As a pre-installed pack-in for the PS5, 2020's Astro's Playroom showcased the various features of the console's DualSense controller. But more than just a slick tech demo, the bite-sized experience proved a capable little platformer that suggested Sony could someday have its very own Super Mario Bros. among its stable of first-party franchises.
With Astro Bot, the publisher – and talented developer Team Asobi – have more than delivered on that potential, crafting an incredibly polished, near-perfect platformer that not only earns the right to be discussed alongside Nintendo's flagship series, but actually rivals the mustachioed mascot's best princess-rescuing romps.
Like its predecessor, Astro Bot puts players beneath the gleaming white space suit of its titular, planet-hopping protagonist. This time, however, the adorable hero hasn't set off on a proof-of-concept quest dictated by the DualSense, but is rather embarking on a sprawling, standalone adventure completionists could easily sink 20 or so hours into.
Doubling down on the DualSense
Release date: September 6, 2024
Platform(s): PS5
Developer: Team Asobi
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
That's not to say Astro Bot doesn't leverage the PS5 controller's innovative tech. On the contrary, the feature-packed platformer doubles-down in this regard, utilizing the peripheral's haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, internal speaker, integrated microphone, and gyroscopic motion to significantly ratchet the immersion.
But while its predecessor was occasionally – and maybe intentionally – guilty of being a bit gimmicky, shoehorning in some of the ways in which you could use the gamepad, Astro Bot's thoughtful implementation always feels organic to the on-screen action. Tactile uses, such as piloting your hero's DualSense-like spacecraft with motion gestures, as well as palpable sensations, such as pulling back a slingshot or traversing different surfaces, work wonderfully.
It's the incredibly detailed and layered audio emitting from the controller's tiny speaker, however, that elevates the experience with each literal step the little robot takes. Every action is accompanied by some sort of sound effect, and the variety and nuance is astounding. Flowing water, for example, isn't limited to a single audio cue, but is rather represented by a wide range of sounds, from the subtle plink of raindrops on a vinyl umbrella to the tidal wave that seems to build inside the controller when you hurtle down a waterslide. Whether you're swimming, splashing, or simply wringing the soggy stuff from a sponge, you can expect a different, detailed effect to, er, spill from the DualSense's speaker.
While the gamepad's smartly leveraged technology certainly ups the immersion, Astro Bot would succeed even without the benefit of the peripheral's bells and whistles. Thanks to snappy, responsive, precisely-tuned controls, it would be a total blast to play even if stripped of the controller's slick inclusions. In fact, I can't remember the last time it felt this satisfying to simply move, jump, and melee-smash objects in any game, regardless of genre.
Astro Bot and beyond
But while these basic inputs are incredibly rewarding to execute, they barely scratch the surface of the brave bot's arsenal and its related interactions. Spread across 50-plus, level-packed planets, the game's main quest calls on the protagonist to not only collect parts to repair its crashed ship – which resembles a spacefaring PS5 – but also rescue up to 300 robot allies along the way.
Completing these objectives, and tackling all the platforming challenges, clever puzzles, enemy encounters, and epic boss fights that come with them, requires Astro Bot to master his core moveset – which also includes foe-frying hover boots – as well as smartly utilize level-specific power-ups. Typically taking the form of animal-inspired backpacks, these advanced abilities allow Astro Bot to do everything from climb like a monkey and swim like a penguin to shrink down to the size of a mouse.
Varied and imaginative, these skills significantly elevate Astro Bot's already solid platforming action. The more basic, aforementioned upgrades are a ton of fun to unleash, but there's also a handful of incredibly inspired powers that could support an entire game's campaign, let alone a few levels.
Favorites include the ability to turn Astro Bot into a sponge, a skill with a surprising amount of benefits. Jumping into a pool of water as this super-absorbent version of the hero will dramatically increase its size, allowing the bot to barrel through levels like the Kool-Aid Man. But players can also expel water from the spongy protagonist, shrinking him down to normal stature while putting out fires or expanding equally absorbent objects to create usable platforms.
Amazingly, these power-ups are rarely recycled throughout the lengthy campaign. And when they do return, it's usually with some fresh tricks up their sleeves. Early on, for example, you'll don an elephant backpack with a vacuum cleaner trunk that essentially morphs Astro Bot into a balloon. When initially acquired, the ability can be used to drift upwards or descend by letting air out of it. Many hours later, however, the pachyderm-inspired power-up returns with the fresh ability to inflate enemies until they pop.
Learning which upgrade you'll be using upon landing on each planet is almost as exciting as discovering the levels themselves. Setting down on a new planet – by flying toward it with your gyro-powered ship – is always a delight, as each is entirely different from the last. The variety and creativity on display is pretty astounding, with each of the game's six or so planetary systems populated by at least a half dozen individual destinations, all with their own style and personality.
Where similar experiences might offer multiple themed lands filled with similar looking levels, Astro Bot ambitiously goes above and beyond to ensure you're never seeing the same thing twice. And this is before you consider all the secret levels, bonus challenges, and a homebase-like crash site brimming with even more activities to engage in, collectibles to gather, bots to rescue, and cosmetics to acquire.
A galaxy of fan service
Astro Bot's astonishingly varied levels will take you beneath the sea, above the clouds, and to every mind-bending destination in between. But PlayStation fans will also get their passports stamped in a few familiar areas based on favorite franchises, like God of War and Uncharted. These planets don't quite pack the creativity of the title's more original efforts, as their gameplay and settings are generally dictated by their respective series. Playing as the Nathan Drake-based bot, for example, will find you mostly shooting your way through a trap-filled jungle environment.
This is a minor gripe though, as the fact these fan-pleasing levels exist at all feels like extra icing on an already calorie-dense cake. Of course, the game also pays tribute to PlayStation's past by theming more than half its rescued robots after iconic characters from games stretching all the way back to the PS1 era. Sony piles the fan service high, including plenty of mainstream and cult-favorites, as well as dozens of deep cuts, and even a decapitated head (thanks, God of War.)
More than just optional collectibles though, these characters nicely tie into the game's progression, as unlocking each planet requires a specific amount of rescued robots. Collectors and completionists alike can also invest in cosmetics – using gathered coins – to accessorize their adorable allies, which keep busy at the crash site while you're off adventuring.
Mileage will vary based on your roster of rescues, but a quick glance at your homebase might reveal Joel and Ellie fighting an infected foe just a few feet from Journey's Traveler knitting a scarf, while Psycho Mantis creepily lurks in the background.
Like every other aspect of Astro Bot, its visuals raise the bar and then some to deliver one of the prettiest games to ever appear on a PlayStation console. Packed with vibrant personality and drenched in immersive details, it sports an endlessly polished, eye-popping presentation to rival anything Pixar has ever put on the big screen. A near-perfect platforming game and probable game-of-the-year contender, Astro Bot justifies a PS5 purchase as much as any Norse God-slayer or fungal apocalypse survivor.
