Forget Crash Bandicoot, Sackboy or Spyro: PlayStation consoles have a new star in mascot heaven and he goes by the name of Astro Bot. After a successful VR adventure and the fun PS5 tutorial game Rescue Mission, Team Asobi is now tailoring a jump and run for PlayStation 5 to the charming robot, which will make it to the genre Olympus in no time and doesn’t have to hide from Super Mario and co. Our test reveals more.
Astro Bot at a glance
| Title | Astro Bot (official homepage) |
| Genre | Jump and Run |
| Developer | Team Asobi |
| Publisher | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| Release date | September 06, 2024 |
| Platforms | PlayStation 5 |
| Number of players | 1 |
| Price | € 59.99 * |
Astro Bot test: A feast for PlayStation fans
- loving homage to 30 years of PlayStation
- lots of fresh ideas
What makes a really good platform game? Of course: Varied levels, precise controls, fresh ideas and lots of charm. Games like Super Mario Odyssey, Rayman Legends, Crash Bandicoot and many others know this.
But with Astro Bot, developer Team Asobi proves once again in an impressive way that they know their craft. And in doing so, they have not only created one of the best PlayStation 5 games ever, but one of the best platformers of all time.
There are many reasons for this. PlayStation fans in particular, who have accompanied Sony consoles for 30 years, can look forward to a reunion with hundreds of beloved characters, successful allusions and plenty of humor. Sometimes you help the monkeys from Ape Escape, sometimes you rescue Nathan Drake from Uncharted and other times you equip your spaceship, modeled on the PS5 console, with new hard drives.
But that’s not all: Astro Bot doesn’t make any mistakes in terms of gameplay either and is bursting with fresh ideas and successful tricks. The gaming experience is particularly great when all these elements come together.
The “Bot of War” level, for example, which is modeled after the PS5 smash hit “God of War: Raganrök”, is one of the most ingenious platformer worlds I’ve ever played. From the iconic music from Kratos’ adventure to the faithful replica of the Leviathan axe and the ropes for crossing the Arctic Ocean, which are modeled on the cable of the PSX controller. Grandiose.
The gameplay of Astro Bot
- Varied skills
- Many collectable items
- clever use of the dual-sense functions
Apart from these special levels, Astro Bot is essentially a classic 3D platformer and builds on the usual genre conventions. You navigate with the eponymous robot through varied, albeit quite linear, levels, master jump passages and fight lots of enemies.
Within the levels, you keep an eye out for hidden bots (there are 300 of them in the game), puzzle pieces and PlayStation coins. While you need the bots to unlock new worlds, the puzzle pieces open up new possibilities in the hub world. In turn, you can invest the coins in new outfits or paint jobs for your glider, which you use to fly to each level.
Why all this? Well, supervillain Nebulax – a nasty alien – has unceremoniously dismantled your spaceship in the form of a PlayStation 5 console and so it’s up to you to reassemble the components and all the bots in a total of six galaxies.
Okay, the story of Astro Bot really doesn’t win any innovation awards. However, this is not a problem, as the game makes up for this weakness with its excellent gameplay, lots of charm and outstanding humor.
Depending on the level, you acquire one of dozens of different skills that are essential for progressing. The robo-dog in the backpack can ram obstacles away, the monkey lets you clamber up bananas, while the mouse makes you tiny so you can squeeze through narrow passages.
Especially cool: The functions of the DualSense controller are also used for many actions. Sometimes you have to tilt the gamepad and use the gyro sensors to navigate through a level, sometimes you have to blow into the microphone, while the adaptive triggers also want to be used more often and thus reinforce the successful gameplay.
In short: Astro Bot skillfully exploits the unique possibilities of the PS5 gamepad and weaves them into its gameplay in a meaningful way.
Outstanding level design
- Excellent controls
- great level design
- varied galaxies
Astro Bot scores with fresh ideas and plenty of playful variety. Fortunately, the controls also leave nothing to be desired – after all, what’s a jump and run if the jumps can’t be executed precisely?
The controls are so simple and precisely tuned that even younger players will really enjoy the game. My six-year-old son really enjoyed the title from start to finish.
This is also due to the fact that the well-designed levels are always full of exciting surprises and aha moments. There are picturesque Japanese levels with blossoming cherry trees, a beach where you have to free a robot from its chains and help it, or a casino level where you can hit the jackpot by slowing down time on the slot machines.
It feels like almost every design element in the varied levels has a purpose and it’s a real joy to play around with the supposedly small details off the main path and possibly discover secrets or unlock the secret level exit.
In terms of level design, Astro Bot can easily compete with the absolute genre greats. The boss battles are another highlight, as at the end of each galaxy there is a beastly boss in your way that needs to be put down. Although they follow the standard pattern (hit the boss three times to defeat it), they are exciting with their varied mechanics.
The difficulty level of Astro Bot is pleasantly fair, but definitely challenging. Every now and then, when several opponents charge at you, it can get a bit tricky, as the little robot dies after just one hit.
However, the reset points are fairly distributed so that there is hardly any frustration. The challenge levels are a completely different matter, which are not unfair either, but demand absolutely everything from your gamepad skills.
Coherent technology in Astro Bot
Astro Bot is also an absolute highlight from a technical point of view. Visually, the jump and run impresses with a colorful game world and buttery smooth animations, while the individual levels are bursting with detail. Not only PlayStation fans will get their money’s worth thanks to the familiar X, quad, triangle and circle symbols, buildings from the PS world and many other visual allusions.
Even small details such as the grass moving in the wind, the swirling sand of your glider or the water splashes on the TV during a boss fight fit perfectly into the harmonious graphic construct. In combination with the pretty lighting effects, the title has beautiful graphics.
The soundtrack is in no way inferior and scores with successful sound effects and a wonderfully driving soundtrack. The Bot of War level in particular stands out once again with its atmospheric soundtrack.
Astro Bot test: Conclusion
My gaming highlight of the year has a name: Astro Bot. Rarely has a platformer captivated me as much in the first few minutes of play as this magical adventure from Team Asobi. I would even go so far as to say that the platformer is easily on a par with genre milestones such as Super Mario Odyssey or Rayman Legends.
The adventure oozes charm and attention to detail from every pixel, with 80 incredibly varied worlds in which the game constantly reinvents itself. In combination with the many PlayStation characters and allusions, the collecting tasks and hidden secrets, Astro Bot fuels my thirst for discovery and ensures that I not only enjoy exploring every corner of the game world, but also like to return to the levels to find everything or simply enjoy the atmosphere.
The fact that the game also looks great, has a wonderful soundtrack, precise controls and a great sense of humor is the cherry on top of the cake. An absolute gaming highlight that everyone should have played.
|
Pros
|
Contra
|
|---|---|
| + lovable main character + motivating storyline |
– pale villain |
| + varied levels + excellent mix of game elements + varied boss fights + motivating unlocks + successful skills |
|
| + fair checkpoints + practical help functions + precise controls |
– One hit is fatal |
| + over 80 levels + 15-20 hours playing time + many puzzles and secrets |
– hardly any replay value |
| + colorful visuals + successful animations + excellent level design + wonderful soundtrack |
– no voice output |
Astro Bot
Story
Gameplay
Balance
Scope
Graphics & Sound
94/100
Incredibly charming, detailed and varied platformer that scores with impeccable gameplay, convincing scope and coherent technology.
