ASTRO BOT, my two cents on why you should get it NOW.

Oh look another article about game of the year 2024. Yes, I’m late to the party but I’m so glad I made it. I managed to borrow a copy of Astro Bot this easter weekend. I would’ve bought my own copy, but I still have a massive backlog and I’m cheap. So I tend to wait for sales.

So, firstly, what is Astro Bot and why is it the second coming of platforming games? Astro Bot is a cute robot mascot from Sony that traverses different colourful planets. Your main mission is to rescue other Sony mascots, all of them in the same robot form (this helps cover rights issues… apparently).

The levels consist of jungles, deserts, volcanoes, construction sites, dojos and more. It’s a simple premise, but it’s designed presumably by descendants of Leonardo da Vinci. Chained in some gaming studio’s basement somewhere. It’s art for the eyes, and food for the soul.

Every level has bots you need to rescue, puzzle pieces you have to collect and secret levels you can unlock. You can even play as Bot versions of Kratos, Drake, Alloy and more. Once you rescue them you get to use their abilities on their own levels. Also, there are either different power tools Astro can use. Some allow you to jump higher, attack enemies more efficiently or roll around as a steel ball. It’ll have you laughing at spikes and crushing platforms scattered throughout the levels.

So how good is this game?

Winning game of the year it has to be something special. And it is. While this all seems like you’ve heard and seen it all before, it’s executed to dare I say… perfection.

It’s a beautiful game with great music and tight controls. It makes full use of the PS5’s DualSense motion controller’s gyroscope function. Some might not like it. If you don’t there is an option to assign the motion controls to the left analogue stick. Though I didn’t at any time.

When I heard that the Astro Bot Playroom sequel was shattering records for awards and scores, I knew I had to go back and fully experience the original. This little platformer comes preinstalled on every PS5, serving as a fun, interactive demo to showcase the console’s innovative DualSense controller.
If you enjoyed any part of Playroom, but found it a bit gimmicky; perhaps too easy or limited due to its tutorial-like nature, then brace yourself. Astrobot ramps things up, giving you a proper challenge that builds on everything that made Playroom great, while delivering a full-fledged platforming adventure.

Spoiler for the last challenge

I’m a bit of a gamer myself, as you can see 😋

In Conclusion

Astro Bot is a game that leaves you with a feeling of accomplishment. Like you did when you first rescued the princess in level 8 of Mario Brothers back on the 8-bit Nintendo. People say it’s a kids game, but it’s also one for us old dogs who started playing way before there were MMOs, microtransactions, agendas, divisiveness and toxicity in gaming. It’s a linear game with a start and an ending and some back peddling if you’re in the hunt for one of the easier platinum trophies out there. It reminds me of why I fell in love with gaming back when I decided to tell my parents, no, no, I won’t be going outside… And then ran for my life.