Join Astro Bot in a bot rescue mission of galactic proportions to save iconic characters across dozens of planets! Find out more in our Astro Bot Review!
Astro Bot is now the official champion of the PlayStation 5 console. After the enormous success of the free-to-play, Astros Playroom, developers Team Asobi have released a fully-fledged platformer in all its PlayStation glory. This is also the third entry into the series, as the lesser-known Astro Bot Rescue Mission was released in 2018 on the first PSVR headset and was celebrated for its innovation in the VR Platforming space. Although there were no actual characters, the new Astro Bot more than makes up for that fact. So does this bot-filled voyage find its way home or does it overflow with rust? Find out in our Astro Bot Review!
The legendary Lombax returns, just in another game this time.
Astro Bot Review – Story
Astro Bot is a full entry to this series so you may be forgiven for thinking that there is a solid story here. Whilst the game has a lot of things going for it, the narrative is not one of them, however, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing in this case. We find our lovable Bots on a journey through space, loosely following on from Astros Playroom after you unlock the PS5 console at the end of that game. Disaster strikes as a generic green alien (possible dig at Xbox here) attacks the PS5 ship and steals its valuable components.
I’m gonna put sand in your (robo) eye!
This sends all the bots across several galaxies and Astro is left stranded on a barren planet. Isolated, he wanders the desert in order to find a crashed satellite and a Dual Speeder. With the location of a nearby galaxy unveiled, Astro takes flight and begins his rescue mission across the cosmos. As you continue through the fairly straightforward platformer, each of the 5 galaxies (and 1 hidden one) contains dozens of lost bots and a very important PS5 part. In order to retrieve this from the Green Alien, you must first complete at least 2 of the 4 main levels to unlock the boss level, however, just make sure you’ve rescued enough bots to unlock it. Upon beating the boss, you will then unlock a special character bot that then leads you to one final unique stage…
Main levels are accompanied by 6 or so challenge levels in each galaxy.
Whilst this setout of platformer levels is a bit repetitive, the nature of each level and the surprises they hold will leave you wanting more. Additionally, most levels are 10-20 minutes and never outstay their welcome with challenge levels spread out for some quicker yet tricky stages. Without giving too much away, the game ends with a team-up in the style of Avengers Endgame as Bots from all PlayStation eras come together in one final, nostalgic and satisfying conclusive battle. The story may be predictable and slightly shallow but Astro Bot is about the journey and the friends we make along the way.
Watch out, Phils at it again…
Astro Bot Review – Gameplay
If you played Astros Playroom then you’ll immediately pick this up with no effort. Although if you haven’t, Astros’ run, jump, double jump and attack are super easy to learn. Whilst the core mechanics are still the same, Astro Bot has introduced a huge variety of abilities that you have access to on almost every level. These range from a Robo Dog backpack that gives you a huge rocket boost to a PSVR2 headset that slows time for a short period. Each unique gadget drastically changes how each course is tackled with new puzzles and enemies to overcome.
The VR ability is the perfect reference to Astro’s first game.
You can’t have a game like this without a handful of crazy and hectic boss battles, which is what Astro Bot does marvelously. Whilst each boss feels harder but not overly challenging, they are all very different as you must learn their attack patterns to outsmart them. In saying this, fans of the VR entry Astro Bot Rescue Mission may find a few key bosses almost identical. Whilst most players wouldn’t even know, it’s slightly disappointing to see some of this wonderful content reused.
Why isn’t there a fire extinguisher ability??
Astro Bot Review – Visuals/Performance
The pinnacle of the PlayStation 5 design is by far the DualSense. It had a brief showcase in the Astros Playroom tech demo but here’s its enormously expanded on. Using the motion controls to fly your Dual Speeder at the start of every level and blowing on the mic to activate a wind-powered device is just the start of this amazing textile experience, with the haptic feedback also making you feel a part of these visually stunning worlds.
Every part of the game looks this good! I mean literally, Every. Single. Frame!
