Astro Bot Review

Low stock levels, insane scalping prices, and a global pandemic made the release of the PlayStation 5 a bit of a rocky one, but one little robot united every new owner. Coming free on all PS5 consoles, Astro’s Playroom was expected to be nothing more than a tech demo, used to vapidly highlight the features of the new hardware. And yes, the short experience did spotlight fast loading times and the various ins and outs of the DualSense controller, but it did something else that surprised just about everyone: it was a straight banger. The collective thought had by all who eventually gave up trying to beat that one friend’s best run time on a particular level was “this needs a fully-fledged sequel.”

Four years on and Team ASOBI is back with Astro Bot, a premium third-person platformer that sees the return of the little blue bot, this time with a bigger budget and a bigger stage. I’m not going to leave you with a cliffhanger, because the quality of the game is all but guaranteed if you’ve played Astro’s Playroom. The real question is how has Team ASOBI transitioned from making a lavish tech demo to a fully priced product?

Hurtling through space in their sweet PS5 space craft, Astro and his 300 identical pals are set upon by an alien that treats their hardware like that one cousin your mum says you have to play with. The oddly generic green goon tears open the PS5, scatters the bots across the cosmos and absconds with five of the console’s core components, stranding our main machine and his ride on a desert planet.

Fetch my axe, bot

It’s a cute call to action that gives Astro a backdrop for the coming adventure while establishing a hub world to return to. From here, players zoom off into space atop a DualSense speeder to seek out the missing parts that now reside within five separate galaxies. Each of these galaxies consists of five or six worlds that act as levels, which you’ll need to complete in order to unlock the next. The objective of each level is the same: get in there and save your fellow bots.

Hidden across each level are seven of your missing mechanised companions, and it’s up to you to sniff them out and return them to the mothership. You’ll always find one or two just by pushing through the golden path, but the true fun is scouring the environment for friends that are harder to find. You’ll need to find some of these squirreled away bots to unlock the boss level at the end of the galaxy, as they each have a rescued bot requirement, but their appearance is reward enough alone.

Dozens of the 300 total bots are cosplaying as characters from PlayStation’s deep history, and they aren’t limited to first-party properties. Adorable recreations of Joel and Ellie from The Last of Us are joined by other titans like Kratos and Aloy, but also deeper cuts like Spike from Ape Escape and Arthur from Ghosts n’ Goblins. I won’t spoil any more, because the joy is in discovering them for yourself, but you can expect a huge array of references from the annals of PlayStation’s history books.

A real DualSense of community

Each one of Astro Bot’s levels is a colourful, varied, and imaginative delight to play through. You’ll explore beaches, jungles, volcanoes, construction sites, and plenty more throughout the 80 plus levels, each containing visual and mechanical polish that is rarely seen, no matter the genre. It’s also clear that Team ASOBI wanted to continue the PS5 flex, as they litter levels with hundreds of individual objects, like jewels and fruit, that all have their own model and set of physics. Combine that with the insanely sharp character models and world design and I found myself slack-jawed more often than not.

What’s happening on the screen is impressive, but what’s happening in your hands is immersive. The DualSense features were masterfully introduced to us with Astro’s Playroom, and they are further expanded upon here. Walking across sand will feel different to bouncing on a bubble thanks to the haptics, while the triggers play a mechanical role in solving puzzles through vibration and tension. While the implementation could sound like a shtick, it is far from it, instead the core fun and gameplay of Astro Bot is in the implementation.

Building on the interactive mechanics found in Playroom, almost every level comes equipped with a gimmick that dictates the gameplay. Frog boxing gloves, a stopwatch that slows down time, a dog jetpack and a penguin propeller are some of the dozen distinct abilities that you encounter, with most only appearing a handful of times throughout the game. Each of them feels different to the last and are all equally engaging and fun, resulting in a frankly staggering level of creative variety that kept me thoroughly entertained from start to finish.

You know what, I don’t think he needs to be rescued

Making it to the end of a galaxy will have you coming face-to-face with the boss that’s protecting one the PS5’s components and holding a key bot hostage. Bombastic and ridiculous, these encounters will ask you to use what you’ve learned in the lead up to the fight, upping the difficulty enough to challenge, but not enough to frustrate.

Defeating each boss will unlock one final level within that galaxy, themed around the bot you just rescued. After liberating the Kratos bot, you’ll make your way to a snow-covered planet where the bot offers you the Leviathan Axe, immediately transforming you into the God of War. From here, the gameplay shifts to a closer, third-person perspective and gives you control over the weapon as if you’ve switched games entirely. Throwing and recalling the axe, freezing waterspouts in place, blasting Odin’s crows, it’s all authentically God of War and it’s awesome. I outright refuse to spoil any of the other levels though, as these faithful renditions are the best portions of the game, and the surprise you get from each of them is worth experiencing untainted.

As you rescue the bots, they’ll find their way back to your hub planet, wandering about and generally just being cute and playful. As their numbers grow, you’ll be able to unlock new paths that let you explore more of this open space, rescuing more bots in the process. Additionally, you’ll collect puzzle pieces hidden in the levels that progressively unlock new storefronts for you to explore. These allow you to customise your bot and DualSense, as well as spend your hard-earned coins on at the Gatcha House. This all too addictive little machine spits out accessories for your character bots, giving them their iconic weapons or companions. For instance, Jak gets Daxter, Ellie gets her guitar and the Bloodborne Hunter gets a sequel, wait no, that last one’s not right.

To be fair, the haptics can feel like the controller is taking off

There are hidden secrets to uncover everywhere, both in and out of the levels. Special missions and replayable boss fights are well worth seeking out, but there’s a piece of the puzzle that’s sorely missing. It has been confirmed that time trials will be coming as free post-launch DLC, but it’s worth noting that you won’t have access to them out of the box on day one. Speaking of which, I feel it necessary to mention that I manage to hit the interactive credits after around 6 hours of casual playing, so the meat of the game is relatively short. Yes, there are many things to enjoy off the beaten path, but Atro Bot is a fully priced game, so I think it’s important to know its length, especially since you’re a free download away from getting a slice of this exceptional pie.

Final Thoughts

The creative and mechanical depth afforded to this visually stunning little platformer is unreal. I was consistently impressed and surprised at every turn, not just by how much fun I was having, but by the different ways in which I was having fun. Sure, Astro Bot is an interactive PlayStation Museum that will have long-time fans like me erupting with excitement over the nostalgic nods, but it’s also an incredibly capable and enjoyable platformer that refuses to rest on its laurels. Whether you’ve been waiting since 2020 for Astro to return, or you’re just discovering the blue bot for the first time, this is without a doubt an essential platformer.

Reviewed on PS5 // Review code supplied by publisher

Click here for more information on WellPlayed’s review policy and ethics