ASTROBOT REVIEW: A SPOTLESS PLATFORMER AND THE NEW FACE OF PLAYSTATION
PLATFORM: PLAYSTATION 5
HOURS PLAYED: 35
Astrobot, developed by Team Asobi, celebrates PlayStation in a way that I wish every platform could be celebrated: with a loveletter wrapped up with boundless, creative perfection. But this game is more than just a celebration of PlayStation's illustrious 30 year history, it's a spotless, awe inspiring experience designed to stoke the deepest depths of our excitement as gamers. Boasting immaculately designed 3D platforming, endlessly creative level design, a soundtrack that thoroughly tickles the brain, and an art style that is as remarkably detailed as it is charming, Astrobot is a shining example of what game design can achieve in 2024 when it reaches it's full potential.
Gameplay: The Ultimate Gamble That Paid Off
Astrobot is chock full of superbly fun gameplay mechanics, many of which are just plain mind blowing. However, this game does the thing that many games attempt, but so very few do successfully: introduce a gameplay idea without making it a consistent mechanic throughout. In other words, while most of the gameplay ideas each appear in at least a handful of levels, some of them only appear in one level and never show up again. Where many games fail at this, Astrobot succeeds with flying colors. How does Team Asobi do this?
My theory is that Team Asobi saved their best ideas for these one off levels. These mechanics are the best of the best, standing above a collection of recurring gameplay ideas that are already so novel, and are so remarkably creative, that they'll have you thinking about them throughout the rest of your play through. In that respect, these mechanics aren't one and done, rather, they stick in your mind rather than being served up to you on a silver platter over and over again. Part of the mastery of this balance is that Team Asobi recognized when not to spoil a good thing by serving up too much of it, and Astrobot is so much better for it.
Let me be clear though, the recurring mechanics are nothing to sneeze at. In fact, their impressive creativity is a huge part of what makes Astrobot such a novel experience. They're so good, that I don't even want to attempt to describe them in detail here, because I wouldn't want to rob you of experiencing them for the first time. However, I will say that the core reason as to why these recurring mechanics work so well aside from their endless design creativity and mechanical polish, is that each level they appear in creates a situation where the player must use that mechanic in a different way. Sure, the mechanic may be the same but from one level to the next, you're going to be tasked with new ways to use those mechanics to approach the challenges of that particular mission.
When PlayStation released Astro's Playroom as a free game included with the purchase of a PS5, it was clear that they did so to help show off the power and potential of the PS5 DualSense controller. So, it's no surprise that Astrobot would go on to unleash that full potential. From the moment you first load into the main menu screen, you're greeted by a joyful rumble and swoosh from the controller, emulating what it feels and sounds like to ride atop Astro's controller ship. Throughout each level, the DualSense controller continually bursts with a wide variety of sounds and haptic feedback. You can hear and feel blades of grass as Astro tip taps through them. The back triggers boast a high level of resistance, making the act of interacting with any mechanic involving a thruster feel realistic and satisfying to pull off. These creative Dualsense design implementations and many, many more play such a big role in bringing this game to life.
It's A PlayStation Party!
One of the most enjoyable aspects of the Astrobot experience is how it welcomes any and all players into the celebration of PlayStation's history. From team blue newcomers to seasoned vets and everyone in between, there truly is a place for everyone at the party. For me personally, I've spent most of my gaming life playing PlayStation games, but I certainly have not been there from the beginning. To this day, there are still a large amount of PlayStation franchises I have yet to experience (don't worry, I'm working on it). So for me, this celebration serves as a joyful and fun education into what I've been missing, as I suspect it has and will for many others.
The premise on which this celebration is built on surrounds a journey Astro most go on to find his lost PlayStation themed bot friends. While traveling through space aboard a PS5 mothership, Astro and company are attacked by a cartoonishly evil space alien who not only steals the CPU within the mothership, but destroys the ship itself, scattering the hundreds of bots across the universe. Each level tasks you with finding a handful of these lost bots, some of them who are normal bots, and others who are PlayStation mascots in bot form -- each sporting an abundance of cuteness and joy.
The act of finding a lost bot is like playing hide and seek with your puppy, and your puppy jumping on you with excitement when you find them hiding under your covers. When you find a bot, you boot him into a capsule within Astro's DualSense ship for safe keeping, where the newly recovered bot jumps for joy out of excitement for being reunited with you. It's an interaction chock full of joy from head to toe and never gets old no matter how many times you do it. Uncovering the smaller selection of PlayStation themed bots serves up an extra bit of surprise, as you never know which famous icon you'll uncover. Maybe it's Crash Bandicoot, or maybe you'll find a Hell Diver hiding in a bush. You never know, and that mystery is such a big part of the fun!
However, for a small handful of exceptionally popular PlayStation mascots, entire levels themed around one of their iconic adventures will appear. These levels are packed to the brim with callbacks, Easter eggs, and homages to that particular character, offering up an exciting, fresh remix of beloved and classic experiences. For me, having experienced a handful of these levels from mascots whom I was unfamiliar with, I felt that I was being delightfully educated into their worlds in a way that stoked my curiosity into their franchises. I have to imagine that this was a big goal for Team Asobi, one that they achieved very effectively.
Music & Art Direction: An Endlessly Charming Experience
I discussed earlier in the review how the implementation of the DualSense controller features plays a large role in making Astrobot feel alive in your hands. Complimenting this incredible controller design is a visual and art style that takes this experience from feeling alive to completely immersive. From levels covered in ice cream and candy themed platforming challenges to spooky haunted mansions filled with fun halloween spirit and beyond, each mission is bursting with vibrant color pallets, complimented by a superb level of polish.
Paired with Astrobot's vibrant art style are subtle aspects of interaction that are easy to miss if you aren't paying attention. One of my favorite examples of this are how each NPC bot, whether they be a bot turtle, a bot snake, a bot car, or anything in between, all feature Astro's adorable blue eye design. Furthermore, when you run past them, jump on them, swim with them, or even hit them, they'll watch and react to your actions, each in their own unique way. I was astounded at this level of detail when I first noticed it, and it only made me further appreciate the level of thoughtfulness that went into making the player truly feel like they were a part of Astro's world.
When it comes to the music in Astrobot, Team Asobi has proven that the right music can define and enhance the character of a game. Astrobot's soundtrack is comprised of a vast, diverse swath of genres from rock and western country, to techno, and more -- each boasting a foundation of techno funkiness that perfectly matches Astrobot's charmingly mechanical characteristics. Composer Kenneth C M Young took great care to create a soundtrack that would not only be instantly recognizable to Astrobot, but one that would stick in your head even as you move on to the next game -- which could not be more true for the game's main theme "I Am Astrobot".
Verdict
What Team Asobi has achieved with Astrobot is nothing short of remarkable. In a gaming landscape so aggressively focused on the pursuit of the elusive live service multiplayer gold mine, Astrobot proves that a thoughtfully designed single player experience focused solely on the fun factor can provide a world class experience. It came with an unrelenting joy that feels like a warm hug to gamers everywhere, and it served as a reminder of what happens when creativity is allowed to run free in the game development process. Astrobot was lovingly brought to life by 65 immensely talented developers that are deeply cared for by their studio, and showed the gaming industry and the world beyond that gaming is about the joy and wonder that lives within our hearts.