Astrobot makes me happy.
Honestly, that’s all you need to know in this review. I love a lot of video games, but few have made me smile with their details and surprises as much as this one. Each new level brought something new that left me completely fascinated and I was quickly convinced that this is one of the best video games of recent years.
The plot is simple. Hundreds of robots are traveling through the universe in a ship suspiciously similar to a PS5 when they are attacked by a flying saucer. They crash in an unknown galaxy and our protagonist Astro now has the duty of rescuing all his companions and finding all the missing pieces of his ship in order to resume his journey.
It is true that Astrobot It doesn’t have an epic story, but it doesn’t need one in the same way that a Super Mario game needs nothing more than a princess being kidnapped or Bowser attacking another kingdom to justify taking action. That comparison works perfectly because Astro is undoubtedly “The Mario of PlayStation” in a way that other mascots like Crash Bandicoot and Visit Inoue They never were.
Intergalactic jumps
This is a 3D action-platformer game in which we advance through mostly linear levels, jumping over obstacles, eliminating enemies and exploring a bit to find hundreds of secrets. It has simple and easy-to-learn gameplay that allows very precise control of the protagonist’s movements, but each new scenario has plenty of surprises for us.
Practically each level of Astrobot introduces a new skill or toolWe have “frog gloves” that let us extend our arms to punch, a squid that inflates us to float in the air, and even the ability to slow down time. While some of these systems are repeated, there are always new elements in the level design that take advantage of them in fun and original ways.
Since I mentioned level design, I have to say that Each of the planets we visit is on par with the best worlds seen in games of the same genre created by Nintendo.. If it weren’t for the fact that Astrobot It has a personality of its own —and very attached to the PlayStation brand, but I’ll talk about that below— I could have been confused and thought I was playing Super Mario Galaxy, 3D World u OdysseyIn a word, they are perfect and I don’t say that lightly.
“A love letter to the history of PlayStation”
This is how many described Astro’s Playroomthe short but extremely fun experience that came at launch with the PlayStation 5 console and that It was full of references to the brand of consoles created by Sony. Some refer to it as a simple ‘tech demo’ of the DualSense controller’s capabilities and say that the new Astrobot as “the complete game”. Although I do consider Playroom As a fully-fledged game despite its short length, there is no doubt that this new title does offer much more than what we saw in its predecessor.
This ‘expansion’ not only has more gameplay ideas and more levels, but it connects even more with the history of PlayStation. Half of the lost robots that we must rescue are references to characters from the last four generations of video games.
We can rescue robots dressed as Kratos, Aloy and Ellie, but also as Spyro, Leon Kennedy and even Joker from Persona 5. Some get special treatment, and there are levels entirely dedicated to them, filled with references to their games. Running through levels catching apes or roaming Midgard with Leviathan’s axe is supremely fun, but the playable and aesthetic basis of Astrobot It’s so strong that I honestly didn’t need any of this to be special.l.
In fact, I’m a little worried that the name of Astrobot so closely related to PlayStation, not because it’s theirs, but because of the presence of other worlds and characters in their games. It runs the risk of becoming the brand’s “crossover franchise” and this dominating the conversation over its own qualities.
Dangerous Galaxies
Like other platform games starring “mascots” such as Mario, Sonic and Crash Bandicoot, Astrobot It may seem like a particularly childish game. Indeed, It is a game that is more than suitable for children, but it also hides highly difficult challenges for those who want to put their reflexes and skills to the test.
Finding most of the 300 missing robots and puzzle pieces hidden throughout the levels isn’t particularly difficult — especially since you can activate a bird-like radar to steer you in the right direction — but there are a fair number of secret levels with combat and platforming challenges that require high precision and a lot of skill.
I think I have already extended a review that, as I said at the beginning, could be summarized in a simple “Astrobot makes me happy.” This is a perfect game. It has excellent level design, a great balance between fun and difficulty, phenomenal music, a cheerful aesthetic full of original details and many surprises.Even the tons of references to PlayStation history and video games, which I found unnecessary, made me smile.
If you have a PS5 console, this is a must-play. It’s the best 3D platformer to come out in over five years and even the next big game. Super Mario Bros. will have a hard time getting over it. It’s pure love.
This review was made with a digital copy of Astro Bot for PlayStation 5 provided by PlayStation Latin America.
