Stop Reading This and Go Play Astro Bot
I’m serious. Play it right now.
Tony Sofia – Staff Writer

Astro Bot cover art, 2024, PlayStation website, 12 August 2024, <https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/astro-bot/>

Since you’re still here, I guess I’ll actually write something. Astro Bot is a new 3D platformer developed by PlayStation Studios’ underdog Team Asobi. After it was unveiled in that period of the early summer, when all the big gaming companies announce their new projects, Astro Bot became the most wish-listed new game. What was second place? The new Doom game. Yeah, you read that right.
Let’s check the stats on that one. Doom has been a genre-defining series for over thirty years. The last two games sold millions of copies each and were both game-of-the-year contenders, and the newest installment, Doom: The Dark Ages, looks like the coolest one yet (if you don’t believe me, just watch the trailer). Astro Bot, on the other hand, hadn’t made much impact in the six years since its debut. The first game, Astro Bot: Rescue Mission, is a phenomenal game shackled to the lackluster PlayStation VR. The second installment, Astro’s Playroom, is a glorified tech demo that comes free with every PlayStation 5. Despite both games being excellent, neither generated much buzz. PlayStation themselves even said that they had no installments to pre-established franchises planned for this year. It makes sense why they’d think that, considering that this is so unlike PlayStation’s other titles, and yet more people wanted to play this than the new Doom game. Why? Because it’s pure, unbridled fun. This franchise is the only thing that Team Asobi has done, and it warms my heart to see these underdogs finally rise to the top.
So, what is the actual game like? Well, it’s got fun platforming with tight controls, unique power-ups, catchy music, great enemy designs, memorable boss fights, and an overall air of fun. Similar to Astro’s Playroom, there are also dozens of bots dressed up as other PlayStation characters that are iconic, niche, and everything in between. Unlike Astro’s Playroom, however, is that you get to dress up as some of them too! There are so many little secrets, references, and crazy new ideas being thrown at you left and right. I don’t even know where to start! I think it’s pretty safe to say that this is my game of the year. However, that is not to say the game is perfect.
I originally wrote this article on August 12, just under a month before its September 6 release. I had an entire paragraph explaining how I had written this article well in advance so I wouldn’t have to stop playing the game once it came out. Aside from a few minor edits, everything before this paragraph is the same. Unfortunately, I do have some minor complaints. Even then, they’re more personal gripes than anything.
Firstly, there are the outfits. There are almost 200 special bots representing different video game characters for you to rescue on your journey. Do you want to know how many of them they let you dress up as? It’s 11. Let me say that again: out of the almost 200 recognizable characters in this game, you are allowed to dress up as 11 of them. Why would I want to play as a cute robot version of some of my favorite PlayStation characters when I can be something generic like a skeleton, pirate, or teddy bear? It’s not like they didn’t get the rights to the characters; they’re already in the game! It’d also be cool if they let you mix and match parts from different characters, but what do I know? I wouldn’t call this a problem, but it’s definitely a wasted opportunity.
Secondly, it is something that I’m pretty sure only I feel. Rescue Mission has an alien steal part of your ship, and you spend the game repairing your ship while rescuing your crew members across multiple planets. Astro’s Playroom has you exploring the inside of the PS5 and lets you become different forms, like a frog or a monkey. The new game has the same alien steal part of your ship, and you spend the game repairing your ship while rescuing your crew members across multiple planets, this time with power-ups instead of full-on transformations. In fact, a lot of this game takes stuff from Rescue Mission. The soundtrack is full of remixes that I personally think are inferior. A lot of the level themes and mechanics carry over with only minor changes, and even the bosses, although they do play differently, have the exact same character designs. One boss design even carries over from Astro’s Playroom! That’s not to say the game doesn’t do anything original, as there’s a lot Astro Bot did to put a big smile on my face, but considering that the first two games felt so different from each other, I was hoping the new game would do the same.
Should any of this deter you from getting Astro Bot? Of course not. The game is even making rounds as a game-of-the-year contender. Since I’m one of probably eight people who’s played Rescue Mission, most people will view the new Astro Bot as an incredibly original game in a sea of remakes, remasters, and sequels, as they should. One final note: the game runs like a dream. I didn’t face any performance issues or bugs, not one, which is absolutely unheard of in the modern gaming industry (it’s a shame that I have to say that). Team Asobi’s latest game is certainly a must-have for this generation and beyond. They better make shelf space at the office for their trip to The Game Awards! Astro Bot is available exclusively on PlayStation 5.