Read our full AstroBot review
AstroBot is a beautiful 3D platformer with an adorable protagonist, dozens of planets to explore, and a wide range of extremely satisfying mechanics to perfect. It requires patience, attention and a high level of platforming skills, although resets are generous and failure costs nothing other than your time. The main character Astro is endlessly charming as he flies between galaxies to save 300 of his friends, many of whom embody characters from Sony’s library and the gaming world at large – bots from the Capcom, Konami and Sega franchises abound.
Many of the planets Astro lands on introduce new mechanics, such as spring-loaded boxing gloves that look like frog faces, an octopus that inflates Astro like a balloon, a mouse backpack that shrinks him at will, and a penguin-powered swimming booster and a stopwatch that temporarily stops time. The stages are designed around these unique mechanics and the variety on display is impressive.
Beyond pure cuteness, AstroBot is beautiful. The landscapes are sharp and vibrant with interactive details and it seems like every pixel has been perfected. But it’s the game’s physics that energize everything – when Astro lands on a giant inflatable daisy, the material beneath his tiny feet buckles, compressing with every step and movement, making the entire scene seem completely compressible. When rain hits Astro’s peaked cap, the sound is perfectly transmitted to the DualSense, along with the feeling of raindrops on the handles. AstroBotSound effects, haptics, graphics and physics harmonize perfectly and transform any surface into a playground. It’s magical.
AstroBot feels specifically designed for video game fans. It’s a skills-based celebration of everything that makes the format so memorable and entertaining, while also being an excellent introduction to the language of games. With precise and responsive controls, lovable characters and an exciting variety of mechanics and environments AstroBot is easily one of the best games Sony has ever produced. —Jessica Conditt, senior reporter
