Read our full Astrobot goodbye
Astrobot is a beautiful 3D platformer with a lovable protagonist, dozens of planets to explore, and a wide range of ultra-satisfying mechanics to perfect. It requires patience, awareness, and a high degree of platforming skill, although resets are generous and failure costs nothing but time. The main character, Astro, is endlessly charming as he flies among the galaxies on a mission to save 300 of his friends, many of whom play characters from Sony’s library and the wider gaming world – robots from Capcom franchises , Konami and Sega abound.
Most of the planets Astro lands on introduce new mechanics, such as spring-loaded boxing gloves that resemble frog faces, an octopus that blows Astro up like a balloon, a mouse backpack that shrinks him at will , a penguin-powered swimming booster. , and a stopwatch that temporarily freezes time. Stages are designed around these unique mechanics and the diversity on display is impressive.
Beyond pure kindness, Astrobot is magnificent. Its landscapes are crisp and vivid with interactive detail, and it looks like every pixel has been polished to perfection. But it’s the physics of the game that energizes everything: when Astro lands on top of a giant inflatable daisy, the material deforms beneath his little feet, indenting itself with every step and swing, and giving the entire scene a totally compressible appearance. When rain hits Astro’s umbrella hat, the sound reflects perfectly on the DualSense, along with the feeling of raindrops on the handles. AstrobotThe sound, haptics, graphics and physics effects work together perfectly, transforming every surface into a playground. It’s magical.
Astrobot seems specially designed for video game fans. It’s a skill-focused celebration of everything that makes the format so memorable and joyful, and at the same time, it’s a great introduction to the language of games. With precise and responsive controls, adorable characters and an exciting variety of mechanics and environments, Astrobot is easily one of the best games Sony has ever produced. — Jessica Conditt, senior reporter
