I’ll open a chest and there will be lumps of gold rolling around at the bottom. In one completely dazzling level I was given a magnet, and soon I was vacuuming up metal bars by the dozen and spray cans by the hundreds, all ready to form a bait ball I could fling at a distant target. As of writing, there is no information regarding the game receiving a PC version.

There are even more surprises to be found, but players will have to discover those for themselves. Scattered across its intergalactic world are literally hundreds of hidden bots for Astro to find. A good chunk of these are PlayStation/gaming-themed, making them more than just a simple collectible to discover. While 3D platformers are not necessarily considered the most technically demanding genre, Astro Bot takes those sorts of preconceived notions and jettisons them into the vastness of space. Getting bigger is great, but shrinking down leads to some better creativity in the level’s design. From hopping around tiny mushrooms to grinding on clotheslines, Downsize Surprise overall is a delightful level thanks to the Mouse power-up and unfortunately, Astro Bot doesn’t feature it as much as it should.

This is when you learn that there are not only special bots, but each galaxy has a special level completely inspired by a PlayStation game or series. These unique one-off levels also see Astro transmogging his abilities and appearance by borrowing an item from the character who inspired the special level. There were TG88 that I was utterly confused as to how they pulled it off.

You say one game might appeal to one person but not the other and then start making blanket statements about what reviewers should be scoring games. Platform games obviously don’t appeal to you…that doesn’t mean that they can’t appeal to other people. When someone scores a game they have to score it for its own merits and take it for what it is, not compare it to every game that has ever existed. BG3 is exceptional and I couldn’t agree more it’s a 10 but it’s not comparable to Astro Bot in the same way it would be dumb to compare Gran Turismo 7 and Alan Wake 2.

Astro Bot Limited Edition Dualsense Wireless Controlleropens An External Website

Astro Bot is quite literally this year’s best game yet, and it being a single-player platformer makes it all the more special. It checks all the boxes of being a complete package with its visuals, story, value, audio design, and most importantly, gameplay. The game is worth every dollar that it costs, and everyone that owns a PS5 should look to try this game out. Hopefully this game convinces Sony to revive their older IPs and even look to create more amazing single player experiences such as this. Astro Bot is an action and platformer game for the PlayStation 5 which features Astro. Jump on your Dual Speeder and explore tons of planets, and meet up with iconic PlayStation characters across the game.

Sony Aibo (retro) – Real Life Companion Robot

Besides the main bosses, mini-bosses pop up in other levels unexpectedly, and they are also a lot of fun to fight. The new game, simply called Astro Bot and developed (like the others) by Team Asobi, kicks off when a group of robots’ PS5 mothership is attacked, scattering the robots throughout the galaxy. Your job as Astro is to go around to all the planets and collect your friends.

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.

But maybe the PlayStation didn’t need an answer to Nintendo and Sega’s beloved mascots. Games were entering an era in which more realistic human characters like Cloud Strife, Solid Snake and Lara Croft were becoming the new industry icons. As this more mature stream of gaming culture evolved, cutesy mascot characters and the 3D platformers they called home became less and less common. When Microsoft entered the industry with the Xbox in 2001, Halo’s Master Chief instantly shaped the console’s image.

This Is Game Of The Year

This can bounce players up and it can be deployed three times after every sucking motion. Players can also deploy grass shrubs below them to do some platforming. Players can even suck up concrete in a later level to hop around and there might be more that won’t be dived into. The point is, the Elephant is a versatile power-up that looks good on Astro Bot’s back too.

Astro Bot is PlayStation’s exclusive 3D adventure platformer that features Astro’s journey to rescue his fellow crewmates and fix up the mothership. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn’t do well, and if it’s worth buying. Astro Bot hides over 300 secret bots, including 195 cameo bots from other games spanning PlayStation’s long history.

You won’t explore past PlayStation consoles, but the mothership you’re trying to repair is just a giant PS5, and the spaceship you use to explore the overworld is a DualSense controller with wings. It feels a bit like that meme of Obama awarding Obama a medal, but it’s not distracting, so ultimately, it’s fine. In another that sees Astro shrink to the size of a mouse, the miniature world reveals new woodsy and backyard-like scenery that regular-sized Astro couldn’t reach. Some levels even drastically change the art style, as seen in a series of voxel-art levels I was glad to discover each time, or some others I dare not spoil. A new batch of five levels were added in July 2025, adding five new cameo bots including a couple of Final Fantasy characters. Astro Bot speed running levels have begun rolling out as weekly updates, adding two new cameo bots with each level.

It’s a sustained tech demo, one that never runs out of new wonders to show you, new marvels to fling at you and swiftly discard. Previous Astro Bot games have been employed to showcase new bits of kit. It feels like Sony is trying to channel its whole spirit into this game. Astro Bot is a glimpse of what Sony wants you to understand that it believes that it is. It has the boundless cheer of a group of people coming together and trying to be their best selves. This is more of a nitpick, mainly because the game is actually catered to everyone.