for the engaging and inventive platforming challenges on a consistent basis, Astro Bot definitely does not disappoint in the level design department.
One level thrusts Astro high above the clouds with skyscrapers jutting out from them in a construction zone, complete with running and jumping along swinging girders before summoning a wrecking ball to demolish the entrance to a building in a phenomenal display of destructive physics (and just plain coolness as well). Meanwhile, another early and extraordinary level that really showcases the power of the PlayStation 5--even more so--has Astro able to switch between tiny and regular-size forms with a press of a button. Astro needs to shift between both forms to solve environmental puzzles and make progress, too. Seeing Astro shrink to the size of a mouse, with camera following in tow, and with another press of a button, instantly grow to his normal size without a loading screen in sight is immensely impressive.
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| Time to ironically deconstruct some baddies here at the ol' construction yard! |
Levels aren't just one and done linear affairs either. You can rush through them, for sure, but you'll not only be missing out on the superbly placed secrets such as Bots to rescue and Puzzle Pieces to obtain (seriously, some of these are truly hidden in some genuinely crafty and clever locations), but in order to face each boss in the game's six unique galaxies, you'll need to satisfy the amount of Rescued Bots required to open the level's lock.
Thus, it behooves you to explore as much as possible. Not just to make general progress, but if you're anything like me (and let's be honest, in most cases other than this one you would hope to God you're nothing like me), you'll greatly enjoy thoroughly exploring each and every level to your heart's content. Even if there wasn't something major collectible-wise like a Bot or Puzzle Piece hiding off the beaten path, I'd usually find that my curiosity was rewarded by discovering a secret cache of coins or a photo op location, for instance.
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| The level variety and design on display in Astro Bot is nothing short of amazing. |
Each galaxy contains two levels that house secret exits in them, warping Astro to a place called the Lost Galaxy. Here, more levels present themselves, a single level opening up for each exit found. Galaxies also contain bonus levels, such as quick battles against a plethora of foes, obstacle-laden bonus courses, and much more. With 300+ Bots to optionally acquire, numerous Puzzle Pieces to collect, and dozens of secret exits, there is a great deal of goodies to be discovered and obtained within Astro Bot.
As stated, rescuing Bots (some, not all) is needed to make headway in the game to fight Astro Bot's bosses. These showdowns are without exaggeration, terrific and massively epic encounters. From the very first one where Astro deals with a King Kong-like goliath of a gorilla, avoiding the beast's held bells as he creates shockwaves while having Astro rocket himself into them, and later the gorilla's teeth to deal damage, you're in for a good time. Unlike the standard levels where it's one hit and Astro's KO'd (though thankfully standard levels contain copious amounts of checkpoints so death is seldom a frustration), boss battles allow Astro three hits to take before our heroic bot is busted.
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| Ask not for whom the bell tolls. (Even though we know it tolls for Astro here!) |
Without much need to say (yet I'm saying it anyway), Astro Bot is a celebration of PlayStation and its 30th anniversary, and with that, there is a comprehensive amount of references thrown in. Everything from each world--or in Astro Bot's case--galaxy concluding with obtaining one of the stolen parts from a PlayStation 5-shaped ship, to the majority of Bots that are rescued being modeled after characters from games that have graced the PlayStation across its seven major platforms, including handhelds, is an ode to PlayStation and its rich history.
Aside from these references, each galaxy's conclusion brings with it a level based off one of many PlayStation franchises. These aren't just based off the levels in aesthetics, they pretty much play like an Astro Bot-ified--as it were--version of the games, too. Without revealing anything not seen in official marketing for the game, the level based off Kratos's Norse adventure, has Astro borrowing the God of War's axe, being able to toss it at foes and switches, and call it back to his hand, just like in the more modern versions of the God of War games. Needless to say, there are more levels than just well-known and high-selling goodies. The first themed level had me absolutely giddy as a fan of an early 3D PlayStation platformer, and a certain PlayStation Portable series found its way to Astro Bot as well--lovingly made into a level by Team Asobi. You can tell the team really did its homework when designing these odes to PlayStation in ingeniously crafted level form. Par for the course, really, considering the rest of the game is just as smartly made.
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| Not one to let an ample opportunity go to waste, Astro even dresses for the part sometimes! |
Would stumbling upon and rescuing the same, generic, nameless Bots throughout Astro's adventure have the same impact as discovering a hidden Solid Snake-inspired Bot, or an Alucard from Castlevania? Most likely not, but the references also don't create the pretense that Astro Bot wouldn't be able to stand on its own two feet with just its engaging gameplay, immaculate level design, and immense charm. The references only add to that spark of joy, and your mileage on that will vary depending on how deep your PlayStation knowledge and fandom goes--and also decidedly how well you know and appreciate some of the real deep cuts pulled in Astro Bot, too!
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| Monkey-see, monkey-climb. This level uses the tilt and shoulder buttons of the PlayStation 5's DualSense controller to scale these banana-shaped ledges. |
When you're not exploring levels and out and about in the galaxy, you're in the Crash Site, the hub of Astro Bot. This hub world is absolutely one of my favorites in a 3D platformer. It consists of the main circular sandy area where all of the rescued Bots congregate, and in a Pikmin-like fashion, there are points around the hub where you can call upon the help of your Bot army to create makeshift ladders, platforms, and swings out of themselves. They can also help you push and pull objects to create new pathways as well. The hub is also where the Gacha machine is, where all of those coins accumulated throughout Astro's adventure may be spent on randomized prizes, such as new costumes for Astro, actions for the Bots in the hub, and different colors for Astro's ride, not-so-coincidentally a DualSense controller.
Astro Bot is one of the more technically impressive and jaw-dropping games on the PlayStation 5. That goes for aesthetics as well as seeing just how much the physics system gets a workout too, between glass platforms shattering underneath the trail of Astro upon walking on them, to seeing oodles and oodles of beach balls tumble down the waterslide along Astro as seen in the very first level. Astro Bot is a clean, crisp, colorful game that offers a steady frame-rate, gorgeous views, and is just an utter delight to look at. Musically, Astro Bot fares well, too. The catchiness of tunes, some remixed from past Astro Bot games, while most are brand-new works, presents itself throughout each track of the game. It might not be to everyone's liking--as for some, the music might be obnoxious, but for me, it had my toes tapping and head bobbing to it as I played.
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| Even the coins in Astro Bot are PlayStation themed! |
All in all, Astro Bot constantly brought me joy with its creative levels and charming presentation throughout my 8-10 hour initial playthrough. I knew I really thought the game was something special when almost immediately after beating the game for the first time and collecting all there was to collect (earning the Platinum trophy, too), I started a fresh save file to enjoy a new playthrough all over again. It takes a special game to have me do that, and wouldn't you know it--Astro Bot is such a game.
It gave me cozy feels with its abundance of charm, it delivered rewards through thoroughly exploring its well crafted and designed levels, it presented me with "one more time" desires with its challenging bonus levels, and it kept me engaged from beginning to end, and then, as stated, back to the beginning again with a new playthrough. Astro Bot not only offers a magical gameplay experience that utilizes the DualSense controller in innovative (but fortunately for accessibility reasons, optional) ways, but also offers a game that is a shining example of pure, unadulterated fun in videogame form.
[SPC Says: A]
