Some of the more memorable levels stem from popular Sony franchises like God of War, with Astro wielding Kratos’ ax on one planet. Team Asobi really mined Sony’s vaults, far beyond simple Crash Bandicoot callbacks, and into weird and wonderful games like LocoRoco and Vib-Ribbon. The game also crashed on me twice, both times erasing more progress than I’d have expected since I assumed it auto-saves after each level, but I’d lost about three or four levels of progress in both instances. However, I admit these crashes came at the end of my long 11-hour session with the game on my first day with it, so maybe it was an issue Team Asobi will address. Still, the hard crash backpedaling on my saved data was strange and somewhat soured what was a marathon of smiles for about 10 hours of that day. Normally, these levels are as brief as 30 seconds, but they require perfection and give the game a taste of trial-and-error it otherwise consciously rejects.
What could have been a 30-second moment turned into a 20-minute one as I gleefully interacted with every detail I could, just as a kid might. Outside of bosses and minibosses, there initially doesn’t appear to be a great range in enemy types. Sure, some are coated in different colours of paint or dressed to fit in with their surroundings, but they are all vanquished via the same few fundamental jump and hit combos. Later on, though, the design book opens up and introduces some of my favourite foes. These include an anthropomorphic playing card that flings a hand of clubs and spades your way, which you can then jump on to make your way towards the enemy to deal a killing blow of your own.
Get Those Puzzle Pieces!
The game on ps5 i’ve been waiting for since i got one basically… The switch has remained my most played platform after all these years because of the lack of games like this, for me the essense of gaming… It’s a perfect recipe for a 3D platformer, encouraging you to explore every nook and cranny in search of those adorable little droids. The first of these levels allows Astro to borrow the Leviathan Axe from God of War’s Kratos. You press the R2 button to use your ability and it flies through the sky. Anybody familiar with the game that gave life to this special level instantly understands what to do.
I could go on and on about every unique level, but the wonder of Astro Bot lies in discovery itself. That’s why Astro Bot feels as consequential as it does even if it just looks like your average 3D platformer full of collectibles and clever power-ups at a glance. The expertly designed PS5 exclusive plays like an intervention with its own publisher. It brings the PlayStation platform on an intergalactic journey through its history to rediscover its long lost sense of wonder. s8 s not just a very effective ad for Sony; it’s an exuberant adventure that remembers that there’s power in play. At one time, this was a fundamental video game experience; a 3D platformer was just about the coolest game you could have.
Out of the 300 bots you can collect in the game, 173 are such Special Bots. Team Asobi extends heartfelt wishes for a prosperous and joyful year. Reflecting on the past year, we are thrilled to share some exciting updates about Astro Bot, our flagship game, which garnered numerous accolades and was met with overwhelming appreciation from players worldwide. Your positive feedback and support have made our efforts deeply rewarding, and we sincerely thank you from the core of our robotic hearts. A few months ago, Sony issued a free DLC (downloadable content) for “Astro’s Playroom” that connects the previous game with the new one.
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It isn’t just the level’s themes that are varied; many have their own gameplay ideas as well. One later stage involves swapping from day to night, changing the geometry of the level, while an underwater planet adopts a more open design — and equips Astro with a power-up unique to that stage. While there are some recurring themes and mechanics, the overall variety meant we were constantly excited to see what was coming next. The first comes near the end of the first galaxy Astro visits. For context, each galaxy has a boss you will face at the end in order to obtain an item used to progress the story. The first galaxy, Gorilla Nebula, has you facing off with a giant mechanical gorilla named Mighty Chewy.
The stunning visuals, great sound design, interesting story, and amazing gameplay round out a near perfect release of a game. All in all, Astro Bot is definitely one of 2024’s best games, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it were considered to be the year’s best. If there were anything to criticize about the game, it may just be the game’s difficulty and its exclusivity. While the former may be alleviated with its already announced free DLC challenge levels and speedrun mode, the latter may be something that might not be addressed.
Astro Bot Review: A Charming Platformer With Surprises, Excitement & Nostalgia
Nothing is missable, you can still replay all levels after the story and go back to all areas. If you don’t want to replay levels, the most efficient method is to collect everything on the first run. You need most bots anyway to unlock the boss levels in each Nebula.
If you’re curious about some of the most obscure characters, we have a guide to 21 of the more tricky ones, with details on where you’ve seen them before. However, those future Astro Bot games may be in a bit of a tough spot. As of now, the direction Team Asobi has in mind for this franchise is not entirely clear. This game served as a celebration of the brand and was built around repairing a PlayStation 5. While the studio could just do that again, it would risk coming off as repetitive.