Astro Bot: THE Definitive PlayStation Platformer

By Japan Studio / Sony - PlayStation Store, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77144600

When I bought my PS5, there was a game pre-installed on the system called “Astro’s Playroom”, which was a tech demo for the PS5 controller. Outside of showing off the features of the controller, Astro’s Playroom was a pretty good game with its platforming and PlayStation secrets. At the time, I thought to myself “I would love to play a full-fledged Astro game”.

Well, my wish came true when I got to play Astro Bot on the PS5. I must tell you, outside of a few Mario titles, Astro Bot is probably one of the best platformers I have ever played. Astro Bot is certainly the best non-Nintendo platformer I have ever played and the most polished of all platformers, with the level design of a Mario game and the charm of a Kirby game all in one.

It is no surprise that Astro Bot nails all the aspects of what makes a great platformer. The controls are fantastic, and I feel like I have complete control of Astro in his movements. The level design is excellent, and makes use of Astro, his many abilities in the levels, and the features of the PS5 DualSense controller. The visuals and graphics of Astro Bot are sensational. There is so much color and vibrancy, and when you progress through a level, there is so much going on that you feel so engrossed in the worlds and levels. The music is quite good as well with its techno-happy platformer tracks, though this is not as strong as the other aspects of the game.

One thing to note with Astro Bot is that this game is a celebration of the PlayStation and its games. I have heard some cynical takes about Astro Bot and how this is just an advertisement to sell more PlayStation units, but the only way you can play Astro Bot is on a PS5, so you would have already had to buy a PS5. While I was playing the game, I almost felt a sense of pride for the PlayStation brand as they have a strong core of characters and games in their portfolio. Some of the models of levels in Astro Bot take after some of the PlayStation’s most high-profile properties, so that is a nice treat.

There is one major drawback of Astro Bot, and that is the very short game length. You can 100% the game in about 15 hours. There is a lot that happens in those 15 hours, but when you pay full price for a game this short, it is not good value, no matter how you slice it.

Playing Astro Bot felt like playing a technically better version of Kirby and the Forgotten Land. It also helps that Astro Bot is on a much more powerful console. I feel like Sony and the PlayStation brand has an excellent mascot in Astro, and he can serve the same role as a mascot for Sony as a Mario or Kirby does for the Nintendo brand. Regardless, Astro Bot is one of the best games on the PS5 and helps to expand the variety of types of games in the PlayStation family. Astro Bot is easily one of the best games released in 2024.