Astro Bot Review: At Last, A Nintendo-tier Platformer On Playstation

Not exactly my jam – but it would seem this, like other games before it, are fun to be had by anyone. That’s why many studios try to compensate by pouring money into those other areas. These games are a celebration of gaming – specifically PlayStation gaming.

We’ll just have to see what Team ASOBI has in store for Astro Bot’s next adventure. Developers are still working hard to bring even more content to Astro Bot in future updates, and while it’s early days yet, we do have some initial details to run with. The Stranded Scout, Nightmare Guardian, Greedy Ape, and Pro Driver Cameo Bots will only be available at the Crash Site once players have unlocked them in Astro’s Playroom. The following guide includes the identities of every Astro Bot cameo character, as well as information about the stage or area in which they’ll need to be unlocked. Players can also watch the video at the top of the page to see their animations and Gatcha Lab items. Yeah, and of course every game is different – different art styles, different engines, different visual goals, etc.

There is, for instance, a God of War stage – I don’t want to spoil the others, most of which I liked even more, but Kratos has appeared in marketing materials thus far so I felt like the best choice for showing an example. Really, the whole game feels as if it were created to push as much ‘stuff’ as possible. Objects break, give and collect in huge numbers lending the game world a tremendous amount of life. As you rescue bots, for instance, they gather on the game’s central planet and the engine has zero trouble displaying all of them at once. You can recruit them to help you out and it’s a joy watching them all gather in huge numbers.

What Are All Special Bots In Astro Bot? Spike – Monkey Stalker

However, similar to Playroom, the team has built a huge range of power-ups and gadgets and then built entire level concepts around them seamlessly. Each of these are fun in their own right but the sheer variety and ease of use impressed me the most. Despite often radically altering your moveset, the game never resorts to tutorial text – just a small, animated pop-up indicating basic actions. There’s ample destruction as well – in the Japan-themed stage, for instance, a power-up involving a sponge is introduced. You can soak up water then spray it on flaming objects to put them out, similar to Kirby and the Forgotten Land. However, in giant sponge form, Astro Bot can smash through obstacles in a glorious display of destruction.

You need to fly around the Nebula with your space ship until a UFO appears that holds the puzzle pieces, simply fly into it to collect it. If you replay levels, you can buy a satellite at the start for coins that marks the collectible locations. However, you need 15,000 coins to buy 150 gatcha items for the Money Well Spent trophy, so it’s best to not spend coins on the satellites. After reaching 100% completion you will have close to 15,000 coins if you don’t spend them on satellites.

That soundtrack scores levels that seem simple at first, but soon unfurl themselves to reveal tantalising depths and secrets. Most are fairly linear, but some go the extra mile and are enjoyably knotty, providing sandbox-like areas to hunt for collectibles in. There’s never the openness found in the large-by-comparison Mario Odyssey levels, but enough nooks and crannies to get stuck into nonetheless.

Once that’s accomplished, head to the Crash Site and press the big red button to initiate the boss battle. As of writing, there is no information regarding the game receiving a PC version. However, we may infer that there is a possibility that the game will head to PC in a few years, similar to their other first-party titles.

Find an up-to-date list of every game available in the Xbox Game Pass (and PC Game Pass) library at all membership levels, and find out which games are coming soon and leaving soon. One of the best 3D platformers of all time is on sale for $40 through December 18. Team ASOBI is a collective of passionate game creators from various nationalities, ages, genders and backgrounds. They are brought together by our love of “Play” in all its forms. Members of Team ASOBI discuss what it takes to make a platformer feel good. Watch Episode 1, and continue the Astro journey with the 5-episode behind the scenes series.

Astro Bot hides over 300 secret bots, including 195 cameo bots from other games spanning PlayStation’s long history. Astro Bot is an adventure platformer where you control Astro as he explores six galaxies and over 80 levels across 50 planets to find his scattered crew. Astro Bot received PlayStation 5 Pro support and new, more challenging levels back in February. Team Asobi’s platformer won numerous Game of the Year awards, including at 2024’s The Game Awards and the 2025 BAFTA Awards. The game features more than 50 diverse planets spread across six themed galaxies, each offering unique challenges and environments to explore.

Its wild characters and artful, innovative games are particularly favored in Astro Bot’s directory of PlayStation history. Team ASOBI has crafted a next-gen platforming experience that showcases everything the PlayStation 5 has to offer, from stunning visuals to innovative DualSense features. However, collecting all 300 bots, finding all secrets, and achieving 100% completion can extend playtime to 18+ hours. From incredible Astro Bot speedrun records to creative gameplay challenges, our community continues to discover new ways to enjoy this beloved platformer.

This is because while Astro Bot is that celebration of PlayStation’s history, it’s also a visual graveyard of IP that will never again see the light of day, making their appearance absolutely sting. It’s great to see ASOBI showing this level of appreciation of what has come before, but it also shows Sony’s very apparent inability to leverage what built them up in the first place. Jigsaw pieces can also be discovered if you’re skilled and/or keen eyed, which eventually open up a variety of features that enrich the entire experience. There’s a safari you can unlock, too, allowing you to take pictures with the many animals found on the game.

What Are All Special Bots In Astro Bot? Pekerone – Exuberant Blob

Filled with references to hardware throughout PlayStation’s history and boasting an abundance of cameo appearances from popular characters, Astro’s Playroom celebrated PlayStation’s history in a unique way. This made Astro not just the new kid on the block, but established the bot as a character integral to the PlayStation brand. This became The Playroom, Team Asobi’s first game.The Playroom came preloaded with the PS4 when it launched back in 2013 and functioned as a showcase of what the PlayStation Camera and DualShock 4 controller could do. One of the mini games featured was AR Bots, a tech demo-like experience that made it seem as if 40 little robots were inside the DualShock 4. By swiping the touchpad you could throw them into the room and interact with them through the PlayStation Camera in AR, before sucking them back into the controller.

Dominating Apex Is The Easy Part — It’s The Fans Who Challenge Imperialhal

IGN, among other major gaming outlets, praised ASTRO BOT’s revolutionary approach to platforming. luck8 at The Game Awards 2024 ceremony marks a new era for PlayStation Studios and Team ASOBI. You’ll need a PlayStation 5 console and sufficient storage space (approximately 50GB). The game is optimized for play on 4K displays but supports all PS5-compatible displays. From Astro Bot Funko Pop figures to limited edition collectibles, show your support for Team Asobi’s masterpiece.

Unfortunately, the future is a bit uncertain for Astro Bot, as Team Asobi hasn’t revealed what’s next after this DLC pack. Considering the popularity of the game, it’s easy to assume more DLC is on the way, though as of now, nothing is official. What fans do know is that Sony has been thrilled with Astro Bot’s reception and performance. In fact, Sony announced more games like Astro Bot are being planned, expanding its family-friendly offerings.