Astro Bot Is the Mascot Game PlayStation Needs Right Now

Nintendo has Mario. Microsoft has the Master Chief. However, Sony has long struggled to person accordant branding for its mascots. Over astir 30 years of PlayStation exclusives, including Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, Sly Cooper, and God of War, nary of them stuck retired arsenic the main look of the console. Sackboy was expected to instrumentality that title, but he’s been supplanted by a small robot called Astro.

He is present getting his own crippled this year, made much important by a deficiency of big Sony exclusives successful 2024. I’ve yet had the accidental to play it, and I deliberation this whitethorn beryllium the extremity of Sony’s mascot woes. It doesn’t person conscionable 1 mascot; it present has dozens.

Astro Bot is an expanded mentation of the demo crippled that comes pre-installed connected each PlayStation 5 consoles. I wasn’t unsocial successful feeling amazed that Astro’s Playroom was arsenic bully arsenic it was aft I archetypal unboxed my PS5. It had choky controls that took vantage of the DualSense’s haptic triggers acold amended than immoderate crippled has since. It was a cute diversion with the added payment that it was honestly originative and amusive to play. It was stuffed afloat of capable collectible Sony memorabilia to soften the eyes of longtime PlayStation fans. 

Image: Sony Interactive Entertainment.

I was funny to spot however Sony and developers Team Asobi would alteration our wide-eyed Astro into the leader of his ain game, 1 that wasn’t needfully beholden to PlayStation’s past. Except it’s not. All the coins are emblazoned with PlayStation logos. Your rocketship is virtually a PlayStation 5 DualSense controller you tin bid with question controls.

At first, I balked astatine the thought of playing a crippled that, astatine a glance, feels similar promotional worldly for PlayStation. My demo didn’t see overmuch communicative astatine all, but what was determination made Super Mario Galaxy 2 look similar a caller successful comparison. All you request to cognize is that your PS5 “mothership” is wrecked, and present each the assorted Astro bots are stranded crossed the galaxy, and you request to get those bots back.  

I played done 3 levels of Astro Bot, positive 2 situation stages. The controls impact jumping, hovering, attacking, and holding the onslaught fastener to bash a rotation move. The novelty comes from the assorted power-ups you get from each level. In my demo, 1 of them blew up Astro similar a blimp for elemental platforming puzzles. Another, shaped similar a dog, makes Astro rocket guardant successful a consecutive line. For a brag combat against a elephantine squid—one that instantly reminded maine of the Glooper Blooper combat successful Super Mario Sunshine—Astro’s granted a brace of spring-powered boxing gloves. 

Image: Sony Interactive Entertainment.

The much I played, the much I stopped worrying and learned to emotion the PlayStation-themed set-dressing. The expressive animations are immoderate of the champion since playing Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Each force and cute, bot-faced quality you conscionable grins oregon leers astatine you with cartoonish charm. I’ll admit, the nostalgia halfway of my encephalon lit up erstwhile I encountered PaRappa the Rapper and aged Kratos successful bot-form. 

It’s not the astir inventive 3D platformer I’ve ever played, but what’s determination is afloat of elemental but absorbing interactions. The rocket pack, for instance, tin propulsion definite enemies disconnected the signifier oregon bounce them disconnected circumstantial pads. Those main levels were possibly excessively casual for anybody experienced successful these types of games. The situation levels offered a spot much spice, necessitating a spot much precision from your jumps, but it was thing an experienced gamer couldn’t sound retired successful 10 minutes and a fewer retries.  

I’m funny if Astro Bot tin support up that level of inventiveness and charm crossed each 50 stages, but what’s determination seems similar it’s connected the close track, particularly for those not excessively experienced with platformers. Astro Bot comes retired Sept. 6 lone connected PS5 for $60.