Between all of the upcoming PlayStation exclusives that came out this year, such as Helldivers 2 and Concord, most have met to disappointment. Helldivers 2 has lowered itself from it’s high pedestal, and Concord was simply underwhelming.
However, Team Asobi has crafted a game that PlayStation could proudly promote as a masterpiece, a game of the year contender.
Quality, fun, and perfection are the three words that Team Asobi focuses on when creating this game, and in knowing what they’re making and not trying to make a game for everyone, they succeeded in bringing something truly special to all their fans.
Table of Contents
GAMEPLAY
Astrobot succeeds in making the player feel every level and experience that they want to show you. From the first level to the last level, every single world had a unique feature and gameplay experience. Anyone who played Astro’s Playroom would be very familiar with most of them. The monkey parkour, the frog fists, and some new ones like the shrinking rat, and the platform elephant.
The movement and combat of Astrobot feels very similar to Mario Odyssey in execution. Most enemies are able to be defeated in one hit, but a trade off is that you also are defeated in one hit too, which adds a perfect mix between casual and non-casual levels of difficulty.
This game is very rewarding for experienced players as well. You would be able to finish levels in about a minute, when your original start in a level would take around 15 minutes, and it’s all because of the movement and smart ways to quickly get past certain sections. The jump, the lasers that shoot out from your legs that act as a hover, and the extra mid-air attack to stay in the air for seconds longer create a very skill-rewarding gameplay system.
The DualSense feature’s are, as usual with the Astro series, unmatched. The controller vibrates and has special reaction’s to every tiny bit of the game, from water to boss fights, the DualSense controls are placed on a higher standard by Team Asobi, as should it be set to that standard. It’s a marvelous piece of technology and Asobi are smart to take advantage of it to create that additional feeling of immersion.
There is not any negative to be said about the core gameplay of Astrobot. A lot of care went into forming this magnum opus, and it is guaranteed that once you pick up that controller and begin experiencing the game, you won’t put it down until you realize that the light from the window has dimmed to dark.
MAPS
Every level in Astrobot is flawless. Each level has a unique setting, many reference’s to different PlayStation exclusive’s such as Ape Escape, God of War, Uncharted, Ratchet & Clank, even titles like Street Fighter.
Not a single level feels to drawn out or too repetitive, as each level has unique paths and puzzles to solve, none too complex while still being enjoyable in it’s cheerful and cartoony style. Each level can be completed in around a minute if rushing through it is the objective, which is great for replay ability as it doesn’t feel like a chore to go through. Staying and looking for collectibles will take the normal amount of time to finish a single level.
Collectible’s are there in the way of different Astrobot’s to rescue, which range from the normal white ones to the reference’s of different PlayStation characters. It’s always enjoyable to explore and find them, especially since they all go back to the home world.
The Home World, or the “Crash Site” is one of the most engaging parts of the game as the more Astro’s you rescue and bring back are then given their own little spot to stay and you can give them special animations by unlocking the Gacha machine. Some animations are: Dante doing a combo on an enemy. Rivet going through a dimension portal every time you hit her. Ryu using a Hadoken. And even Spyro breathing fire at you in revenge for being attacked.
There are rewards for upgrading the home world by collecting puzzle pieces. They unlock Controller Paint, Astro Outfits, Gacha Machine. And much more. Each upgrade brings a lot to the player experience in the way of customization and player freedom.
Generally, the maps in Astrobot are it’s strongest component, and we applaud Team Asobi for their creativity and excellence.
ENEMY VARIETY
The enemies are great, really fun to deal with. This game runs on the style of defeat with one hit and be defeated with one hit. So, most enemies like the regular fodder aren’t much of a challenge, but they’re not supposed to be. The enemies like the pumpkin shooter, the spinning skull, and the flower are one of the most problematic enemies to deal with among many, many more which enhances the enemy variety immensely.
This also translates well into boss quality. Each boss feels like an excellent challenge with the difficulty gradually increasing with each one defeated. From the gorilla’s simple, game-teaching mechanics to the squid’s higher attack frequency is a perfect escalation of the player’s knowledge of the game.
The bosses are amazing, and you only gain two lives for each boss. If you lose them both, you redo the boss all over again. A perfect balancer to keep the game as much fair as it is fun.
VERDICT
10/10
This game is flawless. A great contender for one of the best platformers in PlayStation history.
Team Asobi surpassed what they did with Astro’s Playroom to give us a masterpiece with Astrobot.
It all culminates in a perfectly well balanced game in terms of difficulty, skill, and enjoyment.
This is, in combination with everything that makes the game so enticing, ensures that Astrobot gets the perfect score of 10/10. A well deserved score for an excellent game. We are excited to see where Team Asobi goes next, as their talent is undeniable, and their potential for success is high. The sky is not the limit for them, only the beginning.
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