Every time I found an old friend, I was transported back to that kid in the backroom of my parent’s house playing PS1. The unbridled joy I felt when firing up a game I’d never seen before came flooding back to me. I remembered why games were so important to me growing up and how they shaped my creativity. Naysayers will say that no childhood memory comes from sitting in front of a TV, but that was never true for me. Astro Bot still takes advantage of the console’s power too, but not by dipping into photorealism or needlessly flashy spectacle. Incredibly smooth performance means I’m never taken out of the flow by frame hiccups.

I arrived at the end credits after nine hours but had only collected 206 out of a possible 301 bots on my journey. There’s plenty to do after the main levels are done, including finding the remainder of the crew, building out the rest of the hub base, and unearthing new secrets among the stars. There’s so much, in fact, that it took me another nine hours (so, 18 in total) to 100% Astro Bot and acquire the platinum trophy that comes with it. While I’d never say any of its main worlds ever approach being truly “difficult” in the pursuit of that 100% completion goal, some enemies or obstacles did take a few tries. Thankfully, checkpoints are often generously and frequently located, meaning you’re only ever moments away from the spot of your previous demise. The Sponge appears in the Bathhouse Battle stage of Astro Bot and has similar powers to the Elephant.

All 200 Astro Bot Cameos / Vip Bots

Astro Bot begins with a PS5-shaped spaceship traveling the stars when its crew of 300 Bots suddenly encounters a mischievous alien who breaks the ship and scatters its pieces and crew across multiple galaxies. As players take control of Astro, they’ll work to repair the ship and rescue their crewmates. Environmental puzzles and exciting set pieces await players in Astro Bot’s dozens of stages that can take anywhere from a couple minutes to a quarter of an hour to complete. Fans of PlayStation history will be very tempted to spend more time on each stage thanks to the many nods to past franchises and moments.

Game Of The Year 2024 Winner Could Be Getting A Lego Set In The Near Future

The scale of some of these battles is truly mind-boggling, with each one sporting a different exciting mechanic that keeps the player guessing right up until the credits roll. The formula is very much the same as those other games, as players control Astro in dozens of levels, hopping and bopping across various colorful locales. The game is soaked through with PlayStation branding and fan service, almost to a fault. Five new levels are already planned to be added to Astro But starting on July 10th, further expanding the number of courses and bots in the game. These include Twin-Frog Trouble, Suck It Up, Handhold Havoc, and high Inflation.

This mechanical focus allowed Team Asobi to perfect each move and then apply them all in a thousand different ways, and the result is a rewarding and robust platformer. Its best attribute, a rumble feature more nuanced than what other controllers provide, is also simpler than all of the DualSense’s high-end abilities that sometimes come off as gimmicky. Astro Bot also did away with some of them from Astro’s Playroom, such as using the center touchpad to unzip some blockades.

This part of our Astro Bot guide goes over each and every level in the game, highlighting where to find all collectibles and more. It’s a thrilling adventure that takes you on a journey through different planets, filled with exciting challenges and unique abilities. It even pays homage to some of PlayStation’s most beloved characters, bringing back a sense of nostalgia and joy for both new and seasoned players. Every level brings something new, and the controls feel perfect. The bright graphics and little PlayStation references make it even better.

Everything is beautifully designed and laid out so that players can have the best experience possible. That’s the magic of Astro Bot, because even though the levels are linear, gamers will want to explore every nook and cranny to see every detail possible. If Astro’s Playroom is the appetizer, then Astro Bot is the main meal that gamers deserve. Astro Bot feels like Team Asobi’s most significant moment in the spotlight. The video game studio entered the scene with the PlayStation VR tech demo, The PlayRoom, and quickly made an unforgettable impression. Their mascot character, Astro Bot, turned out to be such a big hit that they developed an entire game just for him on the PSVR.

Astro Bot received PlayStation 5 Pro support and new, more challenging levels back in February. Team Asobi’s platformer won numerous Game of the Year awards, including at 2024’s The Game Awards and the 2025 BAFTA Awards. Here are Metacritic’s 10 lowest-scoring video games released in 2025. As I collected them, I found myself getting surprisingly emotional as deep-cut games I grew up with got their lovingly crafted due.

If you liked Playroom overall, though, you’ll definitely like this. I read the review, not worried about spoilers in a platformer, and I’m wondering how many of the different one off play mechanics felt gimmicky? I really like platforming but going back to Playroom I really hate that climbing gyro mechanic, doesn’t feel fluid or natural at all. My wife and I enjoyed It Takes Two but some of the one off I was glad to get rid of. My kid on the other hand hated how you kept learning new stuff only for it to be dropped and never return again, just like this review, and I was getting this for them for their birthday.

All of this would be for nothing though if Astro Bot’s controls were a mess. https://nk88.actor/ runs, jumps, and hovers with absolute grace, and honestly, it is hard not to crack a smile watching this adorable protagonist run belly-first into whatever platforming challenges may lay ahead. Young Holidaymaker is the fourth bot found in Balloon Breeze inspired by Boku in the Boku no Natsuyasumi video game series. Use the lasers coming from your double jumps to split the log in two and then pull the revealed cord to show the hidden puzzle piece. The level players will encounter the Mouse power-up in should send them into glee. The level in question is called Downsize Surprise in Astro Bot and it will give players the ability to shrink upon command or regrow.