As Astro, the player embarks on a quest to save lost robots, retrieve parts for the PlayStation 5 mothership, and defeat the alien Space Bully Nebulax. Much like the previous title Astro’s Playroom, Astro Bot uses DualSense controller features including adaptive triggers and haptic feedback. Astro Bot succeeds in so much of what it does that it feels traditional in both the best and worst ways. Back during the era of the platformer, when everyone was taking a swing at things, this was a point in gaming that hadn’t yet approached making certain aspects of its design built around accessibility. Still, for luck8 as Sony has been going with accessibility, I expected far more. For decades, Nintendo has been the de facto standard when it comes to platformers.

All of this is incredibly fun and allows the PS5 to truly shine (more on that in a moment). After completing several planets in a galaxy, we unlock a boss level, which is essentially a simple puzzle that requires the efficient use of previously introduced mechanics. Occasionally, after a boss battle, a special level inspired by Sony exclusives awaits us. These special levels are truly amazing, and I won’t elaborate further because experiencing them firsthand is something really unique. Finding each of these characters is a constant highlight of Astro Bot. Some are placed right in front of you, but most require the aforementioned curiosity to pull you off the beaten path in search of the game’s bountiful secrets.

You can follow him on the site formerly known as Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch. If you’re looking for even more savings this season, check out the entire PlayStation’s 2025 Black Friday sale for deals on games, consoles, and more. We gave Astro Bot a glowing 9/10 review, with our reviewer saying, “Team Asobi has crafted a mascot platformer that goes near enough toe-to-toe with Nintendo’s best efforts, and that’s about as high a compliment as I can give it.” To unlock the levels in “Lost Galaxy” you must find the 10 Secret Level Exits (‘Lost Galaxies’) in the other Nebulas. The Puzzle Pieces are needed to unlock new areas in the Crash Site hub area. After finishing all 10 Secret Levels you unlock the 11th Secret Level.

This puts a completely different spin on platforming and combat. But they go even further to the point of referencing those narrow passages you often see in big AAA cinematic titles where the camera pulls in and your character slowly makes their way through it. The game is constantly toying with expectations, introducing ideas and concepts you might never have expected – it’s overflowing with fun.

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My wife and I enjoyed It Takes Two but some of the one off I was glad to get rid of. My kid on the other hand hated how you kept learning new stuff only for it to be dropped and never return again, just like this review, and I was getting this for them for their birthday. I just watched the ACG review on YT and this game looks phenomenal, lots of things that remind me of the Mario games and lets be honest, there is not a better platformer out there to take notes from. Also the advantages or lets say unique features this game has over the Mario series are way better graphics and for Playstation gamers all the Bots that remind you of well known games. The game on ps5 i’ve been waiting for since i got one basically… The switch has remained my most played platform after all these years because of the lack of games like this, for me the essense of gaming…

Astro Bot may feature a simple tale, yet it is a gleeful game that absolutely nailed all the aspects of a platformer. It became the highest-rated standalone game of 2024 for a reason, right? Team ASOBI redefined the modern 3D platforming experience with the vibrant adventures of Astro Bot. From beloved PS5 pack-in game to Game of the Year winner, Team ASOBI’s ASTRO BOT has achieved gaming’s highest honor at The Game Awards 2024, triumphing over acclaimed titles with its innovative gameplay and creative excellence. No, each planet already has plenty of coins to find and spend in the Gatcha Lab! The game provides a complete experience with all content available through gameplay.

It’s not intentional, but just days after Sony humiliated itself with the closure of Concord, along comes a PlayStation 5 exclusive dedicated to celebrating the 30 year history of PlayStation. Not only that but it’s a single-player action game with no microtransactions or season passes, or any of the other increasingly invasive hallmarks of modern console gaming. Astro Bot is filled to the brim with Easter Eggs, but there are also some secrets to find and special unlockables to earn for finding bots and puzzle pieces.

Astro Bot is a showcase of a developer working at the top of its game, but most importantly a developer that keeps fun and playfulness at the forefront of everything it does. Finally though I want to highlight the fantastic score, because like its levels, it bounces around genres, delivering consistently catchy head bobbers, on top of slightly remixed versions of iconic Sony soundtracks. I know this OST is going to be in my regular rotation once it finally drops on Spotify, because it’s simply too good to leave locked within this game. As you can see, Square Enix finally caved and allowed Final Fantasy 7 characters to be part of the game! This is a huge win given just last year, it was mentioned how the publisher didn’t want to include FF7 characters in the game as bots even if they are part of PlayStation history. Use the whistle (Triangle) to all call bots, then use Camera Mode (D-Pad Up) and move the camera around until you’ve found both explorers.

Astro Bot Finally Gives Playstation A Nintendo-tier Platformer After 30 Years

It’s great that Sony has chosen to develop this humble brand, as it has the potential to become one of the Japanese giant’s flagship exclusives. The goal of each level is merely to get to the end but secreted within each stage is around half a dozen different bots, at least two or three of which are cosplaying as other characters. Sometimes these are hard to miss but most of the time they’re at least somewhat hidden and, along with jigsaw pieces that unlock things like a gatcha shop and changing room for Astro, are the main rewards for exploration. Astro Bot may be the best-timed video game release there’s ever been.

It’s a wonderful touch; for one level, a near-forgotten series is brought back to glorious life in a modern context, and Team Asobi honors the memory of the ceaselessly inventive studio it used to call home. If you have read my Astro Bot review, you must be already aware of how this game is an elated love letter and a rich celebration of Play Station’s legacy. This videogame has the outright power and quality to challenge your perception of platformer games and it will make you say it duly earned the GOTY 2024 once you take Astro Bot for a spin.

@MrMagic Yeah it’s going to be between this game, ReBirth and Balatro, two of which are exclusive to Playstation. [newline]A congratulations are in order for delivering something that can give people joy. Smyths just sent me the pre-order bonus code.The order for the game and controller just updated to Preparing for Dispatch.Feck me I’m excited! Sony themselves said not to expect any major titles this year, meaning that they don’t consider this a tentpole release.

Video games are richer for that change, but young — and young at heart — are getting left behind, stuck wandering the vast desert of Roblox games with nothing but their parent’s credit card in their pocket. There are also small regions to fix up with extra puzzles for Astro and his friends. A lot of modern entertainment, including video games, has a real problem with nostalgia bait, playing off people’s memories and trying to capitalize on that, without making anything new or original in the process.

I grudged having to play through my most anticipated game of the year before getting to play more Astro Bot – that’s how good this game is. Like Stephen has mentioned, this is an endlessly inventive title that joyously plays around with the level design, the mechanics, and the themes of every level. There are enough ideas in Astro Bot to fill a dozen regular games. The power-ups flesh out Astro’s move set which, on its own, is fairly simplistic. However, while his range of moves isn’t particularly deep, they’re executed excellently.