Written Review.
Title: Astro Bot
Developer: Team Asobi
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Platform: PlayStation 5
Released: 06/09/24
Astro Bot is the third game in the Astro Bot series. The first is the Playstation VR game Astro Bot Rescue Mission, and the second is a smaller game that came installed on the Playstation 5 called Astro’s Playroom.
Astro Bot is a 3D platforming game where you are tasked with repairing your ship which coincidently is a PlayStation 5. It was damaged by an alien bully and the parts were sent out to various planets, apart from the CPU which he took with him. You then go to each little solar system to battle enemies collect the ship parts and catch the alien who stole the CPU and along the way rescue all the other bots that were launched from the ship in during the altercation.
Each system has several planets. Each planet has a different #something# which will vary from a forestry to a beach and a Volcano to a winter wonderland. Along with planets varying a large amount between themselves, they have added powerups that can make similar levels play very differently. For example, if you end up on a level which is full of lush greens and foliage with a power-up that makes you shrink it won’t plan anything like one that’s similar but the power-up is a chicken that launches you up in the air by popping out an egg. There are also some planets that are more open to exploration while others are much more linear but still have scope to go off the beaten path to find collectables, like Puzzle pieces or even the other bots you are trying to save.
Let’s not forget it’s a platformer and what it really boils down to is the quality of the platforming. At a basic level you do like most other platformers you run about, j7u8mping from platform to platform, dodgy obstacles and taking down enemies. but unlike many games in the genre it nails it. The feel of and accuracy in jumping about is up there with the best. When tackling the hardest of stages and you perish due to falling off a platform or getting taken out by a laser wire you feel that it’s on you, the player, you didn’t judge something correctly or have the appropriate timing. It never feels unfair. The majority of the game is brilliantly balanced with things gradually getting more difficult but never going over the top. The tough levels are in fact the Symbol levels. These are really tricky but again feel perfectly balanced to push the player to improve their skill in the game.
When talking about the solar systems the final level is a boss level where you save 1 Bot. The bosses are really fun encounters they take what you’ve learned through the system you are in and then you utilise what you learned to take them down. It’s a really good way to make the bosses feel impactful and to test your skill. After beating the bosses of each galaxy you unlock an extra level which has you to play through their level with the skin of the character bot you just saved. It not only gives you their outfit for the stage but their abilities and really changes up the gameplay.
The game is gorgeous to look at with so much going on in the background and mixed with the visual treat you get a great audio trear with a top-notch sound track and fantastic sound effects. You also have very cute little Robo chatter.
This is an extremely fun game and honestly, a game it’d put at the top for game of the 2024. I’m a little sad it wasn’t a VR title as the VR in Astro Bot Rescue Mission is the best reason to try VR on PS4 easily, but saying that this game really does stand a top of a vast mountain of platformers with very few alongside it.
Astro deserves a 10 Pugselys out of 10.