No one who has played Astro Bot will be surprised that the wonderful platformer of Team Asobi has been nominated as a GOTY candidate at The Game Awards gala. The adventure of the little robot is an absolute vindication of what video games mean, returning us to the pure essence of enjoying without complications.
The PS5 exclusive work has dozens of levels, each one more original than the last, and it is impossible not to be fascinated by each new proposal from the Japanese developer. Bulldog Booster, the Twin Frog Gloves and Handy-D These are some examples of how to give a fantastic twist to each area and make it feel first-hand in the DualSense.
When Sony announced that even more phases would be coming just a few weeks after launch, my smile shot from ear to ear. An excuse to keep recovering bots and jumping around? I sign where necessary, but you don’t even have to check out because they are all free. In a very successful move, each new level has arrived weekly so that the experience does not run out instantly. The distribution has been the following:
- October 17: Increasing Speed
- October 24: Slip
- October 31: Spring Race
- November 7: Helium Heights
- November 14: Rising Heat
The problem is that we are talking about time trial levels, the ones that least allow me to enjoy the fantasy of each scenario. It’s time to run at full speed to go to the end and get the best possible ranking, not only against your friends, but on the world table where there are real madmen.
Increasing Speed places the Bulldog Booster on Astro’s back to travel through a construction zone in no time and the dynamic is the same: reach the goal in the shortest time to, at least, rescue two bots tied to masts. Although it didn’t take me much effort to get the two little androids to the base, my hands paid the price for imposing a challenge on myself.
Given that I’m not that crazy nor do I have enough skill
Yes, you could watch a YouTube video to discover the most effective method to advance by breaking boxes, bypassing main paths and doing very demanding mid-air tricks. Despite the temptation, I wanted to achieve the goal by my own ingenuity, which is not much, but since I did not need anthological records I believed it could be achievable.
Slip is the one I have enjoyed the most by farbecause the sensation of sliding at full speed on the ice really enhances the idea that you are in a speedrun. Plus, creating frozen slides in the air is great, so there’s no need to slow down at any time. Spring Race is a mystery to me, because I can’t explain how the hell you can reach the finish line much faster than me.
I’ve tried different strategies a few times, but I just end up using conventional methods, which is a failure for the challenge. Helium Heights is another little mystery, as you’re a bit at the mercy of the air currents blowing through the clouds, but there’s nothing worse than Rising Heat. Sorry, here I have given up completely legally.
I am absolutely unable to move the damn monkey faster with the DualSense and anyone who succeeds will be accused by me of some kind of witchcraft. It is impossible to reach the flag under one minute, I simply am not able to accelerate even more. If someone saw me shaking my wrists with the controller in my hands, they would think I was suffering from some type of stroke, but it’s just me fighting against myself because of my psychomotor problems. All in all, these have been my final times:
- Increasing Speed: 00:38.249
- Slip: 00:40.946
- Spring Race: 00:47.315
- Helium Heights: 00:42.399
- Rising Heat: 01:04.382
- Total time: 03:53.191
In the end I have taken a look at the optimal way to achieve brutal marks and it all lies in a mechanical engineering exercise beyond my capabilities. I don’t want to compete against anyone, I don’t like it, and the DLC of Astro Bot has not helped in the task. This small galaxy is not what I expected, but I still must not give up hope. The end credits predict the arrival of more bots, so we just have to cross our fingers for Team Asobi to do their thing. I’ll pay whatever it takes.
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