Sometimes, giving something up free of charge can pay off in spades down the line. Sony packed in Astro’s Playroom with the PlayStation 5, free of charge. At first, I found the game to be an afterthought. I didn’t even play it. I thought it would be a tutorial of the system’s unique controller and nothing else. Boy was I wrong!
I gave the game a chance so that my kid (who was 5 then) could try it out. Surprisingly, mostly to me, the game was awesome. We both loved it. It was challenging in the right parts, and the game certainly took advantage of every innovative feature that the PlayStation 5 controller had to offer.
There was a certain pristine level of polish to the game’s controls feel, and a level design scheme that approached Nintendo EAD’s best work with its iconic Super Mario series. That’s a major compliment coming from me because Sega has spent over 3 decades trying to get its Sonic franchise to match Nintendo’s plumber’s brilliance, and it has failed to do so (sometimes in spectacularly bad fashion).
Mario has had competition before on the Nintendo 64, mainly from Rareware who made some impressive (better looking) Super Mario 64 clones in Banjo-Kazooie, and DK 64. Both of the aforementioned are great platforming games in their own right, but never quite matched Mario 64’s polished controls, and overall genius level design. I can say the same for Jak and Dexter (Naughty Dog’s own attempt at the formula) on PlayStation 2.
Super Mario has never had any true competition…until now.
Astro Bot is the Best Platformer Game since Super Mario Odyssey
Apart from the fact that Team Asobi (Astro’s development team) managed to create a likable character and an universe that is a vibrant and as charming as anything Nintendo could have conceived, Astro Bot matches Nintendo EAD’s genius in terms of level design and ingenuity.
The PlayStation 5 controller is a state of the art interface tool in gaming. But you wouldn’t know this by playing any other PS5 game that isn’t Astro Bot, or Astro Bot’s Playroom. Â Yes, Forbidden West, and Ragnarok utilize the controller’s haptic feedback and pressure sensitive tigger in different ways. But the controller is never pushed to the limit as it is done here in Astro Bot.
Asobi did not only master the craft of creating a polished accessible, yet extremely challenging platform here, but it also aced the challenge of designing such a game around the PlayStation 5’s unique controller. Everything from the haptic feedback to the pressure sensitive buttons, to the controller’s mic which can measure how hard you blow into it, and the surprisingly precise way in which moving it can affect objects on the screen, is utilized here to maximum effect.
Astro Bot is a sad reminder that for 4 years the PlayStation 5 hardware has been underutilized by developers neglecting many of its key aspects. The system’s controller is truly a transformative tool that enhances the gameplay experience to levels that perhaps only Nintendo EAD was able to match with its Mario Galaxy titles and the Wii’s unique motion control set up.
Astro Bot is Beautiful Even if it Doesn’t Quite Push the PlayStation 5 to its Limit
There is no ray tracing to speak off in Astro Bot, despite the fact that there are plenty of metallic and reflective surfaces in the game. The art style is cartoonish, but the game has true 4K assets that look incredible sharp on a 4K screen. The attention to detail in the game is impeccable and worlds inspired by Sony’s behemoths such as God of War and Horizon look every bit the part within Astro’s magical art stye.
The water effects are gorgeous, and every blade of grass, and patch of snow reacts to our cute little robot avatar. All in all, Astro Bot looks great for the type of game that it is. Every Sony themed environment has the proper look, and music to remind you what game it is based on. I particularly enjoyed the God of War, and Horizon inspired levels.
Just like Playroom, Astro Bot as its core is a celebration of Sony’s PlayStation history. But the game has multiple worlds, and secret levels that can make it last longer than your average platform game.
An Accessible yet Extremely Challenging Game
Asobi has mastered the art of crafting a polished platformer that a 7 year old can finish (my 7 year old beat the last boss on his first try), but that a 40 year old like me will have a hard time mastering (finding all of the missing bots and puzzle pieces) because some of  the secret/optional levels are extremely difficult to conquer.
Precision, timing, and yes, a little bit of luck play a part in some of the tougher levels where dying once will force you to replay the whole level again.
After decades of searching for a true Mario clone/killer (I thought the first  Jak and Dexter came close) Sony has found one in Astro Bot. The diverse arrangement of unique abilities that Astro can utilize depending on the game world he is traversing always keeps things fresh and engaging.
The Game of the Year
If a perfect game is one that you can’t really find faults in, then Astro Bot is such a game. Other front runners for the award such as Black Myth, and FFVII: Rebirth did well this year. Wukong commercially and critically, and Rebirth critically. But both games had a plethora of technical issues on PS5, with Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth being the most mind boggling of all. Rebirth in many instances looked like a PS4 game (a legacy of Unreal 4).
Astro Bot is not as demanding as those games visually, but it runs flawlessly at 60FPS in 4K. There is nothing that I can think of at this moment that would have made Astro Bot a better game. Visually, and Gameplay wise the game is a masterpiece, and a painful reminder that 4 years into the PlayStation 5’s lifecycle very few games have taken advantage of its hardware, and its unique game changing controller.
Super Mario, after 4 decades of absolute dominance (with a brief contested period during Sonic’s Sega Genesis run) in the platformer space, you finally have a worthy rival in Astro Bot. I look forward to whatever Team Asobi has planned next.
Gameplay 10/10
Best playing, and feeling (yes the controller makes you ‘feel’) game I have played since…Super Mario Galaxy? Clever design makes Astro Bot enjoyable for younger gamers, and extremely challenging for older heads. The game utilizes every single feature that PS5 controller can muster to a full degree.
For four years I wondered why Sony would spend so much money crafting such a complex controller if games were only using some of its features as gimmick implementation in gameplay. Astro Bot fully validates the existence and design of the controller. Every other first party PS5 developer should feel inspired by what Team Asobi accomplished here.
Graphics 10/10
There are no Ray Traced reflections here, but Astro Bot does such a great job in presenting a clean fluid  image during gameplay that no fancy effects are needed. The game presents great 4K materials everywhere, incredible Snow deformation, and other elements that make the  game’s game worlds come to life. Simply put: Astro Bot pushes the PS5 Hardware in all of the right places. The use of particle deformation, fluid simulation, and overall game world physics is flawless. It is a technical showcase of Sony’s hardware.
Sound: 10/10
Incredible music, and Sound Effects. Astro Bot’s cute noises also adorn the game’s aural experience perfectly. Just like the visuals, the game’s sound pushes the right buttons.
Story: N/A
Astro Bot isn’t so much about story, but about nostalgia inducing moments to old school Sony fans. Newer fans like my seven year old fun, will be endeared by Astro Bot’s cute design, and the desire to find his lost companion while looking to defeat and evil alien entity. On a plus note, my kid is now interested in the innards and inner workings of the PlayStation 5.
Overall: 10/10
As good as Super Mario Odyssey? Yes! And in some regards, even better! Astro Bot is my game of the year. Team Asobi pulled off something here that I thought was impossible for anyone not named Nintendo EAD, they brought back the kid hidden deep within me during the game’s run time.
Astro Bot might be the best reason to own a PS5 thus far.
Agree with the author? Couldn’t disagree more and are frothing at the mouth to tell him? Leave a comment here, on Facebook or send an email and make sure to follow Never Ending Realm on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube!