“Astro Bot” is a single player 3D platformer released exclusively for the PlayStation 5 on Sep. 6, 2024. It was developed by Japanese video game developer Team ASOBI and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It is a follow-up to the 2020 PS5 launch game, “Astro’s Playroom,” and it is the fifth game in the “Astro Bot” series. The game follows the story of a little robot named Astro going on an adventure to save the lost bots and fix the PlayStation 5 mothership in order to defeat the alien Space Bully Nebulax, the game’s main antagonist.
“Astro Bot” is a 3D platformer where you play as the titular character, and you have to run through a variety of levels. The base game has a total of 106 levels. In the levels, you have the ability to run around, jump, hover, punch, spin-attack, and in some levels, swim underwater. There will also be certain points in the game where you will have to use the PS5 DualSense controller’s features to traverse through parts of the game. In addition, there are 15 abilities that are accessible through certain power-ups that are given to you in certain levels.
There are also a number of bots in each level that you will have to rescue along the way. There are a total of 332 bots in the whole game. It is not required to get every bot, however, you will have to collect some to unlock the bosses at the end of each galaxy. There are also 120 puzzle pieces scattered throughout levels that unlock different areas in the Crash Site, the game’s hub world.
A majority of bots are themed to video game characters. Some of which are other PlayStation characters, and others are characters owned by 3rd party developers. Some levels are even themed to PlayStation franchises, and have gameplay elements from the game the level is based on. Examples include “Ape Escape,” God of War,” “Uncharted,” and “Horizon.”
“Astro Bot” received massive critical acclaim, obtaining a 94/100 on Metacritic, and 99% of critics recommending the game on OpenCritic. It also became the most awarded platformer of all time, including winning “Game of the Year” at The Game Awards 2024.
“Astro Bot” is a perfect celebration of PlayStation’s 30th anniversary. The controls are smooth and responsive, the graphics are technologically impressive, the levels are well-paced, and there are loads of small details to find and look at. The game has a great balance of being easy for beginners but still fun for more experienced players. It can be enjoyed by any demographic and, due to its fast pacing and length, it’s super replayable and easy to come back to. This game is one of the best 3D platformers of all time, and it is the perfect example of what makes a video game great. It doesn’t need a complex story with a huge open world, it just needs to be pure fun all the way through.
