Astro Bot review: "Soars above and beyond to serve up a near-perfect platformer"

GamesRadar+ VerdictAstro Bot doesn’t just deliver on the promise and potential displayed in PS5 pack-in demo Astro’s Playroom, but soars above and beyond to serve up a near-perfect platformer to rival – and possibly surpass – the best of Super Mario’s Mushroom Kingdom romps.TODAY’S BEST DEALS$49.97at Amazon$49.97at Walmart$49.99at Best BuyPros+Immersive, organic DualSense implementation+Incredibly varied, creative gameplay+Stunning visual presentationCons-Lacking touchpad integration-IP-based levels are less inspired GamesRadar+ Verdict GamesRadar+ Verdict Astro Bot doesn’t just deliver on the promise and potential displayed in PS5 pack-in demo Astro’s Playroom, but soars above and beyond to serve up a near-perfect platformer to rival – and possibly surpass – the best of Super Mario’s Mushroom Kingdom romps.TODAY’S BEST DEALS$49.97at Amazon$49.97at Walmart$49.99at Best Buy Astro Bot doesn’t just deliver on the promise and potential displayed in PS5 pack-in demo Astro’s Playroom, but soars above and beyond to serve up a near-perfect platformer to rival – and possibly surpass – the best of Super Mario’s Mushroom Kingdom romps. TODAY’S BEST DEALS$49.97at Amazon$49.97at Walmart$49.99at Best Buy TODAY’S BEST DEALS$49.97at Amazon$49.97at Walmart$49.99at Best Buy TODAY’S BEST DEALS$49.97at Amazon$49.97at Walmart$49.99at Best Buy TODAY’S BEST DEALS $49.97at Amazon$49.97at Walmart$49.99at Best Buy $49.97at Amazon $49.97at Amazon $49.97at Walmart $49.97at Walmart $49.99at Best Buy $49.99at Best Buy Pros+Immersive, organic DualSense implementation+Incredibly varied, creative gameplay+Stunning visual presentation Immersive, organic DualSense implementation Incredibly varied, creative gameplay Stunning visual presentation Cons-Lacking touchpad integration-IP-based levels are less inspired Lacking touchpad integration IP-based levels are less inspired Why you can trust GamesRadar+Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about our reviews policy. Why you can trust GamesRadar+Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about our reviews policy. As a pre-installed pack-in for the PS5, 2020’s Astro’s Playroom showcased the various features of the console’s DualSense controller. But more than just a slick tech demo, the bite-sized experience proved a capable little platformer that suggestedSonycould someday have its very own Super Mario Bros. among its stable of first-party franchises. With Astro Bot, the publisher – and talented developer Team Asobi – have more than delivered on that potential, crafting an incredibly polished, near-perfect platformer that not only earns the right to be discussed alongside Nintendo’s flagship series, but actually rivals the mustachioed mascot’s best princess-rescuing romps. Doubling down on the DualSense (Image credit: Sony) FAST FACTSRelease date: September 6, 2024Platform(s): PS5Developer: Team AsobiPublisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment FAST FACTS Release date: September 6, 2024Platform(s): PS5Developer: Team AsobiPublisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment Release date: September 6, 2024Platform(s): PS5Developer: Team AsobiPublisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment That’s not to say Astro Bot doesn’t leverage the PS5 controller’s innovative tech. On the contrary, the feature-packed platformer doubles-down in this regard, utilizing the peripheral’s haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, internal speaker, integrated microphone, and gyroscopic motion to significantly ratchet the immersion. But while its predecessor was occasionally – and maybe intentionally – guilty of being a bit gimmicky, shoehorning in some of the ways in which you could use the gamepad, Astro Bot’s thoughtful implementation always feels organic to the on-screen action. Tactile uses, such as piloting your hero’s DualSense-like spacecraft with motion gestures, as well as palpable sensations, such as pulling back a slingshot or traversing different surfaces, work wonderfully. While the gamepad’s smartly leveraged technology certainly ups the immersion, Astro Bot would succeed even without the benefit of the peripheral’s bells and whistles. Thanks to snappy, responsive, precisely-tuned controls, it would be a total blast to play even if stripped of the controller’s slick inclusions. In fact, I can’t remember the last time