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For a long time I’ve been trying to find a game that really gave me that sense of adventure, childlike fun and that curiosity that games from long ago did. Games such as Spyro, Crash, Jak & Daxter and so forth. Old Sony titles that I loved on the PS1 & PS2. I thought those days were long gone, but I think I’ve been proven wrong. Astro Bot delivers that and more.
Let’s discuss.
Easy Going but Challenging Gameplay
Now, let’s start off with the fact that Astro Bot itself isn’t really a difficult game. It’s mostly simplistic, and there might be some areas that might give a cballenge. What I’m looking at are the collectibles and hidden exits. The puzzles that accompany them and the fun that comes with it.
For example, there’s a secret exit in the first galaxy that requires you to put the four fires out that hang on the wall as torches. I didn’t figure this out during my first run of the level, but I knew the wall was important. When going back, I realized the torches had significance and well, they obviously did.
The game offers other instances such as this, certain situations that might not be clear the first go around and leaves plenty of room to come back and explore at a later date. I enjoy this because it reminds me of games when I was younger. Though, yes, I know. There’s plenty of titles that have collectibles and yes, they can be well hidden, but this is such a fun-loving little game that brings out the kid in me.
Just the Right Time
The levels in this game don’t take an insane amount of time to play through either. 10-15 minutes as an average, I would say anyway. This helps when you don’t have a lot of time or just want to play through a single planet. The total game time, although I haven’t completed it for myself, is probably between 12 and 15 hours according to what I’ve seen from others. I’m currently at 7, if we go by what my PS5 tells me.
With so many games taking so long, it has been nice to have a game that I feel I’m making progress in even when I can’t sit down and play for two hours or something.
The Mascots of Old
This is something else almost everyone has praised, but I had to talk about it. The fact that some of the lost bots we find are old Playstation mascots and other beloved characters is so amazing to me. I always get excited when I see them, especially the ones I love the most. Such as Spyro, since I was super excited to see him. Some people say it hurts a bit to see some of them, knowing they haven’t had a new game in many years, but I think the acknowledgment is nice anyway.
I also quite enjoy that you get to become certain mascots in their own world. I won’t spoil which ones, but those levels are amongst my favorites.
Gadgets to keep it Fresh
One of the other amazing mechanics this game brought to the table are the different gadgets (or accessories I suppose) that help Astro along his adventure. For example, you could have a monkey on your back in one level, and then become a literal sponge in another. It keeps the gameplay interesting and you aren’t ever quite sure what you’ll get from planet to planet.
Playstation’s New Mascot
I do hope that with this new game, we see plenty more of Astro Bot in the future. Starting off as a PSVR exclusive (Astro Bot: Rescues Mission) to being a free game (Astro’s Playroom) for the PS5 to now having a full title to him in 2024, I’m hoping we see a lot of the little guy from here on out.
If you haven’t already bought a (paid link) copy, then perhaps consider doing so. It was one of my most anticipated titles this year, and I really think it was worth the wait.
Edit:
You can find our official review here.
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