The biggest thing to take away from the game is how well it uses the DualSense to its advantage. The usage of the controller’s haptic feedback, gyro controls, and adaptive triggers makes the game a way better experience. Not only that, the game also has unique gimmicks in each level, which make them fresh and interesting to play. That overall format is deceptively simple for one of the most creative games I’ve ever played in my entire life — and Astro Bot makes that abundantly clear in just a handful of hours. There are more than 80 levels in Astro Bot, and what’s remarkable to me is that I can’t think of a single one that felt too similar to another or was a disappointment in any way.
These special cameo bots are rescued from the galaxies’ main boss fights, which are a real highlight of the experience. Like the rest of the game, Astro Bot bosses are inventive, defying player expectations while still rooted in 3D platformer tradition. The boss fights deliver on visual spectacle, have a nice challenge to them, and above all, are fun to conquer. Besides the main bosses, mini-bosses pop up in other levels unexpectedly, and they are also a lot of fun to fight. Like Team Asobi’s previous games, Astro Bot revolves around a community of tiny white robots. Following the events of Astro’s Playroom, they are attacked by the evil green alien that served as the final boss of Rescue Mission, destroying their PS5 spaceship and scattering them across the cosmos.
Subsequent stages — Thrust or Bust, Cock-A-Doodle-Doom, Hard to Bear, and Armored Hardcore — will be available each following Thursday at 6am Pacific / 9am Eastern / 2pm UK. Master Onion is the secret 301st bot, the last one you’ll unlock in the game. Astro Bot is the most recent entry in the Astro Bot series and was released in 2024 for the PlayStation 5 in celebration of PlayStation’s 30th anniversary. Astro Bot is developed by Team Asobi, who also worked on previous titles where Astro appeared, including the PS5 console’s tech demo Astro’s Playroom.
Spooky Time Overview
A lot of modern entertainment, including video games, has a real problem with nostalgia bait, playing off people’s memories and trying to capitalize on that, without making anything new or original in the process. That’s why we keep seeing so many remakes and remasters, but Astro Bot doesn’t fall into the same trap. It feels like a celebration, with deep meaningful references that truly understand the quirks of the series it’s featuring.
Astro Bot Director Advocates For Making Small Games, Arguing Quality Over Quantity
Once you’ve hit every piece of the edge, the disco ball will appear. Take the secret exit to unlock the Danger Dojo level in the Lost Galaxy. Take out the enemy and use the secret exit to unlock the Furnace Fever level. When you reach the branches, jump off and over to the disco ball. Hit the button to reveal the secret exit, which will unlock the Boxel Bust-Up level in the Lost Galaxy. You’ll find yourself in a hidden cave filled with diamonds and the giant disco ball.
As fun as the gameplay and nostalgic references are, what really makes Astro Bot’s gameplay so great is the accompanying music. Kenneth C.M. Young returns as the composer and brings the same energy he brought to Astro’s Playroom. From the moment that the first level begins, players will hear that this music has electric energy to it.
The crash site hub world has its own areas to explore and is packed full of quirks, such as eventually letting you customise your ship and outfit. The gacha machine mechanic makes a particularly enjoyable return, providing a satisfying way to spend the thousands of coins you’ll collect. It’s not brand-new for the series at this point, but still hits all the right spots. Some of those biggest unexpected treats are the new powers that Astro gets along his journey. The basic movement of our little robot pal is great, with his jump, double jump, and hover hitting that sweet spot between floaty and finely tuned.
But past that, it’s also a grand celebration of PlayStation and video game history as a whole — the only game that’s been able to rival Super Smash Bros. in that regard. Astro Bot is easily the best game on the PS5 to date and a platformer that can proudly stand shoulder-to-shoulder with anything Mario has done. Astro is revived by his Dual Speeder, a smaller spaceship resembling the DualSense controller, and together they begin reactivating satellites and exploring galaxies to rescue the crew and rebuild the mothership. Along the way, he rescues V.I.P. Bots (guest characters from other games) and explores planets based on Ape Escape, God of War, Uncharted, LocoRoco, and Horizon.
It really feels like the developers thought of everything, and thanks to their efforts, Astro Bot is pure joy in video game form. I went into it with high expectations thanks to Astro Bot Rescue Mission and Astro’s Playroom, and it not only met my expectations, but completely exceeded them. It’s the best 3D platformer since Super Mario Odyssey hit the scene in 2017 and will be remembered as an all-time classic of the genre. https://nk88.actor/ with a PS5 should get their hands on this game ASAP, and hopefully, Team Asobi gets to continue making masterpieces. One level allows you to explore a recognisably domestic world but you can drastically change size, bashing through doorways one minute and wriggling through a gap in the skirting board a minute later.
Sony Aibo (modern) – Real Life Companion Robot
These systems house the game’s stages, where you’ll spend most of your time, but you’ll also regularly return to the hub world, which evolves and expands as you progress. It falls into a great rhythm of exploring each galaxy and its stages, then returning to the hub to drop off your robot buddies and discover new things to see and do. Astro Bot is filled to the brim with Easter Eggs, but there are also some secrets to find and special unlockables to earn for finding bots and puzzle pieces. Here’s what you can earn by collecting Astro Bot’s many collectibles, and the many, many easter eggs to look out for. It doesn’t even take the game more than five minutes to get its story started.