it felt this satisfying to simply move, jump, and melee-smash objects in any game, regardless of genre. Astro Bot and beyond (Image credit: Sony) But while these basic inputs are incredibly rewarding to execute, they barely scratch the surface of the brave bot’s arsenal and its related interactions. Spread across 50-plus, level-packed planets, the game’s main quest calls on the protagonist to not only collect parts to repair its crashed ship – which resembles a spacefaring PS5 – but also rescue up to 300 robot allies along the way. Completing these objectives, and tackling all the platforming challenges, clever puzzles, enemy encounters, and epic boss fights that come with them, requires Astro Bot to master his core moveset – which also includes foe-frying hover boots – as well as smartly utilize level-specific power-ups. Typically taking the form of animal-inspired backpacks, these advanced abilities allow Astro Bot to do everything from climb like a monkey and swim like a penguin to shrink down to the size of a mouse. Varied and imaginative, these skills significantly elevate Astro Bot’s already solid platforming action. The more basic, aforementioned upgrades are a ton of fun to unleash, but there’s also a handful of incredibly inspired powers that could support an entire game’s campaign, let alone a few levels. Favorites include the ability to turn Astro Bot into a sponge, a skill with a surprising amount of benefits. Jumping into a pool of water as this super-absorbent version of the hero will dramatically increase its size, allowing the bot to barrel through levels like the Kool-Aid Man. But players can also expel water from the spongy protagonist, shrinking him down to normal stature while putting out fires or expanding equally absorbent objects to create usable platforms. (Image credit: Sony) Where similar experiences might offer multiple themed lands filled with similar looking levels, Astro Bot ambitiously goes above and beyond to ensure you’re never seeing the same thing twice. And this is before you consider all the secret levels, bonus challenges, and a homebase-like crash site brimming with even more activities to engage in, collectibles to gather, bots to rescue, and cosmetics to acquire. A galaxy of fan service (Image credit: PlayStation Studios) More than just optional collectibles though, these characters nicely tie into the game’s progression, as unlocking each planet requires a specific amount of rescued robots. Collectors and completionists alike can also invest in cosmetics – using gathered coins – to accessorize their adorable allies, which keep busy at the crash site while you’re off adventuring. Mileage will vary based on your roster of rescues, but a quick glance at your homebase might reveal Joel and Ellie fighting an infected foe just a few feet from Journey’s Traveler knitting a scarf, while Psycho Mantis creepily lurks in the background. Like every other aspect of Astro Bot, its visuals raise the bar and then some to deliver one of the prettiest games to ever appear on a PlayStation console. Packed with vibrant personality and drenched in immersive details, it sports an endlessly polished, eye-popping presentation to rival anythingPixarhas ever put on the big screen. A near-perfect platforming game and probable game-of-the-year contender, Astro Bot justifies a PS5 purchase as much as any Norse God-slayer or fungal apocalypse survivor. Disclaimer Astro Bot: Price Comparison $59.99$49.97ViewDeal ends in08h 59m 25s$59.99$49.97View$59.99$49.99View$49.99View$59.99$49.99View $59.99$49.97ViewDeal ends in08h 59m 25s $59.99$49.97View $59.99$49.97View $59.99$49.97 $49.97 Deal ends in08h 59m 25s Deal ends in08h 59m 25s Deal ends in08h 59m 25s $59.99$49.97View $59.99$49.97View $59.99$49.97View $59.99$49.97 $49.97 $59.99$49.99View $59.99$49.99View $59.99$49.99View $59.99$49.99 $49.99 $49.99View $49.99View $49.99View $49.99 $49.99 $59.99$49.99View $59.99$49.99View $59.99$49.99View $59.99$49.99 $49.99 Show More Deals Show More Deals We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices CATEGORIESPS5PlatformsPlayStation CATEGORIES More about astro botTeam Asobi’s gigantic 2024 proves it’s time to free Astro Bot from PlayStation’s pastAstro Bot finally gets a Square Enix character, but it’s Gex and not Final Fantasy 7’s CloudLatestI didn’t know how badly I wanted to grill and gobble up monsters until this upcoming 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