By NathanEdwardPriem
Astro Bot is one of my favorite games of the last decade.
I’ve been playing 3D platformers since Super Mario 64 and this along with Donkey Kong Bananza is the peak of the genre. (I’ve embarrassingly haven’t gotten around to Super Mario Odyssey so I can’t comment on it.)
It’s one of those games that’s impossible for me to play without a huge smile on my face.
It’s a game designer’s game with everything from very innovative and well done classical mechanics to fantastic graphics and physics.
It’s a meticulously crafted game where many simple systems added together create great complexity.
I can’t say enough good things about the game design it was clearly made by not just passionate but skilled devs.
Each level feels like it’s own little planet you’ve been transported to for a little adventure and that adds to the replayability.
You can have all the tech power that modern platforms have but it means nothing if you don’t have imagination and Team Asobi has that in spades.
You can go from a Tropical Paradise to a Hot Spring themed level and then to a Rapping Tree and it all feels seamless in the game’s world.
The game’s story is simple but charming and that adds to the whole charming presentation.
Each level is designed to take advantage of a mechanic and Power Ups are intrinsically tied to a level’s progress.
All of the Power Ups are very fun and this means they are always a big treat to get and they don’t overstay their welcome by appearing in every level.
The DualSense controller’s unique functionality is used to the game’s advantage and doesn’t feel gimmicky like some implantations.
Unfortunately between that and Sony’s recent decision to focus on consoles means we’re unlikely to get a PC Version.
The term “precision platformer” has been thrown around a lot to describe a specific genre of games and I’d describe Astro Bot as a lite-precision platformer.
It’s more a PRECISE Platformer where there is difficulty in getting your moves right but it isn’t punishing.
The One Hit Kill mechanic might be frustrating sometimes but well designed respawn points provide challenge without frustration and encourage you to try again.
The result is you feel constantly motivated to try again rather then giving up and having a “shelf-moment” where you abandon the game.
One unexpected addition to the game is the representation of PlayStation history.
You have special levels which go from Ape Escape to Uncharted and you are constantly collecting bots of other PlayStation icons.
The collectables are a joy to collect and refined simplicity personified.
Each level has hidden bots and puzzle pieces which provide unlockable content in the base hub. (…and in some cases hidden warp portals to secret levels in “The Lost Galaxy”.)
In conclusion I strongly recommend Astro Bot as an essential game not just for gamers but also to all game designers.
You will learn more about what makes a game fun then all the books on Game Design Theory you will ever read.
It’s not often one is humbled to experience a masterpiece and it really makes you want to imagine a whole new world yourself.
Team Asobi knocked it out of the park and I’m eagerly awaiting what they do next!
My Review-
It’s gaming perfection!
100/100
Until then…I’m Nathan Edward Priem…and that…was something else!