Astro Bot Review: 80 Levels of Pure PS5 Platforming Joy (9.4/10)

Astro Bot is the best reason to own a PS5. Team Asobi has taken the mascot platformer and rebuilt it as a showcase for everything the console can do. The game is a love letter to PlayStation history, but it never feels like a museum piece. It feels alive.

Trailer, via PlayStation.

The DualSense Does the Work

The controller carries the experience. Every surface has a texture. Walking on sand drags, skating on ice glides, and landing on metal rings produces a satisfying thud. The haptics are precise enough that you can feel the difference between a wooden crate and a stone block before you break them.

The adaptive triggers add weight to every action. Charging a punch requires real pressure. Pulling a lever clicks with resistance. This is the rare game where the controller is not an input device but a character in the scene. Astro Bot uses the DualSense better than any game before it.

A Galaxy of Levels

The campaign spans over 80 levels across six galaxies. Each one is built around a single mechanical idea, and each idea gets its full due before the game moves on. One level turns you into a sponge that soaks up water to grow heavy. Another shrinks you to the size of an ant. A third flips gravity on its head mid-jump.

The best levels lean into spectacle. A giant ape chase has you sprinting toward the camera while debris falls behind you. A boss fight against a mechanical octopus turns the arena into a drum kit, with each tentacle strike requiring a timed parry.

The game runs about 12 hours for a standard playthrough. That is the right length for a platformer. But the difficulty curve is uneven. The early worlds are gentle, almost to a fault. The challenge spikes sharply in the final galaxy, where precision platforming and combat mix in ways the game has not prepared you for.

The final boss tests everything you have learned, but it can feel unfair on a first attempt. The checkpoints are generous, so the frustration fades quickly. Still, a smoother ramp would have made the climb more satisfying.

PlayStation History as Playground

The game is stuffed with cameos. Over 150 cameo bots appear, each modeled on a PlayStation character. Kratos, Nathan Drake, and Aloy are here. So are deeper cuts like Parappa the Rapper and the Hunter from Bloodborne. Each one has a little animation that captures the character’s personality.

The collecting is the real hook. Every level hides bots in plain sight and in secret rooms. Finding them all requires revisiting stages and using new abilities to reach old platforms. The game rewards curiosity without punishing failure. If you miss a bot, you can replay the level at any time.

A Technical Marvel

The game runs at a locked 60 frames per second on PS5. Load times are near instant. The art direction is bright and colorful, with a toy-like charm that never gets old. The soundtrack is a bouncy orchestral score that matches the action beat for beat.

The game also makes smart use of the PS5’s SSD. Levels shift and morph mid-run without a pause. A castle collapses around you while you are still moving through it. A train track rebuilds itself ahead of the player. These tricks are seamless.

The Verdict

Astro Bot is a masterclass in game design. It is playful, generous, and technically brilliant. It is also the first game in years that made me smile for no reason other than pure joy. The cameos are a treat for longtime fans, but the core platforming stands on its own.

If you own a PS5, buy this game. If you do not own a PS5, this is the game that justifies the purchase.

Key Facts

• Platform: PS5
• Developer: Team Asobi
• Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Release date: September 6, 2024
• Levels: Over 80 across six galaxies
• Cameo bots: Over 150
• Playtime: About 12 hours
• Performance: 60 fps on PS5

Astro Bot · game review · Platformer · PlayStation · PS5 · Team Asobi