Astro Bot is delightfully good – Overview – WGB

Nintendo is the simple king of the mascot platformers, dominating the style for years with a sure purple plumber whose penchant for mushrooms is finest ignored. Different video games have come near matching Nintendo’s icon over time, however not from the likes of Xbox and PlayStation who’ve been content material to let Mario maintain the crown. However then the PS5 launched and with it got here Astro Bot’s Playroom, an endlessly charming freebie that grabbed individuals’s consideration for its intelligent use of the Dualsense and its nostalgic PlayStation vibe. However on the core was a hell of a platformer, and now a couple of years later Astro Bot is starring in a triple-A 3D platformer which may simply rival the diminutive pipe technician.

A part of the enjoyable is as a result of it’s simply cool to play a big-budget triple-A platformer that isn’t closely restricted by janky {hardware}. There are some wonderful indie platformers on the market that may compete with the very best of them on gameplay and basic vibe, however Astro Bot is the entire bundle: it’s an incredible platformer backed by an enormous finances on {hardware} that lets it shine. It’s bought the Nintendo magic with the PlayStation razzle-dazzle. The Mario swagger with the Kratos physique.

One factor Astro Bot has not misplaced since his final outing is the robust attachment to the PlayStation model. A part of me is fearful that Asobi and Sony are too centered on tying Astro Bot to PlayStation and I hope that in his subsequent journey, Astro Bot could be allowed to face on his personal two cute little toes once more. That’s a priority for the longer term, although, so let’s push it to the aspect for now.

We’re instantly greeted by Astro and a number of other hundred of his buddies cruising the galaxy of their mothership, which simply so occurs to be a PS5, when Area Bully Nebulax pulls up searching for a combat. He steals the mothership’s processor, inflicting the PS5 to crash-land onto a close-by planet. It’s as much as Astro Bot to rescue his 300 lacking comrades, most of them dressed up as basic PlayStation characters, and discover the scattered components wanted to repair the PS5 to allow them to search out Area Bully Nebulax and kick his alien ass.

And that’s it for the story. Like most basic 3D platformers, Astro Bot doesn’t spend an excessive amount of time on the narrative as a result of it desires you to simply leap in and have enjoyable exploring the handfuls and dozens of bite-sized ranges unfold throughout a number of galaxies. What blooms from the easy premise is round 10-hours of the best platforming and adventuring I’ve ever had the robotic pleasure of experiencing. And simply once you assume you’ve seen the whole lot the sport has, it throws in one other glorious boss combat or cool set-piece otherwise you uncover yet one more cute little element.

In the event you performed Astro’s Playroom you then’ll be immediately conversant in the moveset out there to you: a easy leap, a laser-powered glide and two sorts of assault. Certainly, one in every of my few criticisms of Astro Bot is the restricted suite of strikes, particularly in comparison, as soon as once more, to the Mario collection. However whereas simplistic, Astro’s moveset is a pleasure to make use of because of the exact, responsive controls. It’s virtually indescribable – you must maintain the controller and transfer Astro Bot’s astro butt round to understand the crisp controls.

The result’s a recreation that’s extremely good at getting you into that magical zen-like movement. The best way the degrees are designed and the sharp controls make it really easy to maintain the momentum going, to shortly learn the place it’s worthwhile to go and what it’s worthwhile to do, that your mind can swap off and simply waft. It’s a magical feeling and one which solely a choose few video games can pull off.

After all, it helps that Astro Bot is so obscenely charming on each possible stage. You will discover it in the whole lot, from the cutesy enemy designs to the catchy, bouncy music that I nonetheless discover myself buzzing below my breath. At one level I leapt atop a cow (each residing being is a robotic of some kind) and found a bespoke animation the place Astro Bot sits astride the beast after which hugs it. There are heaps of small particulars like this that assist deliver the sport to life, a myriad of little ways in which Staff Asobi imbued their love and keenness into Astro’s journey. Simply after I assume I’ve seen the whole lot the sport has to supply, it items me with a magical stage a couple of musical tree or rescuing an enormous starfish. There’s seemingly no finish to Staff Asobi’s creativeness and want to entertain.

Talking of bringing the sport to life, Staff Asobi stay the undisputed king’s of utilizing the Dualsense controller to the fullest. Each stage begins with gliding in on a customized Dualsense controller, utilizing the gyro controls to rigorously (or not so rigorously) land. You may really feel the light pitter-patter of Astro’s toes as he jogs alongside steel and the regular drumroll of raindrops hitting his tiny umbrella. These particulars are refined, sure, however in addition they assist immerse you into the world. I can’t assist however want extra firms would use Dualsense’s capabilities, though I suppose I can perceive why they don’t – it’s a number of improvement money and time to sink into one thing most individuals most likely don’t care about.

