New Astro Bot: A Colorful Journey on PS5 That Revives the Joy of Classic Gaming

In recent years, titles developed by Sony have exhibited a strong fixation on graphical quality. Games like Uncharted 4, The Last of Us Part 2, Ghost of Tsushima, Horizon Forbidden West, God of War, and Spider-Man — all exceptional titles — are somewhat constrained by their aesthetic aspirations. While striving for near-photorealistic visuals, complete with a gritty, realistic ambiance, they’ve often discarded the retro vibrant video game style that now predominantly appears in Nintendo releases or indie productions.

This makes Astro Bot stand out as an exception. It serves up a charming, colorful, candy-like 3D platforming experience, distinguishing itself within the PlayStation library. Nothing else in Sony’s current game lineup resembles it; even Ratchet and Clank, which boasts shiny new ray-tracing features, couldn’t escape this trend. Beyond its delightful visual appeal, Astro Bot presents an unforgettable adventure that will leave players feeling uplifted. Its youthful charm, genuine enthusiasm, and endearing simplicity shine bright amidst the more somber, overly earnest PlayStation exclusives that seem to strive for greater meaning than mere entertainment.

This isn’t surprising at all! After all, Team Asobi showcased a similar feel in a more compact format with Astro’s Playroom, which was introduced alongside the PS5 launch in 2020. Starting off as a charming mascot offering a free tech demo for the DualSense controller, Astro has matured into a bona fide PlayStation symbol with a thoughtfully designed and meticulously crafted complete game. While Astro Bot’s mechanics may appear somewhat simplistic — lacking the complexity of Super Mario Odyssey — the overall experience it provides is anything but shallow. Engaging with its myriad secrets and easter eggs, as well as collecting all the bots, can easily consume 15-20 hours of your time. The game isn’t entirely void of challenges; it offers straightforward adventures, but certain levels will indeed put your patience and skills to the test. Most importantly, in a sea of games primarily concerned with aesthetics, Astro Bot shines through with its unwavering commitment to providing enjoyment.

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Astro Bot features a narrative reminiscent of Saturday morning cartoons that underpins the galactic adventure. Astro and his crew of bots are piloting their mothership — the PS5 — when they are ambushed by his adversary Nebulax, who steals the console’s CPU. The PS5 falters and detonates, scattering its core components across multiple galaxies. The adorable bots are also expelled from the ship, landing on a desert planet, with Astro in tow. Thus begins our hero’s intergalactic journey, reminiscent of Super Mario Galaxy, as he endeavors to rescue his lost shipmates and gather the components of the ship before facing Nebulax in the final showdown.

With the PS5 mothership out of service, Astro acquires a new vehicle –- the Dual Speeder, a compact craft essentially modeled after the DualSense controller. This marks the beginning of the adventure, with six galaxies and over 70 levels waiting within uniquely themed planets. At its core lies the crash site, which serves as your home base. As you retrieve the stranded bots from various planets and collect the lost parts to repair your PS5, the barren desert transforms into a vibrant oasis. Gradually, Astro’s companions inhabit the crash site, assisting him in crafting fresh experiences and unlocking previously inaccessible tasks. The space also transforms into a museum showcasing PlayStation memorabilia as you rescue and return VIP bots based on iconic video game characters.

The crash site fills up as you save more bots
Photo Credit: Sony/ Screenshot — Manas Mitul

If the entire game presents challenges, the crash site becomes a sanctuary for relaxation. Here, you explore with your bots, uncover hidden treasures, and unveil rewards. After rescuing a sufficient number of bots, they help enhance the site and unlock areas previously out of reach, revealing even more to find. Interacting with VIP bots is a delight — there are over 150! — and simply approaching them and tapping their heads triggers a cute animation unique to the game from which each bot hails. My personal favorite was the bot standing in for the Hunter from Bloodborne; when you attempt to tap him, he parries you with a gun!

The six surrounding galaxies each feature a series of cleverly designed planets, each adhering to a specific visual motif. One is themed around sweets and confections; another emulates a volcanic world, replete with fire and ash. There are sunlit tropical levels with shimmering seas; one world is rendered in pixel art reminiscent of Minecraft, while another draws inspiration from gambling with a casino theme. While some levels may feel recycled, with recurring assets and familiar motifs, the sheer abundance of experiences available makes any occasional sense of déjà vu easily forgivable.

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Photo Credit: Sony/ Screenshot — Manas Mitul

Specific planets are designed based on established PlayStation franchises such as God of War, Uncharted, and Horizon. Here, Astro adopts a different avatar and gains unique abilities tied to those titles. For example, in the level titled “Bot of War,” based on God of War, Astro turns into a cute robotic version of Kratos, wielding a Leviathan axe that he can toss and summon back, reminiscent of Thor’s hammer. Similarly, the “Dude Raider” level inspired by Uncharted allows you to step into the shoes of Nathan Drake and navigate through an action-packed labyrinth filled with ambushes. These unique worlds, which also hold the missing components of the PS5, unlock upon defeating the level boss. While exploration mechanics are similar to those on conventional planets, the new abilities introduce a fresh dynamic to traversal.

The standard planets also abound in hidden surprises. They conceal underground secrets, portals to entirely new levels, and occasionally undergo transformations, unveiling previously hidden wonders – akin to unwrapping a candy only to find two inside. In one planet that starts as a charming garden, watering an innocuous sapling results in a gargantuan tree bursting forth, its branches stretching up into the sky, reminiscent of Jack and the Beanstalk. The entire level unfolds atop the branches of this massive tree as you ascend while continuing your rescue mission. Such transformation tricks, the attention to detail in level design, and the unexpected surprises create an enchanting experience that continually delights players.

WOW!
Photo Credit: Sony/ Screenshot — Manas Mitul