Move over, Mario! There’s a new platforming hero in town, and he’s just as cute, if not cuter!
Astro Bot, PlayStation’s newest mascot, just made his debut in a full-fledged game that, in the eyes of both critics and players alike, is finally giving Sony a worthy challenger to Nintendo’s decades-long hold over the platforming genre.
With a Metacritic score of 94, Team Asobi’s first AAA experience is receiving Game of the Year consideration, with many calling it one of the best 3D platformers in years if not ever. But what exactly makes this little robot so special, and why is its success so important for PlayStation?
First and foremost, Astro Bot is a love letter to PlayStation’s rich three-decade-long history. As you guide the adorable robot through various worlds, you’ll encounter countless nods to iconic PlayStation franchises. Imagine running through a level inspired by God of War, only to stumble upon a miniature Kratos bot in need of rescue. It’s like Toy Story meets PlayStation All-Stars, and it’s absolutely delightful.
But Astro Bot isn’t just relying on nostalgia alone to win hearts. The game’s core mechanics are rock-solid, offering precise controls that feel satisfying from the very first jump. Inspirations taken directly from Nintendo’s playbook are there, with the developers focusing on how the game feels to play and making it unique to itself at the expense of everything else, including the narrative.
What sets Astro Bot apart from other platformers is its sheer creativity. With over 80 levels, you might expect repetition, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Each stage brings something new, whether it’s a unique mechanic, a clever puzzle, or a surprising twist on familiar gameplay elements. One moment you’re navigating a haunted house where time stands still, and the next, you’re scaling the limbs of a giant robot friend.
This allows Astro Bot to strike the ideal balance between offering a challenge for seasoned gamers while remaining accessible to newcomers. Failure isn’t penalized, giving players the opportunity to focus on the pure joy of exploration and discovery, which often comes with a surprising twist on the DualSense’s capabilities, much to the delight of many who thought that they’ve seen all that the four-year-old controller is capable of.
And for those craving a tougher challenge, optional levels unlock later in Astro Bot if you want to test your skills.
Visually, Astro Bot’s art style is a feast with a perfect blend of the sleek and futuristic aesthetic of PlayStation hardware with whimsical, colorful environments. It has this polished, toy-like quality that makes the world feel both familiar and fantastical.
Perhaps most importantly, Astro Bot represents a significant milestone for Sony. For years, PlayStation has struggled to create a mascot character that could rival the red jumpsuit wearing plumber over at Nintendo or SEGA’s blue blur.
With Astro Bot, they may have finally cracked the code. This little robot embodies a lot of what makes PlayStation great – cutting-edge technology, imaginative worlds, and pure, unadulterated fun.
Overall, it’s refreshing to see a title remind you of the golden but forgotten age of 3D platformers while pushing the genre in meaningful ways. More importantly, it proves that Sony can compete with Nintendo in the family-friendly platformer space while still maintaining its own unique identity, a huge win for fans even though Sony’s focus on new and fresh IPs might mean we might no longer see Jak and Dexter or Sly Cooper ever again outside of the occasional cameo or passing mention.
Whether you’re a die-hard PlayStation fan or you’re someone who appreciates the joy of playing a well-crafted game, you shouldn’t miss Astro Bot. It’s the kind of experience that reminds us why we fell in love with video games in the first place – and it just might be the start of a new era for Sony’s first-party lineup.
Give or take a few years and a couple million more units sold and we might see a Mario Party kind of game, except the roster is filled with Astro Bot versions of all of Sony’s iconic characters, including the ones that fans have been desperately asking for Sony to bring back into the spotlight.
So, grab your controller, fire up your PlayStation, and get ready to embark on an unforgettable adventure with the newest superstar in town.
