Astro Bot Review: Team Asobi’s Nintendo-Style Platformer Is an Instant PS5 Classic

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For the past few years, first-party Sony games have been marked by their singular preoccupation with graphical fidelity. Uncharted 4, The Last of Us Part 2, Ghost of Tsushima, Horizon Forbidden West, God of War, and Spider-Man — all good games — are bound by their vanity. However, in their drive to achieve near-realistic visuals –– that dour, grimy look –– they leave behind the throwback vibrant video game aesthetic, now found only in Nintendo titles or indie games.

And that's why Astro Bot is an anomaly. As a cute, colourful, candy-like 3D platformer, it sits distinctly in the PlayStation catalogue of games. There's nothing quite like it in Sony's roster right now; even Ratchet and Clank, with its shiny, new ray-tracing coat, wasn't spared. And beyond the charms of its lively visual presentation, Astro Bot is an incredible and unmissable adventure that leaves your heart singing. Its childlike authenticity, undeniable earnestness, and endearing simplicity stand out amid glum, self-serious PlayStation exclusives that seem to be straining to be more than just a video game.

And it's not a surprise at all! Afterall, Team Asobi delivered the same experience in a bite-sized package with Astro's Playroom when the PS5 launched in 2020. From a cute mascot that served as a free-to-play tech demo for the DualSense controller, Astro has evolved into a bonafide PlayStation icon with a carefully crafted and lovingly realised full-fledged game. Yes, Astro Bot is mechanically a bit shallow — it does not have as many moving parts as Super Mario Odyssey. But the experience it offers is by no means thin — to see all its secrets and easter eggs and collect all bots, you could spend 15-20 hours hopping around its bouquet of planets. And it is not completely lacking a challenge either; it's a simple adventure, but there are levels that will test your patience and skill. Most importantly, in a glut of games obsessed with looking good, Astro Bot stands out with its obsession with being