RetroFuture
Games I’m Playing — RetroFuture — Once in a while a game comes along that, like Mari Kondo’s ability to identify keepers, sparks joy. Games that are truly special are few and far between. Lucky for us, one such game appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and should be played by everyone. I’m talking, of course, about Endless Ocean Luminous… wait, that can’t be right. Oh! it’s Astro Bot. While I was tangentially aware of prior games, I was somewhat shocked to discover it is the 4th game featuring Astro (The Playroom VR, Astro Bot Rescue Mission, Astro’s Playroom (free with PS5 launch), Astro Bot 2024 and CSI: Astro Bot Cold Cases). Much like Kondo’s keepsakes, that joy comes from the nostalgia of days gone.
AB is a game where a group of ~300 astro bots are flying around the universe in a PS5, literally. A galactic bully intercepts them, causes the Playstation to crash into a nearby planet, and absconds with a bunch of the core PS5 components. Of course, all the astro bots have been scattered around the galaxy? Local cluster? Universe? It’s unclear. So the Playstation big ship crashed on a planet and it’s up to players to find all the missing crew. Astro uses his local area spaceship, conveniently shaped like a PS5 controller with wings, to get where he needs to go. And where does he go? Different star clusters conspicuously shaped like the bosses therein. There’s also the crash site where all the saved astro bot buddies will reside
Usually I talk about the artistic direction of a game while fawning over and oversimplify what takes artists many months to create. BUT NOT THIS DAY! Well, maybe a little… In a word, Astro Bot is adorable. The main character, the modern incarnation of a Playstation mascot, runs around like my 3 year old son. That’s to say belly first with arms flailing on each side and an unexplainable sense of purpose. Astro’s got glowing blue eyes, a shiny white and black exterior and an aforementioned protruding belly. It’s a character representation of a Playstation 5. What could come across as a marketing ploy might be one of the best characters created in years thanks to the care that went into the game
The toddler motif was intentionally done by Team ASOBI for precisely the purpose of making us think it’s cute. OK, you win. Sheeesh. Also, just to pluck the chords of nostalgia, save slots are represented by a PS1 memory card (those were actually a thing… wow)
Each level is themed from mainstays like snow, lava, jungle, water, sand, ice cream, etc to more unique locales such as dojo, haunted house, casino, a djinn’s lamp. Then there are levels inspired by games of Playstation’s past like Uncharted, Ape Escape, God of War, and others. The levels are beautiful to behold. None are exceptionally big, but they are dense and filled with an artistic attention to detail that reminds me of seeing the stitching on Sackboy from Little Big Planet
The art is coupled with brilliant sound design. The soundtrack is excellent with each song expressing the mood of each level so well. Then there are the distorted, robotic voices that lie within the songs and elsewhere. Something that if you listen closely to, you can make out. Or, maybe they aren’t saying anything and it’s in my head. I dunno, but it sure sounds good. Finally, they use all of the PS5 features, like the controller speaker. Perhaps that’s some whistling wind…or the chirp of a lost astro bot … “save me, save me”
When I first played I messaged a group of game devs I worked with and said, “It’s great, but it’s just Mario. Am I missing something?” While I stand by that statement I would say it’s a Mario+. That means it does the things a 3D Platformer like Mario does well, and then some. Since it’s a 1st party title, the dev team had the time and funding to use all of the PS5 features and they did. Pressure sensitive triggers determine how hard mechanical GATCHA hands squeeze; motion control when flying the controller spaceship, and blowing into the mic on occasion to create wind on the screen
Most of the levels players enter have unique power-ups/abilities. Each one of these is represented by some creature that jumps on players’ backs (think the parasites in Returnal but only one in a level, it’s preselected, and it’s cute). Not convinced? I dare you to strap on the rocket chicken, blast off some vertical cliff, and not smile. What about the forward propulsion K9? If that doesn’t do it, how about a mouse that shrinks you down to… well a mouse… making areas of the level dual purpose. Players can (almost) stop time with the Alice in Wonderland adjacent stopwatch or punch through walls with frog hands. It doesn’t really matter what the verb is, what matters is how it is perfectly matched with what can be done in the level
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The level design is dense with secrets. These can be the more obvious, like a box just out of reach or place you can dig to, to the more subtle like turning around, breaking glass on a roof, and escaping backward to a hidden area. As mentioned, each level isn’t particularly big, but they are all full of wonder and it’s amazing to move through them. Don’t even get me started on the hour glass level!
And move you will. This is a 3D Platformer after all and the game requires a lot of jumping. Come to think of it, this is also similar to how my toddler behaves. While there’s precision in the main game, it’s relatively forgiving. Death carries no penalty other than needing to go back to the last checkpoint, which are plentiful. It’s not really a burden to fail except for one set of challenges
The Triangle, Square, Circle, and X challenges are meant to be tough, and they can be grueling. This is especially true with a few choice levels I won’t mention. Suffice it to say those levels require 0 mistakes and committing 1 will likely result in starting the whole thing over. Thankfully they are optional since that’s not really the vibe of this game. I leave it and say if you’re trying to get bot 301… good luck (don’t worry, I got it because I’m a masochist)
Nostalgia section: One of the most magical parts of Astro Bot is its endless self awareness and referential nature. From the bridges that are formed by connecting PS1 cable connections to the memory cards (let’s not even detail the dramatic final battle and the supporting spaceships). This is followed by innumerable details throughout the game. Then there are the astro bots themselves. While many look just like the Astro Bot, others are themed after games throughout the Playstation history, and not just PS exclusives. Games from all eras are represented from MediEvil, Metal Gear, and Bloodborne to Uncharted, Rez, Patapon!, Tomb Raider, Stray and Moss. There are so many characters. What’s more, once they are rescued and you’ve uncovered their associated item from the GATCHA machine (what else are you gonna do with those coins?) they hang out at the crash site. Players can walk up and hit (interact) them and each one has its own response
Each one is amazing. There’s a lot more to talk about re: design and gameplay, but I’m doing my best not to spoil it
For all the positives, it can still be hard to navigate a 3D platforming space. While there is a shadow when the character is obscured by a wall, it’s not always clear where you’ll land. In the normal game, that’s fine, but for the shape levels that imprecise feeling means mistakes are common and costly. It can also be hard to read at times, i.e. it’s not clear what’s happening. It gets better as the game progresses, but it’s still an issue. Finally, checkpoints often save quickly and before you’ve grabbed nearby coins which means if you don’t make it to the next one, you need to get all those coins again. Not a terrible foul but still notable
This game is amazing. It’s fun, fluid, and inventive. It takes the Mario formula and competes with it at the highest level. It’s a breath of fresh air in an industry that’s been beaten down. Rarely has a game made me legitimately smile so much and think to myself, “well, that’s clever… I see what you did there.” In the words of Mr Velucci, my high school biology teacher, “It’s a thing of beauty and magnificence!”