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The cutest way to dance on graves
I couldn't help but laugh while playing Astro Bot. I laughed when I'd mess up and my little bot would inflate and pop like a balloon, I laughed each time I thought I was going to miss a jump and I somehow pulled it out last minute, and I laughed each time I watched my son play the game, dancing with excitement whenever we'd get a new bot - flipping the little guys in the controller like pancakes on a stove. That last part is truthfully the most important and memorable part of the experience for me.
Astro Bot is a third-person platformer and the sequel to 2020's Astro's Playroom, which was included with each PS5. A somewhat eclectic mix of platformers past and modern design sensibilities, Astro Bot drops you into its dazzling worlds running and never looks back. With dozens of unique levels - each with a fresh gimmick, idea, or theme to keep them interesting - Astro Bot remains a joy from start to finish.
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment Developer: Team ASOBI Platform: Played on PS5 Availability: Released September 6, 2024 for the PS5 |
To say I liked the game would be a true disservice to both the game and to what Team ASOBI has accomplished here. Every new mechanic, every boss, and every puzzle just felt so fresh. I never once got tired of the loop, even if on a surface level there is a clear formula at work here. Most levels are short, linear affairs, but I think that works in the game's favor. The puzzles and tools are engaging, clever, and never overstay their welcome, as the level is over before too long and you're on to the next mission.
Generally speaking, the levels are simple enough for a young child to get through, but contain enough depth in terms of both content and mechanical complexity to entertain adult players as well. There are plenty of collectibles in the shape of new bots or puzzle pieces to keep you entertained if you're willing to stick around, but you could realistically blast through the core content in just several hours if you felt like it.
That isn't to say the game doesn't have some curveballs every now and then. There are levels that open, with a few labyrinthine or sandbox type levels scattered throughout the roster. Perhaps more surprising is the inclusion of the challenge levels. These challenge levels are extremely short when compared to the main levels, but offer a much higher difficulty in its place. I did feel frustrated by a few of them, but they never feel unfair - it's just a very distilled, tough version of the mechanics you've seen throughout the game.
Astro bot offers colorful and exciting worlds for the player to explore.
The use of haptics in the game is hit or miss with me. The motion controls of flying or aiming is more often annoying than fun, but I just generally prefer the precision of the stick, so I switched the haptics off when flying. Outside of that use case, I think it serves as a good reminder for just how underutilized the haptics are across the PS5 catalogue. There are a lot of little things you can do with the controller that you just don't see replicated in other games, or not as well implemented. I would like to see some of the ideas explored here show up outside of Team ASOBI games. It's just fun sometimes to use the controller in silly games, provided they don't stick around too long.
Speaking of fun, man this soundtrack is great. A lot of light, whimsical tracks dot the levels as you race through. I couldn't stop myself from dancing along or bobbing my head as a giant tree starts singing a funky song to me, or the drums kick in on the jungle levels. It's never so distracting you can't focus on the game, but it's always a good time.
Lots of opportunities for you to take pictures for a break from the action.
There's been a lot said about Astro Bot over these last few weeks, and I just want to talk about one part of the discourse that has stuck with me a bit. That is specifically the criticism that the game is too corporate to be a real piece of art. The game is, quite honestly, freakishly referential to the Playstation brand and so many of the games that made Playstation the powerhouse it is. I mean, a Rogue Galaxy bot? Really? That said, I think it's also important to remember that all art that we consume or engage with on a sort of mass media level is corporatized. All of it. On some level, it's just going to be how much of that you can stomach when you play the game.
For me, I don't feel that Astro Bot relies on the Playstation branding to be a good game. Again, the game is heavily referential. Giant controller replicas, old systems flying through the skies, hundreds of little robots dressed as your favorite characters - all of it is there to appeal to our nostalgia in some way. Funnily enough, these references more often served to remind me of just how much we've lost over the years in terms of franchises and creativity. So many of the games being shown here are unavailable to play on modern systems, or the franchises have been dormant for generations.
The boss fights are a lot of fun and are nice to look at, too.
Despite this, I always came away feeling like the references were more reverential than masturbatory, and I don't think Astro Bot needs any of it to be a great game. If you peel back the layers, if you replaced every Playstation related icon or skin with an original design, the game would not suffer (in fact, I think it might have been better as a work of original art, but let's shelve that). The game is expertly designed in every way, and even as I played it, the iconography and skins on the robots often faded into the background. It's just not important to what's going on in this game.
When we examine something as a work of art, it's important to remember that art itself is fluid. The entire concept means something a little bit different to each person, and every piece of art is unique to each of us interacting with it. Art is an experience. It can be made to move you emotionally, or make you think. It exists to elicit a response. So, when I think about my time with Astro Bot, I always come back to those moments with my son. Those times he sat on my lap and asked me to help him with a jump, those times he flipped the robots up and down for what felt like hours, and those times he gathered everyone together to dance and joined in himself. The game was so fun for him to just play with. And it was fun for me to be there.
I wouldn't trade any of it for the world.
Verdict Astro Bot is one of the most fun, engaging, and creative platformers you will ever play. There's a lot to do if you want to take your time, but no part of the experience overstays its welcome. Tight controls, interesting level and puzzle design, and a superb soundtrack make this a must play for anyone, not just fans of platformers. Every collectible feels rewarding, rather than like a chore. Team ASOBI has crafted something that can be enjoyed by players of all ages, and offers some real challenge if you dig deep enough.  |
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