Speaking of which, every location you travel to does not hold back on its spectacular imagery. This also translates seamlessly to Astro Bot’s smooth-as-butter movement as you explore each detailed level Team Asobi has created. There was not once a frame drop or an issue with textures I encountered, plus the amount of realistic physics added to the game was impressive. From water droplets, large piles of diamonds, and even leaves blowing away after a spin attack, everything just looks breathtaking!
I had to cancel my Astro Bot controller preorder since I found out it doesn’t actually shoot water…
Astro Bot Review – Audio
You know that song or theme that is just so damn catchy and gets stuck in your head? Well, so many of Astro Bot’s soundtracks are exactly that. With each level featuring its own track and the hub world also having an addictive tune, similar to the below sound clip, the music here suits the essence of the game perfectly. Although there are no actual lines spoken, the sounds from each little bot are adorable, including the lost bots yelling for help as you explore levels.
Taking full advantage of the DualSense once more is the speaker from the controller itself. This was briefly touched on in the previous game, but here you’ll be hearing Astro running, jumping and attacking emitting from your hands, plus a copious amount of other various sounds as you play, which all raises immersion to an even higher plane.
Whoever came up with the idea for turning the DualSense into a Speeder is a genius!
Astro Bot Review – What Else?
Another word for this type of game is collect-a-thon due to the amount of objects you have to find to progress or achieve 100% completion. Occasionally, some platformers will take this too far and make this a somewhat tedious task, but in Astro Bot you will definitely want to find every last puzzle piece and Bot. There are 300 bots to locate, with 170 iconic characters that reach right back to the PlayStation 1. Whilst some are from predictable series like Uncharted, God of War and The Last of Us. There are quite a lot more Bots that reference classics like Castlevania, The Last Guardian, Persona, and even Nier Automata.
Whilst this character is obvious, I had to research online for one called Puppeteer, a PS3 exclusive.
Aside from the main story levels, you can unlock a series of challenge sections in each galaxy. A set of four of these is based on each Icon in the PlayStation symbol: triangle, circle, square and cross. All of these contain one iconic character for you to retrieve and add to your collection as you figure out what game they come from. In some stages, there are secret exits that lead to the 6th galaxy which contain a set of 11 extra levels for you to find even more collectibles.
You can’t have a PlayStation-exclusive game about PlayStation exclusives without the actual PlayStation Icons!
These puzzle pieces you find in your travels unlock buildings at the hub world that add some fantastic customisation options. A paint store for the Dual Speeder, one to change your own outfit, and let’s not forget the all-important Gacha lab. In order to accumulate everything you may have to go back to a previously completed level. Of course, you won’t have to find items again, you may have a hard time finding the one you missed. Team Asobi has included a helpful little robo bird that you can purchase at the start of your second playthrough of any stage that will alert you to a collectible when nearby.
Ahh, the relaxing yet addictive gacha machine.
Astro Bot Review – Conclusion
It’s been 5 years of the PlayStation 5 and Astro’s second outing on this console is brimming with charm. Whilst the 10-12 hour story is bare bones and the PlayStation theme borders on overbearing, the endearing little Bots more than make up for these slight negatives. Astro Bot feels like a direct continuation rather than a sequel, but this doesn’t subtract from the glorious visuals, smooth gameplay and crisp audio. If you played Astro’s Playroom then you may feel like this is slightly less original, but regardless, the hunt for iconic characters to feel that sense of nostalgia and the special additional levels are a joy for PlayStation fans of all ages!
Bye Astro, until next time my friendly robo PS pal!
So, why should you play Astro Bot?
- A fun platformer with incredible visuals
- Over 150 iconic characters to find
- Easy to complete, hard to master, something for everyone
But why shouldn’t you play Astro Bot?
- Not much in terms of story
- Not a fan of platformers
- You don’t have a PlayStation 5
A review code was kindly provided by Sony for the purpose of our Astro Bot review. You can check out our other reviews here and if you haven’t already, be sure to join the Qualbert Discord to find out about the latest game and review updates!
