Astro Bot came out just this year, in 2024, and is the sequel to Astro’s Playroom that was released with the PlayStation 5. Astro Bot is a platformer game and celebrates 30 years of PlayStation. It is also absolutely adorable.
Gameplay
Astro Bot is a platformer, so that means you’ll take control of him and solve puzzles by running and jumping. He comes equipped with a basic hover (that shoots lasers out of his feet) and a punch/spin attack. In some levels, you’ll swim underwater, and in several levels you’ll gain an extra ability to help complete the puzzles.
There are six galaxies to explore, each one housing a series of levels for you to complete. They follow a similar pattern – in which there are a set of unlocked options to start, then a few more unlock as you progress, until you get to the boss level. There are also a few hidden levels you can find along the way.
The main levels in Astro Bot are great – they are fun to play, they aren’t too long, and you’ll find coins, puzzle pieces, and bots for you to rescue. Each level has a set number of bots (usually seven, but some levels had as few as one, and I think I recall one level had eight), and some of them will be dressed as characters from past Playstation games.
Each galaxy also contains a special level that is themed to a specific PlayStation title -and I loved those the best.
Especially …..(spoilers)
The level themed for Horizon. Astro puts on a costume that resembles Aloy, and the music is absolutely amazing. The enemies are reskinned to match the theme, and the bots to rescue in the level are all themed from Horizon. This was my favorite level, and it was one of the last ones I uncovered.
In addition to the basic abilities Astro has, some levels will grant him an additional ability. While I’m sure they have official names somewhere, I didn’t see one in the game so I just gave them names of my own. I was particularly fond of Puppy Power (even if I sound a bit like Scrappy Doo every time I say it). The abilities vary based on the level, but none of them are difficult to master.
Aside from the main levels, there are bonus levels. Some of these are themed around the PlayStation controller buttons. While the game does not have a difficulty that you can set, I would say that the main levels are ‘easy’ and these bonus levels jump to ‘hard’ and continue up from there.
They do not have checkpoints, and you must complete the level in one run. You can not get hit by any of the enemies, and you must not fall from any of the platforms. If you don’t make i to the end, you start over from the start of the level. It doesn’t sound that difficult, but trust me. I spent an awful lot of time venting my frustration in colorful swear words.
My advice on these is to just… Leeroy Jenkins it. (That is not an actual verb. I am using it as one. Deal.) Just start running and don’t stop. Many of the platforms will drop out from beneath you, lots of enemies have ranged attacks, and there are very few ‘safe’ places to land. It may take many tries. It is okay, you aren’t penalized for dying. I died hundreds of times, and there is still one I could not quite complete.
(Maybe I try that again later. Maybe I don’t. I became very frustrated with myself.)
Story
Astro Bot has a story, but it is very simple and straightforward. The PlayStation 5 is now a spaceship, and Astro and his bots are hanging out one day when this alien bully shows up and attacks. The poor PS5 Mothership explodes and her parts go flying across space, along with the bots, and it is up to Astro to recover the missing parts and bots. While you go searching across space, you’ll use the Dual Sense controller as a smaller space craft… the Dual Speeder.
Also somehow, towards the end, this game made me cry. I’m not going to spoil that for anyone, but I am impressed that a silly little game made me cry. Astro Bot is seriously, incredibly adorable.
Overall Review
Everything in Astro Bot is themed around PlayStation and former titles. While the plot isn’t complex or very long, it doesn’t need to be. That said, if you aren’t familiar with a lot of older PlayStation titles or former consoles, some of it may not make a lot of sense, or invoke quite as much nostalgia as it did for me.
Quick nostalgic spoiler….
I can’t tell you how ecstatic I was to find Ooo La La from Space Channel Five, or how much I fangirled when I found Agro from Shadow of the Colossus.
The game isn’t difficult (not counting those bonus levels. ugh.), and most folks can likely complete it without too much difficulty. If you struggle to find bots, puzzle pieces, or ‘squiggles’ (I’m not sure what they are called, but they look like a squiggle so that’s what I called them) – then after you finish a level, you can go back and spend 200 coins to get a bird friend to help you locate any items you missed.
Was it fun, though?
Without a doubt.
Astro Bot is cute, it is fun, and I really enjoyed playing it. (Except for one level in particular.) I am happily giving this game a solid 10/10, and I would recommend it to anyone – especially if you grew up on the PlayStation.
I played it over seven nights while streaming, and you can view the full play through of the game if you would like!
The Bardic Unicorn 