AstroBot evaluation: Essentially the most ‘Tremendous Mario Galaxy’ recreation that isn’t really ‘Tremendous Mario Galaxy’

You imply to inform me PlayStation may’ve been making video games like this your complete time as an alternative of 9,000 photorealistic unhappy dad simulators?

Astro Bot, which is the third platformer starring Sony’s new unofficial robotic mascot — however in some way the primary one to be a daily full-priced non-VR recreation — is a breath of contemporary air in comparison with many of the final decade of PlayStation. It’s not a reliable status TV knock-off like God of Conflict, or misanthropic edgelord distress like The Final of Us, or a bloated open-world mess like Horizon. 

Fairly, this can be a colourful, whimsical, mechanically tight, and total pleasant 3D platformer that’s additionally packed filled with references to PlayStation historical past. Whereas Astro Bot’s reverence for the PlayStation model sometimes feels compelled, and doubtless can’t maintain itself past this recreation, it’s such a goddamn thrill for the ten or so hours it takes to complete that I feel it’s a must-play for any PS5 proprietor.

Astro Bot premise

Astro Bot, from the builders at Group Asobi, isn’t actually a recreation about plot. A PS5-shaped mothership filled with little robots encounters some bother in outer house — and it’s as much as one heroic Astro Bot to rebuild the mothership and save all of the bots.

Whereas narrative isn’t actually one thing that strikes the needle in Astro Bot, it does feed into the sport’s essential aesthetic gimmick: fixed references to PlayStation. Most of the a whole lot of stranded bots it’s essential accumulate all through the sport’s ranges to progress by means of the sport are dressed like basic PlayStation characters, which is carried on from the same thought in Astro’s Playroom.

Whenever you accumulate a referential bot, they return to your hub world and hang around doing little animations associated to no matter recreation they’re from. It’s cute! I acquired a giant kick out of seeing Kazuma Kiryu from Yakuza and Teddie from Persona 4 in there. 

Nonetheless, turning references into vital collectibles for progress does drive house the purpose that that is the purpose of Astro Bot. Whereas it’s an amazing 3D platformer with lovely visuals and catchy tunes (as we’ll get to in a bit), Astro Bot is a recreation about basking in all issues PlayStation. And at instances, it may well really feel like an incomplete or flawed historical past of the model.

As an illustration, there are just a few allusions to issues that I both don’t affiliate with PlayStation in any respect or are perhaps finest left within the dustbin of historical past. There’s additionally at the very least one main franchise that I extraordinarily affiliate with PlayStation that is not represented in any respect, for what should be boring rights causes.

It’s not the norm, fortunately, however a small handful of the references additionally really feel like they had been mandated by Sony company. I do know Detroit: Change into Human was a PlayStation unique, however we are able to faux prefer it wasn’t. It’ll be fantastic. 

Astro Bot’s referential nature, regardless of its occasional missed swings and inconsistencies, is a constructive total. 2024 is the thirtieth anniversary of the launch of the PlayStation, and if Sony itself as a broader company entity isn’t going to do an excellent job of celebrating such a historic legacy, I’m glad this recreation is doing it, at the very least.

Astro Bot mechanics

For those who performed Astro’s Playroom (and anybody who owns a PS5 ought to as a result of it’s free), you understand the deal right here. Astro Bot is a mechanically easy and easy 3D platformer with remarkably tight motion and a typically punchy, chipper really feel to its mechanics. You’ll be able to run, soar, do some hover transfer in mid-air, punch enemies, and that’s about it. What extra do you want?

Nicely, there’s a little extra. Many ranges revolve round a sequence of wearable devices that give Astro distinctive talents. Considered one of them causes him to soak up our bodies of water and turn out to be large, whereas one other provides him a pair of springy, extending boxing gloves. These are a great deal extra enjoyable than the autos that sucked up a lot of Astro’s Playroom runtime, and whereas a few them are motion-controlled, you may fortunately flip that stuff off.

The fundamental mechanics of Astro Bot are lifted so totally from Playroom that the general design construction stood out to me greater than the moment-to-moment motion. That is essentially the most Tremendous Mario Galaxy-ass recreation that isn’t really Tremendous Mario Galaxy. Except for the truth that the degrees are actually unfold throughout little photo voltaic techniques, it additionally permeates how the degrees are designed.

