When Astro Bot was first announced, no one could have anticipated just how big the platformer would be. Even though it was hardly the little robot’s first adventure, it was the first one that was more than a simple tech demo or VR experience. It was set to take Astro on a massive new adventure that celebrated everything PlayStation, and upon release, players seemed to fall in love with it.

Now the racing genre is just race, time trial, drift/elimination if your lucky. Forget unique modes, slight changes to be like 3 different drift modes or last man standing. Even Wreckfest we can’t even have Flatout style (predecessor) flinging the driver target practice. I can go to TOCA 3/V8 SUpercars 3 or DTM 3 or whatever for PS2 and DS/PSP/PS2-Xbox-PC are all different.

It’s not something we can often say about new games but in this case, the experience is so bulletproof and polished that it feels as if the team perfectly achieved what they set out to do. F168 can’t help but keep a smile on our faces, and Astro Bot, a 3D platformer developed by Team Asobi, is one of them. In 2020, to coincide with the launch of the PS5, every console came with Astro’s Playroom pre-installed, completely free of charge.

Four of the levels are titled Twin-Frog Trouble, Suck It Up, Handhold Havoc, High Inflation, with Team Asobi keeping the name of the fifth as a surprise. The addition of the new levels brings Astro Bot’s total level count to over 90. “A must-play for anyone who loves creative platformers. The worlds are beautifully crafted.” Outside of bosses and minibosses, there initially doesn’t appear to be a great range in enemy types.

What Are All Special Bots In Astro Bot? Chavez – Speedy Blob

These could range from dashes, magnets, extendable arms, or anything of the sort. While some of these are repeated, these same gimmicks are mixed with more interesting overall level designs to keep things fresh. Everything looks aesthetically pleasing and fits right in the game’s world, not to mention the amazing Astro bot designs that reference numerous older IPs. Each of these designs is distinct and instantly recognizable from the characters they represent, which is amazing knowing that they’re only limited to a robotic mascot. In addition to this, the animations of the game are also works of art. Not only are all of the aspects amazing, from its catchy music and great sound effects, the game actually uses the controller’s speakers perfectly as well.

While the bulk of time will be spent hunting down every collectible and bot, as there are 304 of them at the time of this review, Astro Bot is roughly around 10 hours in length for a standard playthrough. Personally, that length worked well to not overstay its welcome or feel padded, especially as additional content like time trials is set to release for free. Astro’s Playroom, a game bundled in with every PS5 is approximately 3 hours long, and many spent double or triple in that world just exploring and attempting to beat other player’s times at each level. Given the robust nature of what Astro Bot offers here, I could see many spending dozens of hours once that time trial mode is released. Astro Bot’s not the largest game in the world — you’ll perhaps see the credits roll in hours or so. Those aiming to rescue every robot, complete every challenge, find every jigsaw piece and unlock every trophy, however, will probably end up playing for around 20 hours or more.

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Or, on the other side, celebrate wildly with validation when the game they like is recognized. It even feels like some popping candy has smuggled its way into your controller as it fizzes and pings away, sweetly reacting to whatever is happening on screen. Astro Bot is a showcase for the DualSense’s bells and whistles unlike anything since, well… Triggers tighten in your fingers and rumbles are sent through your thumbs. I found my whole body involuntarily drifting from side to side as I guided Astro’s ship with the motion controls. I’d also recommend turning your controller speaker volume up if, like me, you have it muted by default – you’ll be missing out on some fantastic audio flourishes otherwise.

I’m not a trophy hunter and usually just move on after it gets grindy. That being said, I will buy this for sure, but I won’t spend a penny over £30. I can’t even say hey this Sega Rally like Indie should have more to it. Because the audience of players are too nostalgically stupid to care. You’re really overthinking the number at the end of the review.

The sheer variety Astro Bot delivers is breathtaking, and like I said, there’s not a bad level in the bunch. Astro Bot might be the best game out right now to make use of the DualSense special features. The use of haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, and gyro controls makes the game’s simple mechanics shine even more as it adds so much to the gameplay. Not only this, but the game even makes use of the controller’s speakers to make the game even more immersive. The amount of collectibles and secrets there are to discover is also staggering; it’s enough to keep you playing for hours on end and keeps achievement hunters busy.