I won’t spoil who gets the star treatment here, aside from one – the previously revealed Kratos. His introduction sees you wield his ice-infused Leviathan axe and take on the role of the exiled Spartan himself in a thrilling change of pace, the frosty blade boomeranging around the level. It’s here where Astro Bot becomes truly magical, elegantly blending nostalgia with new ideas. Such moments essentially let you play these iconic games in miniature, lending Astro their powers and letting him loose in a level entirely built around familiar stories and settings, soundtracked by remixes of heroic themes. They’re charming and often the real highlight of the experience.

Astro Bot is quite literally this year’s best game yet, and it being a single-player platformer makes it all the more special. It checks all the boxes of being a complete package with its visuals, story, value, audio design, and most importantly, gameplay. The game is worth every dollar that it costs, and everyone that owns a PS5 should look to try this game out. Hopefully this game convinces Sony to revive their older IPs and even look to create more amazing single player experiences such as this. Astro Bot might be the best game out right now to make use of the DualSense special features. The use of haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, and gyro controls makes the game’s simple mechanics shine even more as it adds so much to the gameplay.

Dodge the pig and then grab its tail to spin it around and around. But instead of throwing the big at the big block of ice blocking your path, turn around and aim at the ice seal you just passed. The secret exit in Creamy Canyon is relatively early in the level. The iconic marsupial is none other than PlayStation’s Crash Bandicoot!

Astro Bot Gameplay Screenshots

I play with my controller mic off by default, and I’d find lifting it up to my mouth to be immersion-breaking. I’d say your only potential hurdle is some of the challenges, as they can be quite tough, but broadly speaking the game is on the easy side. Thanks for the review, I really needed something positive after the bad day I had today. Back to mid budget single player titles without all the heavy stakes attatched if it fails. Considering the industry is influx, it’s not farfetched this will be the go-to again.

I even use the microphone to blow into a giant horn, a kind of delightful gameplay interaction that even Nintendo has moved away from in recent years. This is one of the only PS5 games that really feels like it was built around the DualSense, and it shows. What elevates that beyond a bit of throwback nostalgia is that developer Team Asobi may be the most skilled studio working today when it comes down to game feel. https://nk88.autos/ plays like a dream thanks to its ultra precise movement. Part of its secret weapon is Astro’s hover jump, which lets him float in the air a bit longer before landing. I never lose my momentum because of a mistimed jump and can usually recover if I misjudge a spinning platform’s trajectory.

Let’s Dance, Astro!

However, while his range of moves isn’t particularly deep, they’re executed excellently. Jumping, hovering, punching, and spinning all feels spot on thanks to tight, responsive controls. The true test of any 3D platformer is whether it feels fun to simply move around, and Astro passes handily. It feels great to hop around each stage, and Astro is often augmented with new abilities, so we never felt like he needs more moves. It’s a perfect recipe for a 3D platformer, encouraging you to explore every nook and cranny in search of those adorable little droids. There are secret exits in several Astro Bot levels, all of which will unlock a new stage in the mysterious Lost Galaxy nebula.

Astro Bot Similar Games

Over the course of the game, Astro rescues many Bots and Special Bots while finding the parts of the Mothership that had also gone missing. Eventually, after returning to the Crash Site with his crew, Astro is visited by Space Bully Nebulax, who taunts him, and Astro gives chase with his crew who use PlayStation hardware as vehicles, forming the PlaySquadron. Astro Bot eventually catches up to and defeats the alien, but is killed in the process.

I was smiling like an idiot the entire time and loving every second of it and its charm. The dev that was interviewed even said specifically “I only make kids games” which is confirmed by the age rating of 7. Astrobot does a great job but even if I am fine with the few that gave 10s then the 9s of those going oh it’s not game of the year material. Same with racing, my favourite racing games are from the past because modern ones suck.

They even announced that the game will be receiving free DLC in the near future. If there’s one thing to criticize, it’s the exclusivity and the need to buy a PS5 to experience this masterpiece. Everyone should be able to experience this kind of fun, as with the amount of games there are, it’s only a few games that really go the distance. As a platformer, Astro Bot is definitely the best to come this year. The fun factor is unparalleled for a game of this genre, despite it’s obvious simplicity.

I was sunder the impression that Astro’s Playroom especially blew their minds to people who never played the actual VR game. Now bring back Jak and Daxter, Sly Raccoon and Ape Escape please. Then hopefully Sony realise that fun, original, innovative single player experiences have a place in today’s world. Older platformers ideas WERE experimental, STILL ARE FRESH/UNIQUE in the genre, no one wants to copy them, expand on them, make their own mechanics like them.

The Elephant is a fun one to use because the game keeps coming up with novel ways to implement it. The first big stage it’s in, Trunk of Funk, allows players to suck up sap to disperse below them. This can bounce players up and it can be deployed three times after every sucking motion. Players can also deploy grass shrubs below them to do some platforming.

That very level, along with four additional ones, will soon be available as part of the new Vicious Void Galaxy expansion. There’s a lot more to admire in Astro Bot, even for levels where gamers haven’t played the initial game. A good chunk of gamers who started with the PlayStation 4 probably haven’t played an Ape Escape game before, let alone ever heard of the classic PlayStation franchise. But even so, the charm of Ape Escape is fully conveyed by its tribute level in Astro Bot. Younger players who aren’t familiar with it will surely want to learn more about the monkey-catching game when the level ends.