I am, by and large, a big fan of Astro. As the kind of de facto mascot of the PS4 and PS5, the adorable little robot has been the face of tech demos for PlayStation, with many seeing the PS5 exclusive Astro’s Playroom as almost a sort of testing ground for a franchise featuring the PlayStation-colored robot.
With the upcoming Astro Bot, we got a clearer vision of what the future for our pearl-white friend is going to be. Admittedly, mascot platformers are a huge challenge- the best ones are polished to a mirror shine, and that can make good-but-rough entries seem terrible in comparison.
Thanks to Sony Interactive Entertainment, we got to try out about 90 minutes of the upcoming platformer, and goodness does it hold up.
Screenshots were captured from B-roll running on a PS5
Astro Bot Gets 3D Platformer Magic
To my surprise Astro Bot actually has the potential to not just be a game for PlayStation fans, but platformer fans altogether. The worlds of Astro Bot aren’t quite big and expansive, but have just enough hiding around the corner to incentivize messing around. Considering every planet has its own unique mechanic to interact with, you’re constantly left thinking about how you’re meant to interact with the worlds around you in fun and interesting ways.
In one world, you’re using an octopus to float up or crash down rapidly. Sure, the direct path wants you to use it to just make a few jumps. But the game doesn’t stop you from walking back to the open field behind you and testing out what else you can do with your enhanced floating capabilities.
In another, you get a bulldog dash. Here’s where the game really gets interesting- Astro’s movements have a decent amount of momentum to them, and launching the mascot forward can push you up ledges, or even objects into basketball hoops. It’s a simple change but it makes the world feel so different from the one before it
While you’re primarily looking for lost Bots or puzzle pieces, even the manner of collecting coins can be interesting. In the second planet I got to play there’s a secret box of basketballs, and launching one of them through the hoop gets you some coins for your trouble.
It’s a really good means of capturing the spirit of a fun platformer. Yes, you’re on a mission to save various Bots, but the core of the game is very clearly to have fun. Taking side paths, beating up enemy robots, they’re all designed with this kind of polish and care to really see Astro as more than just the thing you’re getting to the finish line.
As you rescue bots you can cradle them in your controller, throwing them into the air like a child without the fear of dropping them . If you’ve complained modern platformers don’t have personality or are too jaded, Astro Bot is your balm.
That being said that doesn’t mean they put all their time into polish and forgot to make a game. Some of the levels in Astro Bot are downright amazing, such as the demo boss fight that has you go from an action game arena fight to a really clever platforming session before tagging into a finale fight against the boss.
It’s designed in a way that’s really cool specifically because it looks like the dev team looked for new problems to give you. That level in particular has you timing your platforming to tidal waves- if you’re caught below water level when the wave hits you’re made to restart. It’s a fun little challenge to spice up an otherwise casually challenging platformer.
In This Behemoth Typhoon, You Spend 60 Minutes Getting Anti-Aired By A Wrecking Ball
Of course, if you want difficulty Astro Bot has that too. The build we played also had two bonus levels, on the outer rings of difficulty. This is where the game gets downright mean. While the jump from Easy to Normal planet difficulty feels like a step up the Hard levels feel like vaulting up the stairs.
There’s some genuinely hard stuff that isn’t even power-up dependent- all skill, as you handle things like glass floors, Behemoth Typhoons of doom and some precise platforming if you even want to dream of hitting the other end.
I should note that when I say precise platforming I don’t mean it in the way that the game feels jank- every hitbox in Astro Bot feels clearly designed with intent. But the bonus levels are so steeped in malice that they’re there to make sure you never say the phrase “Platformers are for kids” ever again.
A Love Letter To PlayStation
Given how complete of an experience I felt like I got out of four-and-a-half levels of Astro Bot I’m personally really interested to see how the full game goes. If the power up and level design holds up across all its levels we could be in for a 3D platformer renaissance- I could easily see the community sinking their teeth into the secrets Astro Bot might hold.
But even those block-jumpers aside Astro Bot looks like a fun addition to the PlayStation catalogue. It’s a video gamer’s game, and there’s a certain magic to seeing the game polished to sell that rather than frame it as some cinematic adventure. Just like Astro’s Playroom before it it looks like there’ll be plenty to look for if you’re a PlayStation fanboy- just seeing a bot dressed as Parappa the Rapper convinced me enough that PlayStation was digging deep into the toybox for references.
Astro Bot is set to come out for PS5 on September 6th, with pre orders available now.