Astro’s moveset is augmented by varied power-ups within the type of cuddly animals that leap onto his again and go for a journey. Whereas the Mario video games choose to have a number of power-ups sprinkled round, Staff Asobi prefers to have one per stage in order that all the space could be constructed round utilizing it to the fullest. There are some absolute banger power-ups right here, however let’s speak about a few them – my favorite could be freezing due to the way you get to platform throughout rushing obstacles, making it to the opposite aspect simply within the nick of time. There’s additionally a unbelievable power-up that shrinks Astro Bot which is utilized in some glorious sequences. Oh! And there’s one that permit’s you absorb water like a large robo-sponge! And this actually cool rooster that blasts you upwards like a rocket! And…and and this different one which makes platforms in mid air! And…yeah, you get the purpose.

Plenty of the attraction comes from amassing the 300 little robots scattered throughout the degrees. A lot of them are generic Astro Bots, however an enormous chunk of them are cosplaying as basic PlayStation characters or as references to different video games. You may gather the likes of Nathan Drake, Lara Croft, Dante, a heap of monkeys from Ape Escape, Kratos and so many extra. It’s PlayStation Pokemon, mainly.

Gathering the little bots scattered all through the degrees like presents is a pleasure in its personal proper, however the recreation does one higher by sending them residence to the crash website. Everytime you return you’re greeted by each bot you’ve discovered, all of them gathering to cheerfully welcome you again earlier than they scurry off to hang around, have enjoyable and wait so that you can go to them. It’s like being welcomed residence by 300 canine that adore you! Additionally they serve a sensible operate – they type ropes and bridges that can assist you attain new areas of the crash website, however that feels secondary to the larger function they serve: they’re simply enjoyable. It’s cool to see all of them hanging out, and you may spend cash in a gacha machine to unlock props for them as nicely.

There’s a unusual undercurrent to amassing all these items of PlayStation historical past although, one which most individuals most likely aren’t even going to consider. You see, there’s an excellent chunk of the misplaced bots that signify IPs and video games you possibly can’t even play on PlayStation today. For that matter, of the IPs current solely one in every of them wants a PS5 to be performed. All the remaining could be performed on PS4 or elsewhere. None of this actually impacts your enjoyment of the very good platforming, however I discovered it fascinating nonetheless. It explores PlayStation’s previous and celebrates lots of the video games that made the model profitable, but it surely additionally highlights how unneeded the PS5 can generally really feel. As a lot as it’s a celebration of the corporate’s historical past, It isn’t a celebration of PlayStations current.

Every little galaxy of ranges is capped off by a particular themed space the place Astro Bots dons the costume of PlayStation icon, inheriting their talents for a spell. The primary of those is Ape Escape, so Astro Bot wields the basic web and will get to run round capturing pesky apes as they cover in bushes and scamper about. One other stage has you enjoying as Astro Kratos, full with an axe you possibly can hurl and a badass techno remix of the God of Conflict theme music. These ranges are, in fact, a spotlight of the sport, which is why it’s a disgrace that there’s solely a handful of them. I might have cherished extra of them, masking an excellent wider vary of PlayStation IP, however I assume Staff Asobi need to preserve one thing again for the longer term. And, maybe, in the event that they and centered an excessive amount of on dressing up Astro Bot it might have taken the highlight away from the little android.

The boss fights towards the top of every galaxy are one other spotlight in an already glorious recreation. Some individuals have complained that Staff Asobi have resused the bosses from Astro Bot titles and that’s true – nonetheless, the precise mechanics of the combat are fully completely different. I really discovered it fairly cool to see the bosses again. In spite of everything, if Mario can combat Bowser for the millionth time, why can’t Astro Bot face-off in opposition to some returning foes? Like the remainder of the sport, the boss fights are extraordinarily straightforward (this isn’t a recreation that’s going to problem you, apart from a few barely trickier non-obligatory ranges) however immensely enjoyable.

Right here’s the one phrase I feel sums up Astro Bot. Properly, two phrases, however solely as a result of I’m a little bit of a twat: fucking pleasant. It’s pleasant. It’s delightfully charming. It’s delightfully enjoyable to play. It’s pleasant to take a look at. Man, it’s simply fucking pleasant.

Whereas Astro’s previous adventures in VR and as a tech-demo on PS5 had been nice in tjheir personal rights, Astro Bot proves past a shadow of a doubt that the mechanical marvel can’t solely star in his very personal triple-A, full-priced banger of a recreation, however that he may be PlayStation’s new mascot if the corporate is . Whereas he may not be ever as common as PlayStation’s extra severe characters, he’s bought household attraction, one thing which the model doesn’t have a lot of.

Astro Bot has the whole lot you could possibly need in a 3D platformer; crisp controls, attractive visuals, glorious stage designs, enjoyable energy ups and oodles of attraction. Mario has competitors, and in contrast to the plumber, this hero doesn’t want mushrooms to have an excellent time.