Astro Bot, a new game that takes players through a world inspired by PlayStation’s gaming history, has been called “one of the finest platformers ever made” by critics.
Reviews for the game started coming in at 1pm today, and it has debuted with 94 on metacritic. Astro Bot is the sequel to PS5 launch title Astro’s Playroom, a platformer set within a PS5, designed to teach players about the system’s new features, particularly the haptic feedback of the DualSense controller.
The original contained many Easter eggs and references to other first-party PlayStation games and characters, and the sequel seems to have followed the same path. VGC wrote, “Astro Bot is not only an astonishingly good platformer, it understands PlayStation‘s legacy better than PlayStation seemingly does itself,” in its five-star review.
Astro Bot is a stunning creative and technical achievement. It’s as specular as a Mario made by Nintendo, a heartfelt love letter to PlayStation heritage. @AsobiNico and team have expertly crafted a bright, positive and insanely cute game. It'll make you smile again and again. pic.twitter.com/MMOY2zibTB
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) September 5, 2024
Eurogamer also Astro Bot five stars, writing “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.” Critics have all seemed to delight in the game’s ability to evoke a sense of wonder for the PlayStation not felt since many were children, sitting down to play their first PlayStation game.
Push Square described Astro Bot as “a three-course meal,” and wrote that it’s “a perfect game to celebrate PlayStation’s 30th anniversary, reflecting on the myriad series that made the platform what it is today.” However, they also noted that the game is a severe drain on the DualSense’s battery life.
Astro Bot launches tomorrow, September 6, and is a PlayStation 5 exclusive. Its standard edition costs £59.99, but you can pre order it for some small cosmetic bonuses.
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