If you have been subjecting your PlayStation 5 DualSense controller to abuse by playing punishing games like Elden Ring and Black Myth: Wukong, it’s time to play a game like Astro Bot to remind you what a marvellous piece of hardware it is.
Astro Bot is an addictive 3D platformer that plays like an extended version of Astro’s Playroom, which is the free game bundled with the PlayStation 5 console that demonstrates the capabilities of the (then) new DualSense controller.
Astro Bot features the greatest hits of PlayStation as well as some nostalgic blasts from the past. If one imagines an ideal game designed by the Brand department of PlayStation, Astro Bot will be it.
Although the game is somewhat of an unbridled narcissistic celebration of PlayStation and everything associated with it, longtime PlayStation gamers will have plenty of reasons to love it.
Ex Machina
You play Astro, the cute and expressive PlayStation mascot robot. Astro and friends were flying around in a spaceship in the form of (what else) a PlayStation 5 console when they were attacked by a mean green alien who stole the spaceship’s CPU, and they crash landed in a desert.
With crucial components and bots scattered across the galaxy, Astro has to retrieve the parts to repair the spaceship and find bots marooned on other planets. Thankfully, Astro can use a small speeder in the shape of (what else) the DualSense controller to travel to other planetary systems and planets to find the missing bots.
Astro Bot makes use of every conceivable feature of the DualSense controller, and is pretty creative about it. A lot of the game’s sounds are emitted through the controller’s onboard speaker, and the effusive haptic vibrations enhance the immersive experience as Astro explores a myriad of environments.
For instance, you can feel the tinny and scratchy vibrations when Astro is skating on ice, and feel the sensation of bubbles brushing against your DualSense controller when Astro is diving underwater.
The game also makes use of the gyroscope, so you have to tilt the controller to steer the speeder, or shake to control Astro’s actions. Some actions, such as turning windmills, require you to actually blow on the DualSense controller!
The downside is that Astro Bot drains the power of the DualSense controller really quickly, and I had to rely on my spare controller as backup and charge both after each gaming session.
Besides rescuing bots, Astro can collect gold coins and shiny jigsaw puzzle pieces. The puzzle pieces unlock various rewards, such as a changing room for Astro, a speeder garage to change the speeder’s look, a Gacha lab to whittle away the gold coins for random loot drops of cosmetic and decorative items, and even a Photo mode to capture all the cuteness!
I must say the rewards make it worth the effort to suffer through the tough challenges for puzzle pieces, even though they are optional collectibles.
It took me a while to notice that there was no dialogue in the game. All communications are non-verbal, relying instead only on facial and vocal expressions of the characters.
Fortunately, most of the gameplay is pretty intuitive, and there are also helpful hints that show up in the form of “show, not tell” videos. This makes Astro Bot an ideal game to introduce young and new gamers to 3D platformers.
Bots of play
Astro Bot features innovatively designed themed planets with charming and colourful scenery for Astro to explore. These include exotic ancient locations, spooky haunted castles, sunny beaches, frozen lands, underwater, balloon parks and construction zones.
Populated by cute and cheerful robotic animal characters, the planets offer plenty of surprises and hidden discoveries for gamers who are curious enough to interact with anything and everything. Some secret areas will even open a portal to a Lost Galaxy where Astro can find more bots to rescue.
Accompanied by appropriately cheerful and whimsical music as well as Astro’s adorable high-pitched chirps, you might mistake Astro Bot for a game for little kids.
However, don’t let the cutesy characters and designs fool you — some of the timed jumping puzzles are pretty brutal, and there are plenty of environmental hazards and enemies that can take many attempts to get past.
Although the enemies look cute and harmless, some can spit projectiles, eject spikes and emit electric shocks that kill Astro at a touch.
The boss battles at the final stage of each planetary system can also prove quite challenging, with multiple phases, attacks of mass destruction and ranged projectiles. But have no fear – Astro Bot is no Souls game.
