Up until last year, I never took Astro’s Playroom seriously. The would-be sequel to the PlayStation 4’s VR demo, Astro’s Playroom is literally a tech demo for the Playstation 5. But this facade hides what would be Sony’s best bet in creating its own mascot. Sony PlayStation is releasing Astro Bot – a full-fledged release featuring Sony’s tech demo mascot… but that changes with this game, as Astro now receives his full-length game debut with Astro Bot.
The image above is from world leaderboard of one of the Astro’s Playroom speedrun levels. I currently rank 55,923. Not very impressive until you take into consideration that the top 50 folks are separated by miliseconds and my score is just 4 seconds out without following the optimal speedrun path. And that path is hard. Very hard.
This technical depth in Astro’s Playroom is what caught my attention and decided to give it more time and what I thought to be just a 5 minute demo for the kids at home to spend time on, became some of the skill challenges I regularly practice on the PS5.
Which leads us to Astro Bot. Because despite the depth of gameplay that Astro’s Playroom offers, there was just not enough content to explore to really detach from the “tech demo” title its attached to.
Simple and Simple makes Complex
The game picks up directly after Astro’s Playroom making it the third installment in the Astro series from developer Team Asobi. Jetting in space in your Playstation starship express, a random alien pops up and messes it all up causing Astro and the PlayStation family to get scattered in space.
The other bots are shot off the 6 other areas in space which will serve as the main areas of the game, 5 of which appear in sequen while a special one is for bonus areas that need to be accessed via a special portal. More on this later.
Each area will contain levels called planets to complete with icons to indicate the goals for each level. A finished level will have a blue flag but completing all goals e.g. getting all the character bots, all puzzle pieces as well as finding the hidden portal (when present) will mark it with a gold flag.
Once Astro enters a level, a cool animation plays with dynamic visualization of your actual DualSense gamepad’s current stick location and angle etc. This is important to note as some levels will have you use the in-game DualSense speeder to get some items upon entry of a new level so an important tip is to keep an eye out for these items from the start.
Astro Bot retains the same control scheme as Astro’s Playroom and if there’s one thing I can say about Astro’s Playroom, its that my 5-yr old niece and nephew love it. This is thanks to the very intuitive controls and haptic cues that Team Asobi has integrated into both the game’s visual and the way they take advantage of the DualSense’s haptic feedback system that makes easy for even younger kids to understand the controls of this game.
But this simplicity can be used with simple level design to create a complex system of challenges that all ages can appreciate. There are some levels that introduce some new gameplay mechanics for kids might not understand immediately but the game has very smart cues to at least try to show what needs to be done to get players moving in the right direction.
The game isn’t so forgiving though and Team Asobi really stepped up some of the challenges for this game particularly those starting from the second area. Also, Astro Bot introduces level bosses that differ great in challenge from Playroom.
This bosses up the challenge from the normal levels and will require a good understanding of the mechanics introduced from each area on top of the core gameplay of the game. Well-timed jumps, identifying timing cues and target markers are well-designed so one can grasp what needs to be done when certain thins happen on screen.
But does this mean the game is too easy for adults? It depends. Right now, I can say I enjoy it and while entire level designs may be too simplistic for my taste, the smaller details of the components that make up the level really make Astro Bot an intriguing title because of this varied gameplay mechanics that don’t feel like the game is reusing loops from earlier part of the game.
The game retains the same system that allows Astro to gain powers for a certain level’s sub-course. For example, we get to have a section where we get the power to capture apes that have escaped (*wink wink*) and bring them back to the planet where we were marooned. This is on top of the myriads of new skills that are only level-specific to beat that certain course.
We have the old monkey for traversing walls but also get introduced to a booster dog, a vacuum elephant, extending punching gloves and so much more from this game, each one introducing a new way to interact with the levels. Some boss require these skills to beat them so make sure to learn them well.
Everyone is Here!
Hello 90s OG PlayStation gamer. You probably know this guy. WOAH!
Hell PlayStation 2 gamer. You may recall playing this guy. Smokin’ sick style!
And the list goes on. Astro Bot hosts many iconic characters from games released on the PlayStation from past and present and it servers as a bittersweet reminder of good ol’ times. Many of you who grew up with the PSX/PS1 would probably remember Psycho Mantis’ controller trick from the original Metal Gear Solid and remember all the fond memories of dealing with Psycho Mantis and his very iconic battle.
The same can be said for PS2 babies who grew up with Devil May Cry, Ratchet and Clank, etc. Astro Bot features these characters well without spending too much time setting up special levels for most of them, there are some that do get the special treatment.
But talking about the cameos themselves, younger gamers may not have the same appreciation for these characters but those who have played previous titles may have some connection would these characters. While titles like Bloodborne or God of War are predominantly tied to the PlayStation and PlayStation Studios, Sony had their run with characters like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro as the closest thing they had to a platform mascot.
And its this dash of nostalgia that really resonates with me specifically with this game. This may not be the same for everyone, and that’s absolutely fine. It doesn’t serve as a feature but this little helping of classic nostalgia should put a smile on those that can appreciate the guest character apperances that Team Asobi has put in this game.
The Face of Playstation
I resonate with many of the reviews about Astro’s status being lifted as the new de facto PlayStation brand mascot. Astro Bot cements that in this game. He doesn’t yet have the quirks that would leave a mark on most gamers like Mario’s moustache and accent, Crash’s antics, or Kratos’ intensity. Yet, he has those subtle nuances that are uniquely Astro and Astro Bot the game is his launch pad to connect with both new and older audiences and leave a mark.
For most parents looking to get a game for their kids for their PlayStation, Astro Bot is a great entry to platformers. With the team behind making the DualSense gamepad demo for the PS5, Astro Bot maximizes all those sensory cues to its advantage and its visual demonstration of how should things be done is also a nice touch.
For more mature audience who skip thru tutorials, controls feel natural and intuitive if you’ve ever played a platformer leaving the game’s main challenge the only thing that players need to focus on. The face button planets are a step-up regular levels in terms of challenge and overall, completing each planet level is a satisfying run.
Again, Team Asobi leverages every bit of tech on the PlayStation 5 hardware. This includes not just the DualSense but the main console itself, with game physics and reflections showing off what’s possible on the console. Astro Bot isn’t a massive leap in graphics and it doesn’t need to. It’s fun, quirky, aesthetic is a cozy game one can sit back to just enjoy for the heck of it.
In closing, Team Asobi did a splendid job in expanding past Astro’s Playroom and offering a much deeper game in terms of content with Astro’s Playroom. The full price on the tin would probably make some folks scratch their head after Playroom but buried underneath the cute and colorful presentation is a deep, fun experience which similarly, goes for Astro Bot as well.
