Astro Bot hands-on report

blog.playstation.com:

Astro is back with his biggest adventure yet, and I had an opportunity to play about 40 minutes in an early preview. Team Asobi’s colorful platformer is brimming with stages featuring empowering new abilities, inventive obstacles, and exciting PlayStation character cameos. 

The demo packed five fun stages to explore including full levels, smaller hardcore challenges, and a wet ‘n’ wild boss fight. While only some stages were available to play in this preview, the galactic maps hint at the scale of the final game — Astro’s new adventure hosts dozens of diverse stages and tons of cameo bots to rescue.

Let’s dive in.

If you played through Astro’s Playroom, you already know that controlling the little bot is a tight, responsive experience. Astro still has his trusty jump, attack, charged spin attack, and versatile laser-hover ability. If Team Asobi has made major updates to the core platforming mechanics, they’re too subtle for me to notice. But if it ain’t broke…!

Astro Bot’s overworld (“overuniverse?”) consists of multiple galactic maps. Once within the specific galaxy shown in the demo, myriad colorful planets dot the galaxy, each with their own levels. Helpfully, hovering over each level reveals its difficulty level (Easy, Normal, Hard). 

One of the galaxy’s “easy” levels, Sky Garden is a vision of idyllic paradise with pink robo-flamingos wading in inviting blue ponds. Cherry blossom trees dot the landscape, with their petals floating atop the water. Astro explores across multiple connected floating islands in this stage.

In Sky Garden, Astro can collect a new item that pumps him full of air, swelling him to rotund proportions. Not only does this help you reach new hidden heights, it’s also adorable. 

Astro must have received a software update since Astro’s Playroom because he can now explore underwater for hidden bots and treasures. The controls are simple, with Circle button to descend and X button to ascend.

Speaking of swimming, plunging into a pond revealed an