Wow.
Four years ago, Astro’s Playroom was an amazing introduction to my PS5. What a game! And it was free! My praise was gushing. I just hoped that Sony would give something big to Team ASOBI!
Now we have that something big. Astro Bot. Not just a follow up, or even just a full-on Mario level contender. It’s a call. A call to the gaming industry that there’s a place for increasing realism and deep storytelling. There’s a place for grinding multiplayer. But we play games to enjoy them, for escapism. And there will always be a place for gamers of all ages to enjoy strong platforming characters. Astro Bot is the perfect encapsulation of it. From it’s tight controls, to it’s celebratory nature, and even its sometimes challenging later levels, it’s what I want from gaming.
It’s actually easier for me to list the things that bug me about Astro’s Playroom:
- Swimming down isn’t intuitive.
- No option to stay in the current level when discovering a warp to a special level.
I know it’s not a long list. But that’s the level this game is operating at. Two things that could probably be patched in down the line. If we were to flip it and list what I love, this piece would be ridiculous. I’d point out every moment that made me smile, or how gaming intuition is rewarded, or how the soundtrack is full of bangers.
This game makes me happy. It makes people watching me play it happy. If you have any interest in or appreciation for games at all, and even if you’ve never touched a PlayStation, play Astro Bot.
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