Astro Bot (PS5) Review: Platforming Perfection

A few years ago, I was lucky to get early access to PlayStation 5 hardware for review. As launch day rolled around, and I could freely chat with friends and family about my experience with Sony’s latest hardware, one question kept popping up over and over again: “Shaan, what’s your favorite game so far?” My unwavering response confused more than a few: “Astro’s Playroom, without a doubt.”

Some might chalk it up to naivete, but back in 2020, Team Asobi’s PlayStation 5 pack-in game had me rethinking what I could come to expect from Sony’s first-party studios. Cutting-edge graphics, enthralling narratives, innovative gameplay mechanics — these were all things I had come to expect from Sony at this point, but Astro’s Playroom delivered something I hadn’t seen in a long time: a love letter to all things PlayStation, wrapped up in an undeniably charming and vibrant world.

Nearly four years later, and perhaps against all odds, Astro Bot manages to recapture the same sense of joy and magic that I felt back in 2020, but somehow, it manages to do so much more, despite not really changing all that much. As a platformer, the core mechanics are virtually identical to prior entries in the series. The loveable, titular protagonist can still jump, hover, grab certain objects, punch enemies, and perform his charged spin attack. For a minute, I was surprised to see him being able to swim this time around, but a quick Google search revealed that he’s well-versed in the world of underwater acrobatics — it was just removed for Astro’s Playroom.

But what sets Astro Bot apart from its contemporaries is how confident it is across every single one of its gameplay and design choices. Rather than trying to shoehorn in mechanics that need to be iterated on throughout the single-player campaign, Astro Bot goes the opposite route, swapping out abilities regularly. One level might have you air-dashing through obstacles and across gaps with a bulldog-themed jetpack, while another might have you don a pair of spring-powered frog-themed boxing gloves, capable of doling out damage as quickly as you can mash the Dualsense’s triggers. Some power-ups are even brought over from Astro’s Playroom, albeit with a few new moves thrown in for good measure.

This extends well beyond Astro Bot’s mechanics; boss fights can be a few minutes long should they warrant it, but some can be knocked out in (what feels like) half a minute. The same goes for levels. While most stages do take several minutes to work your way through (longer if you decide to seek out every hidden puzzle piece and fellow Bot that needs rescuing), some are over in the blink of an eye, never outstaying their welcome.

Astro Bot certainly has each of its robot fingers in a different pie, but the common thread that ties the entire experience together is a simple one: joy and wonder. Looking back at it, I am failing to recall a single moment of my playthrough where I didn’t have a dumb, goofy smile plastered on my face, and I’m willing to bet my wife is sick and tired of me trying to point out every single neat interaction, hidden Easter Egg, or V.I.P. Bot (those are the ones based on well-known video game characters) I came across.

I’ve been reviewing and covering games for well over a decade now, yet I still have trouble answering a rather simple question: “What is the purpose of a review?” To some, reviews are meant to be a simple cost analysis. “Should I spend X dollars on this game?” To others, it’s supposed to be a dissection of a game, critiquing its graphics, soundtrack, narrative, and gameplay, distilling that all down into a numerical rating. I honestly don’t have a good answer to this longstanding question, but looking back at some of my favorite games that I also happened to review, there is a recurring thread: the best games shouldn’t be over-explained or over-analyzed.

At the end of the day, that’s exactly how I feel about Astro Bot. Part of that stems from not wanting to spoil its many surprises and gameplay moments, but I can’t deny that it’s also one of those games that truly needs to be played; not read about, or experienced through a YouTube playthrough. In a world of by-the-numbers sequels and soulless cash grabs, Astro Bot stands as an oasis, an absolute masterpiece packed to the brim with charm, creativity, and a genuine love for video games, old and new. There are still four months left in the year, but if I’m being honest, I think I’ve already found my pick for game of the year.

Disclosure: Review copy was provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment.