Astro Bot Hands-On Preview – It’s Like PlayStation 5 the Game 

Get ready for a supersized space adventure in the magic of PlayStation with the latest entry in the Astro Bot series, celebrating PlayStation’s long history. The PlayStation 5 mothership has been wrecked, and now ASTRO and his bot crew have been scattered all over the galaxies.

It is time! Time for you to ride your trusty Dual Speeder across more than 50 planets full of wonders, excitement, surprises, entertainment, and danger. Go on an adventure with ASTRO, and reunite with PlayStation’s most iconic heroes. We got the opportunity to experience a hands-on demo session of Astro Bot, so without further ado, here is what to expect.

In this adventure, you take on the role of the stumpy adorable robot ASTRO, going on and exploring planets to rescue his friends using his spacecraft – a literal gigantic DualSense controller. The demo opens up five different planets for us to explore – boasting different objectives, themes, terrains, and special abilities for ASTRO. One planet could be you facing a larger-than-life boss, while others might have you find a lost companion or scratch your brain to solve a puzzle.

For basics, the game is a 3D platformer where you run and jump across terrains. More than that, ASTRO has little jetpack legs that allow him to levitate for a short time when you hold down the jump button. The map has plenty of PlayStation coins to collect, enemies to battle, and treasure chests to seek. The fiery jetpack legs can damage enemies and chests, so they aren’t just for show!

The first planet we got to explore is fittingly summer-themed – a tropical island reminiscent of a water park with lush trees and vibrant colorful schools of fishes swimming about in the pools, creating a joyful and leisurely atmosphere. Here, ASTRO can inflate like a pufferfish and slowly float up, allowing him to reach otherwise inaccessible areas. Manually canceling it or having its duration run out will cause him to deflate and land. 

Another planet we explored is the industrial world of Construction Derby – made up of concrete, steel, and all things mechanical. This time, ASTRO can pick up magnets to attract metals to use them as puzzle-solving tools or offensive projectiles. Furthermore, ASTRO can also dash to distant platforms or break through fragile glass using a short boost of jetpack on this planet.

Progressing, we arrived at the next planet where we must face a boss. On this planet, ASTRA acquired a pair of frog boxing gloves that shoot out tongues to hit enemies or stick to high pillars to swing around like monkeys on a vine. After a series of parkour challenges, we encounter the boss of this planet – a boxing octopus ready to give a jab, haymaker, and deliver you a knockdown. It can also summon smaller octopuses to pester you, which you can take full advantage of with the frog gloves’ retractable feature – allowing you to grab 2 of the octopus’s tentacles to slingshot them to smash the octopus in the face. You can also show the octopus who is the true heavyweight champion by unleashing rapid punches to the boss’s weak points.

The last 2 levels we experienced were quite a challenge, really pushed your reflexes and platforming skills. The first involves jumping on unstable icy surfaces while dodging spinning mace-like obstacles, where timing jumps precisely and being mindful of the landing point. Overshooting it will result in a startover, as there are no checkpoints in these 2 levels. The second one is a time challenge where you will have to reach the goal within a limited time. Astro Bot is not just all fun and lightheartedness, as there are still challenges for those seeking for such experiences. 

Another thing worth highlighting is the amazing  DuelSense controller feature integration. You can swing the controller left and right and ASTRO’s spaceship will move accordingly, almost like we are personally piloting the spacecraft. Some levels also utilize the Haptic Feedback feature well and you might even have to pay attention to vibration to sense hidden puzzle switches.

Verdict

Astro Bot is best described as a celebration of PlayStation, offering a fun and neat experience that boasts interesting levels to explore and surprises to be had. Each world in the game is unique in its ways, whether puzzles, special mechanics, or hidden secrets. We never felt any feeling of repetitiveness and while it is a relaxing title with its childlike fantasy visuals, there are still challenges.

The visuals are acquisitive too, with the summer island leaving the deepest impression on us. It feels like we are transported into a waterpark, sliding down slides to dive into pools. The level of immersion is superb; for example, coming out of water will cause the screen to have droplets, giving a sense of realism. While we play the same Bot throughout, we also get to see various others in fashion that pay homage to popular PlayStation franchises. Bot Kratos is cute!

All in all, Astro Bot is unexpectedly fun and its gameplay, graphics, controls and everything else make for one of the most promising action-adventure platformers this year.

Astro Bot is set to launch exclusively for the PlayStation 5 on September 6, 2024. Pre-orders are now available through the official PlayStation website.

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