Most of Astro Bot is spent transferring linearly from one little floating platformer island to a different. Each could have some tiny problem to finish — and then you definately’ll transfer onto the subsequent, having enjoyable alongside the way in which. All of it’s paced so tightly, it is outstanding. Astro Bot leaves nearly no room for boredom at any level within the course of. Astro Bot is a continuing firehose of nice mind chemical compounds.

Particular point out must go to a handful of larger ranges which are themed to particular PlayStation video games, giving Astro particular costumes and distinctive talents sourced from mentioned video games. There are distressingly few of those, and too a lot of them pull from the PS4 period, however one among them made me smile a lot that I’m keen to forgive that transgression. 

It nearly feels reductive to say “Nicely, they made an extended model of the good pack-in recreation, so it’s robotically nice.” However that’s just about what occurred! That mentioned, I’m very glad Astro Bot is as transient as it’s. Getting 100% completion may be achieved in a weekend, which is vastly refreshing in comparison with the countless array of live-service endlessly video games and 100-hour RPGs which have flooded the market in 2024. 

Astro Bot graphics

Group Asobi’s penchant for colourful whimsy shines by means of in Astro Bot, which is among the prettiest video games on PS5. It’s acquired a comparatively easy artwork fashion that pulls from loads of inspirations; some ranges straight up appear like Mario, whereas the robotic animals that you just combat harken again to basic Sonic. However, at the very least to me, it by no means appears like a rip-off. I feel this recreation was simply made by folks with good style.

Astro Bot is visually resplendent, but in addition totally readable, in contrast to so many trendy video games that sacrifice legibility for visible density. It’s precisely what a contemporary 3D platformer ought to appear like.

Astro Bot music and audio

Astro Bot’s music was composed by Kenneth C.M. Younger, who did the earlier Astro video games for Group Asobi, too. Put merely, every tune is eminently hummable and almost good for no matter situation it was written for. I particularly admire the fixed use of vocoders to supply robotic-sounding vocals. 

The aforementioned themed ranges even have enjoyable remixes of songs from the video games the degrees are primarily based on. Sorry for spoiling one among them (skip to the subsequent part for those who actually don’t wanna know), but it surely seems I’m the precise type of one that would mark out at a dance remix of the Uncharted 2 title display music.

Astro Bot issue

This isn’t a kind of overly masochistic platformers by any means, however Astro Bot’s degree of problem is honest. Astro dies in a single hit (aside from within the glorious boss fights, the place you may take three hits), so cautious play just isn’t solely rewarded, however vital.

There are occasions when enemy numbers is usually a little overwhelming and deaths can really feel barely unfair, however checkpoints are frequent and cargo instances are instantaneous, so who cares?

I’ll say Astro Bot turns into an appreciably and enjoyably tougher recreation for those who attempt to 100% it. I like to recommend doing so if you would like the complete expertise.

Astro Bot efficiency

I didn’t suppose the technical efficiency of Astro Bot could be a supply of disappointment, however right here we’re.

Whereas the sport seems superb visually and runs at a stable 60 frames per second (so far as I can inform with out an on-screen body counter), it’s acquired this fixed, every-few-seconds stutter that I seen immediately. It lasted all through my complete time with the sport, and I used to be taking part in on the newest patch. I used to be in a position to shortly get used to it and benefit from the recreation regardless, however it may be significantly distracting if you concentrate on it an excessive amount of.

I assume that is one thing that may and will likely be patched out of the sport, however for now, Astro Bot’s gotta lose some factors. 

Is Astro Bot value getting?

Hell yeah, Astro Bot is value getting! 

Whereas I assume some people won’t really feel nice about spending $60 for a recreation you may wipe out in just a few days, the expertise itself is greater than value it. Group Asobi has made what may be essentially the most purely enjoyable PS5 unique but — and it’s simply probably the greatest video games on that saddeningly brief listing. 

Its referential nature works total, even with some slight misgivings. I don’t suppose Asobi can maintain that side of those video games up if Sony commissions extra Astro platformers, however for one recreation, it’s cool. Between that, its beautiful visuals, catchy music, and glorious platforming mechanics, Astro Bot is among the finest video games on the PS5.

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Gaming
PlayStation