Astrobot is the PlayStation mascot and his game is not only a celebration of the hardware made by Sony (the console and the controller) but also of all the videogame worlds that make up the universe of this historic Japanese manufacturer. Team Asobi has given an unforgettable adventure to this iconic character, as cinematic as it is videogame-wise interesting, and yet, once we finished the many and unique levels that the game has to offer, we felt like something was missing.
Astro Bot is first and foremost a timeless experience: its design of mechanics, levels, enemies and interactions is neither new nor old and above all it will never age. This is because the way the little robot interacts with the environments, progresses in its journey and changes the gaming experience can amaze both those who have played every platformer ever made, and a 5-year-old child on his first experience.
The levels through which you capture the many missing bots (after an evil alien hits Astro Bot’s PS5-shaped spaceship) are the perfect mix of challenge and naivety, of ingenuity and visual storytelling, in a work that it is inspired, pays homage to and in some ways challenges Nintendo’s genre giants, from Mario 64 to Wonder. There are special abilities unique to certain levels, new enemies around every corner, intuitive ways to use the stage, musical levels, creative ways to use the Dual Sense, and so on.
From the point of view of the wonder that a video game should inspire in those who try it, Astro Bot does an excellent job because continues to amaze offering simple challenges and new ways of conceiving the familiar. Completionists, then, will be able to platinum it in less than 15 hours.
Only one thing left us perplexed about this game: he didn’t leave us much once finished. If The Last of Us leaves you with an unfillable void, Helldivers 2 with an irrepressible spirit of adventure, and Ghost of Tsushima with the desire to never leave feudal Japan again, Astro Bot, after having made you laugh and have fun, doesn’t leave its owner with something to take with them, as only great video games can do.
The answer we gave ourselves as to why is simple: it is not its mission. Astro Bot is a party for PlayStation intellectual property, for Sony hardware, for the fans of this ecosystem (at a time also rather dark) and for those who still believe that inexhaustible mines of entertainment can still be hidden in simplicity.
Astro Bot is a gentle reminder that we pick up controllers, keyboards, mice, fight sticks, and any other peripherals to have fun. In a time like this where video games are culture and therefore the front and frontier of the debate on our society, Astro Bot is like a midweek trip to Gardaland: the carefree adventure full of genuine joy that reminds us why we love video games.
-by Riccardo Lichene
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