Team Asobi's gigantic 2024 proves it's time to free Astro Bot from PlayStation's past

GamesPlatformerAstro BotTeam Asobi’s gigantic 2024 proves it’s time to free Astro Bot from PlayStation’s pastWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. GamesPlatformerAstro BotTeam Asobi’s gigantic 2024 proves it’s time to free Astro Bot from PlayStation’s pastWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Sony) Instead of looking up the definition of “joy” in the dictionary, you can just playAstro Bot. One of ourbest games of 2024, Astro Bot is an ingeniously innovative take on platformers – filled with creative levels, wild power-ups, and big set pieces. Taking off (Image credit: Sony) Launch party(Image credit: Team Asobi)Astro Bot review: “Soars above and beyond to serve up a near-perfect platformer” Launch party (Image credit: Team Asobi)Astro Bot review: “Soars above and beyond to serve up a near-perfect platformer” (Image credit: Team Asobi) Astro Bot review: “Soars above and beyond to serve up a near-perfect platformer” The game ingeniously throws all of these inspirations into a blender, creating an intoxicating mixture that doubles as a piece to show off the PS5 itself. In fact, there’s not a single game to date that does a better job of showing off the PS5 features – gyro controls, immersive audio, haptic feedback, instantaneous loading, the whole package. Of course, the free Astro’s Playroom that came with PS5 did the same thing, but Astro Bot blows it up on a much bigger scale. But it’s frustrating that the game has to be so intrinsically linked to that whole identity of PlayStation as a brand, like one big advertisement packed into one of the best games of the year. Outside of the basic structure, this manifests as the collectible Bots you can find scattered throughout the game. These all wear costumes from iconic PlayStation characters, like Solid Snake or the Helldivers. The Bots are a charming distraction, letting you relive the nostalgic memories that you have of past experiences – but they simultaneously feel like a graveyard. A reminder of all the series and studios thatSonyhas let languish and pass. Gravity Rush and Japan Studio aren’t around anymore. Sly Cooper and Jak are in disrepair. Legend of the Dragoon was a one-hit wonder. Ape Escape hasn’t had a new game in almost 15 years. (Image credit: Sony) While the intent was surely to celebrate PlayStation, it’s an inadvertent reminder of the bizarre spot the company is in right now, with a serious lack of middle-range franchises that can fill in the gaps between big releases. The PS5 is hurting for first-party games, so much so that its very best game, Astro Bot, can’t escape the shadow of PlayStation woes, even when the game succeeds wildly. Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more Astro Bot’s best moments are when the game deviates from that PlayStation veneer and does something wildly creative. A chipper Toy Story-esque stage that swaps between night and day. A stage that plays out like a musical as you travel up a singing tree. Or another where you can shrink into a tiny little mouse to solve a bunch of imaginative size-based puzzles. Team Asobi captures the charm of what so many people have come to love about PlayStation – the whimsy that so many older games used to embody. It’s tantalizing to think of the experience we could have gotten with the likes of Sly Cooper or Sackboy if there were games released today, given that same polish and care. But Team Asobi also shouldn’t be stuck in the box of having to create winks and nods to the past, it should be free to create vibrant new ideas. Astro Bot manages to feel distinctly exciting and fresh despite the nostalgia it shovels onto players constantly – but if its developer had free reign to create absolutely anything it wanted, that could be something exceptional. Let Astro Bot be his own bot, with grand adventures that are all about him, not his duties as a mascot. (Image credit: PlayStation) As much as it might be a cliche, Mario is the perfect example to look to. Nintendo’s franchise consistently finds a way to reinvent itself and break new ground, retaining the core soul of Mario while not feeling bound to the past. Look at experimental games like Mario + Rabbids, or even Super Mario Sunshine, a game that looks and feels like Mario, but introduces a wildly unique water mechanic that makes it feel unlike any other platformer out there. Astro Bot is one of the only platformers out there that feels as joyful to experience as a new Mario game – constantly bombarding players with new ideas that force you to think differently, and unique gimmicks that completely alter how you play. Team Asobi has created the defining game of the PS5, and should be given a blank check to do it again. 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uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams’ disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1 Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2 Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3 Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4 Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5 Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2 Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3 Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams’ disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams’ disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5 Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1 Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 2 Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 3 Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4 Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5 Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”