Balan wasn’t great but each suit even for 80 to me went yeah I can sense each has a fair purpose even if not implemented well of the use cases, it still has a use. Like Rayman 3 did with it’s suits which is why I bought Balan, I still got my fun out of it besides how bad it is for sure. But I think this all the time with videos I watch/games I play/research and end up with large comments like this.
Review – Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment (ns
Astro recovers the CPU, but when he and his crew defeat Nebulax by blowing up the spaceship he is attached to, it creates a black hole that begins to suck Nebulax in. Nebulax grabs Astro to try to take him down with him, but the crew take hold of Astro to try to pull him back. Refusing to let the crew sacrifice themselves for him, Astro lets go of them and falls into the black hole, which explodes into a supernova.
Along the way, he rescues V.I.P. Bots (guest characters from other games) and explores planets based on Ape Escape, God of War, Uncharted, LocoRoco, and Horizon. Pay the 200-coin fee, then pull on the wires to reveal a robot bird. This bird, which seems to be nameless, actually pings any remaining collectibles in the level.
While some of these are repeated, these same gimmicks are mixed with more interesting overall level designs to keep things fresh. Everything looks aesthetically pleasing and fits right in the game’s world, not to mention the amazing Astro bot designs that reference numerous older IPs. Each of these designs is distinct and instantly recognizable from the characters they represent, which is amazing knowing that they’re only limited to a robotic mascot. In addition to this, the animations of the game are also works of art.
Astro Bot is one of the year’s biggest and best titles and it’s easy to see why. There’s a lot to do, it’s visually stunning and it’s a welcoming platformer. You can jump onto the title even if you haven’t played Astro’s Playroom or a PlayStation game in general. Team Asobi studio head Nicolas Doucet thanked his development team and PlayStation for believing in Astro, and also paid tribute to Nintendo, recalling how he played Super Mario Bros as a child.
Oh, and special mention must be made for the soundtrack, which is just excellent throughout. 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.
While the game has many exhilarating moments, Astro Bot’s desire to showcase PlayStation gear and characters can feel like it’s holding the game back from being something unique. Astro Bot begins with a PS5-shaped spaceship traveling the stars when its crew of 300 Bots suddenly encounters a mischievous alien who breaks the ship and scatters its pieces and crew across multiple galaxies. As players take control of Astro, they’ll work to repair the ship and rescue their crewmates. These special cameo bots are rescued from the galaxies’ main boss fights, which are a real highlight of the experience.
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Alongside these five new levels, we are pleased to say that owners of the PS5 Pro will be able to enjoy an improved version of Astro Bot featuring a constant best resolution while still running at 60 frames per second. And one person who’s clearly having fun with Astro Bot is no other than Finn Wolfhard, featured alongside Astro in a fun new video. Four years ago, Sony introduced the tagline “play has no limits” to advertise the PS5.
Astro Bot eventually catches up to and defeats the alien, but is killed in the process. The Bots, with the CPU Kid’s help, repair and revive Astro, and appear in the background of the final planet in the story, Credits Clash. So, it’s a critical smash hit, and we’ll see if it’s a sales one as well.
Few ideas are even revisited, making some moments feel memorable and unique. While it can border on not allowing some of those ideas to creatively breathe, given how quickly they can be cast aside in favor of something new, I never felt robbed of my time with any moment, or spectacle. Every stage in Astro Bot provides its own challenges, forcing players to think outside the box or make use of unique power-ups. As previously mentioned, anyone that has played Astro’s Playroom will have a good idea of what to expect here. Controlling Astro is a joy, with him being extremely responsive as he runs, jumps, uses his foot-lasers to hover a small distance, and lash out at enemies with his short metal arms. You’ll use these basic skills liberally as you explore the levels found within each star system, negotiating platforms, avoiding traps and overcoming a wide range of enemies.
It’s been quite a rough few weeks for Sony and PlayStation fans out there, and it’s great to know that it’s not all doom and gloom as Astro Bot is here to save the day. As a casual fan of platformers, Astro Bot blew me away and reminded me of the nostalgia and fun that is to be had with the genre. The last time to do this was Nintendo’s Super Mario Odyssey, which is a very high standard to beat or match in recent years. Needless to say, Astro Bot exceeded my expectations by being nearly perfect in almost every aspect of the game. As I collected them, I found myself getting surprisingly emotional as deep-cut games I grew up with got their lovingly crafted due. Every time I found an old friend, I was transported back to that kid in the backroom of my parent’s house playing PS1.
Thankfully, the DLC levels continue that element and Armored Hardcore is no exception. The Vicious Void Galaxy DLC has added the likes of Jade from Beyond Good & Evil and Heihachi Mishima from the Tekken franchise to name a few. Inside Armored Hardcore, players can rescue Ezio Auditore, a master assassin representing Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed franchise. After announcing the news back in February, the DLC levels for Vicious Void Galaxy are now all available. As part of Update 1.016, the game has added a new level called Armored Hardcore, which focuses on Astro Bot’s Iron Suit ability.
I’ve never cared about PlayStation Trophies before, but I expect to unlock them all in Astro Bot, if only incidentally because I want to see and do everything this game offers. I don’t know if I’ve ever played a platformer before where I enjoyed literally every single boss fight and level, but I can confidently say that about Astro Bot. luck8 and delight as they take full advantage of the PS5’s hardware. Astro Bot levels are beautiful, brought to life by genius art direction and some of the best graphics on the PS5. It all feels so alive thanks to how the DualSense controller reacts to what players see on the screen, with Astro Bot making great use of the DualSense’s haptic feedback and speaker.
Still, Team Asobi may argue its smaller complement of baddies that grow in complexity are what keep it consistent. It’s a play straight out of Mario’s book, and in the platforming world, the plumber is still the king even as a new pretender climbs higher to the summit. Aside from elevating Astro Bot with strikingly tactile feedback to what is happening on screen, the DualSense is also the source of clues. In particular, the rumbling, or specifically the type and intensity of the rumble. For certain puzzles, including the Az-Tech Trail doors, the DualSense is crucial to figuring out how to proceed, so pay close attention on what your controller is telling you at all times. Like many of PlayStation’s limited edition DualSense controllers, the Astro Bot DualSense is based on one of its many franchises, specifically 2024’s Game of the Year, Astro Bot.
With the exception of the truly bad ones, most of them achieve a decent baseline level of fun, because fun is all they’re going for. You can enjoy them in the moment, and it’s not until afterwards you realise it’s an empty sugar high. Across that lifetime of experience, I think Astro Bot is worthy of a medal. For many players, part of the fun was discovering all of the cameo-inspired robots in Astro Bot.