With frequent autosave points and zero penalty for death, one can put Astro through as many attempts as needed. Also, Astro’s death does not void the rescue of a bot or collection of a puzzle piece, so one can just grab the bot or collectible and die in the attempt without having to go through the trauma again.
Some of the planets grant Astro equipment with special powers. Think of a Booster Rooster that propels the Astro high up vertically; extendable boxing gloves that let Astro punch enemies and traverse sticky rollers, or turn Astro into a sponge that can soak up and squeeze out water for dousing flames; or a stopwatch to slow down time temporarily.
These abilities are crucial for solving the many platforming puzzles in each level, and require some experimentation and well-timed actions to succeed.
A real treat for PlayStation fans are the planets inspired by PlayStation games and feature similar gameplay mechanics. For instance, in the “Bot of War” level inspired by God of War, Astro uses Kratos’s axe to freeze objects to solve puzzles.
And in the Uncharted inspired level, Astro uses Nathan Drake’s gun to shoot enemies. Even the music resembles that of the actual game, which will warm the hearts of fans with a wave of nostalgia!
If you miss out on any bots or collectibles, you can always return to the planets on Astro’s little DualSense spacecraft, and pay 200 coins at the start of the level to get a bird drone who will emit pinging sounds when a bot or a collectible is nearby.
I must say the drone is really worth the 200 coins, as some of the bots are hidden inside objects, behind walls or underground, and are easy to miss. Making things more challenging are the limited camera angles, which make objects behind and above Astro hard to see.
The limited camera angles can be a real danger when you cannot see enemies behind Astro, and the camera doesn’t turn to face them even when Astro is facing them. I had Astro running straight into enemies and dropping off ledges all because I couldn’t turn around to see.
It’s a pity that the game doesn’t have a couch co-op mode, as it will be great fun to play together with kids and lend them a hand with some of the tougher challenges, and vice versa!
Greatest hits
Astro Bot makes for a rewarding experience for PlayStation fans with VIP bots that are cleverly designed to showcase PlayStation’s greatest hits.
You’d be reminded of the Pyramid Head from Silent Hill, Nathan Drake from Uncharted, Psycho Mantis from Metal Gear, Joel and Ellie from The Last of Us, Kratos and Atreus from God of War, Aloy from the Horizon series, the cute kitty from Stray, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, and so many more!
Once rescued, the bots, including the VIP bots, will return to the crash site, ready to assist Astro in unlocking new areas.
A treat for in-game photographers is a Photo Mode that can be unlocked with sufficient puzzle pieces. With that, you can change Astro’s expression and pose with your favourite game character VIP bots.
There are also photo spots at certain areas of the map where Astro can pose behind a cutout standee, and cute animal bots nearby will strike a pose together with Astro. Yes, it’s rather boh liao (nothing better to do in Hokkien) but it’s so cute that I can’t help myself!
As if there isn’t enough love lavished on PlayStation, Astro Bot crams a PlayStation reference at every opportunity possible.
Even when Astro is sitting idle, especially when you are trying to figure out a puzzle, Astro will pull up past PlayStation consoles and handhelds (remember the PlayStation Portable?) to play while waiting for you.
TL;DR
Astro Bot is a cheerful and delightful 3D platform game ideal for both adults and kids, but is a single-player only game that doesn’t offer co-op mode. The game will please fans of PlayStation with blasts from the past and levels that pay homage to other PlayStation games.
Gamers who enjoy clever platform puzzles, are completists who adore collecting stuff and get a kick out of seeing gaming icons from PlayStation games will enjoy Astro Bot.
Despite its kiddy appearance, Astro Bot is surprisingly deep with plenty of clever interactivity and hidden secrets to discover. Some boss levels can be challenging for new gamers, but those familiar with platform games like Super Mario should be able to get through them.
Astro Bot is available at the PlayStation Store for S$79.90, and plays on the PlayStation 5 with DualSense controllers.
