It was as if the developers asked themselves what typical elements were expected of a platformer, then found a way to organically incorporate them into the game. Sometimes, it’s with fantastic power-ups like the Time Stopper, which beautifully slows down time to let Astro Bot jump on platforms and evade obstacles. Other times, the layout of getting from Points A to B involved a vast spectacle for players to witness and interact with. There are 5 main Nebulas, each with 6-7 main levels, and a few side levels which are unlocked by flying into objects with the spaceship inside the Nebulas. When you hover over a level it shows how many collectibles it has and how many you still need.

You can find summon your Rescued Bots to form a Bot Tower at your main Crash Site area, near the column where you find one of the first Crahs Site Puzzle Pieces. Afterwards, the Puzzle Piece is replaced with a Coin Capsule you can summon Bots to reach to break repeatedly. Jump up and punch any of the Bots in the bottom row of the Bot Wall to knock one out! Knocking a Rescued Bot out of a Bot Wall will unlock the Wall Buster trophy in Astro Bot. At the Crash Site, you can call on your Rescued Bots to help unlock new areas or find new Bots and Puzzle Pieces. Sometimes the Rescued Bots will stack on top of each other to transform into a Bot Wall that you can walk up.

These short sprints are littered with fast-moving objects, numerous enemies, and precise gaps to hop across that are designed to trip you up. Throw a complete lack of checkpoints into the mix as well, and these are easily some of the toughest tasks in Astro Bot, with a final level that’s a real tough nut to crack. It’s a non-stop gauntlet of quickfire threats that made me piece together everything I had learned up until that point in a frantic, but still fun test. Many of the PlayStation characters appear as short, charming cameos, but a handful play fully-fledged supporting roles.

What Are All Special Bots In Astro Bot? Rez – Rhythmic Hacker

The music for the boss fights raises the thrill levels to the max, with guitar and violin strings joining together in beautiful chaos. Adrenaline pumps through the veins as players dodge attacks and find these bosses’ weak points, all to the tune of some of the best video game music heard in a long time. When Astro Bot was first announced, no one could have anticipated just how big the platformer would be. Even though it was hardly the little robot’s first adventure, it was the first one that was more than a simple tech demo or VR experience. It was set to take Astro on a massive new adventure that celebrated everything PlayStation, and upon release, players seemed to fall in love with it. Because of that success, there are likely plenty more Astro Bot titles in Team Asobi’s future.

Stuff to roll around in, stuff that forms little piles that can be kicked about. 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.

For those hoping to get as much playtime as possible out of the package, Astro Bot packs in plenty to do. There are secret levels to find, puzzle pieces in each level, a gacha machine filled with outfits, and a home base that evolves into a full-on playground over time. The most alluring feature, though, is its PlayStation-themed collectibles. Every level has a set of hidden bots that Astro needs to rescue.

You can find the Golden Butterfly at the very back of the Apes On The Loose level, in a bush to the right of the sky bridge where you find Sky-Walking Ape Special Bot. Papa Tree will start singing, but you’re still technically on the Dual Speeder. So, hold down the right and left triggers (R2 and L2) to continue spraying water onto Papa Tree’s face during his song.

Abilities And Controls

Even better, Astro Bot’s soundtrack comes with many highlights. Its gimmick focuses on a day/night cycle, and the way Young composed it is genius. The day portion has music that’s a lot more jazzy, while the switch to nighttime sounds more like a lullaby. There are many touches like this throughout the game, but the best and most stellar music is reserved for the boss battles. For many players, part of the fun was discovering all of the cameo-inspired robots in Astro Bot. Thankfully, the DLC levels continue that element and Armored Hardcore is no exception.

However, while his range of moves isn’t particularly deep, they’re executed excellently. Jumping, hovering, punching, and spinning all feels spot on thanks to tight, responsive controls. The true test of any 3D platformer is whether it feels fun to simply move around, and Astro passes handily. It feels great to hop around each stage, and Astro is often augmented with new abilities, so we never felt like he needs more moves. It’s a perfect recipe for a 3D platformer, encouraging you to explore every nook and cranny in search of those adorable little droids. There are secret exits in several Astro Bot levels, all of which will unlock a new stage in the mysterious Lost Galaxy nebula.

Just like how Team Asobi did it for Astro’s Playroom, Astro Bot has a ton of PlayStation Easter Eggs. Besides the standard Bots, there are over 100 bots that are dressed up as past PlayStation characters. There are even soem dressed up as characters from third-party games, like Resident Evil and Tomb Raider. All the VIP bots are well thought out, as each one has tongue-in-cheek descriptions and is all-around adorable. For example, the Joel Bot from The Last of Us is said to have a habit of “[telling] the occasional white lie,” in reference to his highly questionable personal choices. In gg88 , think about all the enemies featured in the Super Mario series.

I was expecting an average of 8s, but almost all reviews I saw are 9 and above. Instead of taking the normal exit, look to your right and you’ll see a platform with jewels raining down on top of it. Past that platform, you’ll see another covered in the same jewels. Jump to the far platform and use your spin move to push some of the gems away. You’ll see a wooden floor underneath, so use your cannonball backpack to slam it, which will launch you into the sky and up to a rumble wall. Lure it to the pillar to your right or left, which you’ll notice is an unelectrified platform.

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. Going back to the hub, where all your collected bots congregate, it slowly opens up to reveal new areas to explore and more features to enjoy. Puzzle Pieces are another collectible to gather, and they unlock new rooms, with one of them being the returning Gatcha Lab.

If this, alongside new titles like Lego Horizon Adventures, signals a new and less stuffy direction for Sony, then I’m excited to see what the future holds. For now though, you’ll find me trying to 100-percent Astro Bot, cursing and laughing the whole way through. Astro Bot is also meant to be a DualSense showcase, and it certainly does a lot there, though I continue to feel like the controller’s most passionate fans are within the company itself. In the few instances where the hero isn’t wearing an ability, the game still finds ways to reinvent itself. But once that awesome level was finished, I never saw the mechanic used again. Astro Bot feels like it’s showing off at times, but never in a way that pats itself on its back.