If you bought a PS5, you obviously remember Astro’s Playroom, a “demo” game which aimed to introduce us to the magical world of the PS5, and in particular new and unique features of the DualSense. Touchpad, gyroscopic effects, microphone, haptic feedback and of course adaptive triggers, the experience in 2020 was still very square and pleasant. In short, Astro’s Playroom was free with any purchase of a PS5 and we can say today, it was a bit like the Wii Sports of the PS5. The only problem with this “demo game”, a term that its creator Nicolas Doucet hates, is that it was much too short. 5 levels and a boss, it was possible to finish the game in one evening. But good news, a “sequel” is coming. It was announced during the last State of Play on May 31 and it arrives next September. I was able to play it for more than 2 hours at PlayStation France just yesterday and I can tell you without batting an eyelid, PlayStation may have its own Mario there. No bullshit.
Obviously, as soon as we start comparing games and licenses, it raises eyebrows, especially in the respective communities and God knows that the N-Sex are very sensitive when we come to step on their toes, but force is to see that the members of the Team Asobi studio are far from being penguins when it comes to platforming. The Japanese studio has been working on it for almost 4 years, since the release of Astro’s Playroom in real life, and it is still the Frenchman Nicolas Doucet who is leading the project with great passion. And this desire to do well, we feel it from the first minutes of play, both in the production and in the gameplay, the controls, the playability and a fine finish. Everything is square, well done, meticulously regulated, nothing overflows and there is immediately a feeling of joy when you start wandering through the first levels of the game.
FINISH WITH SMALL ONIONS
For this first hands-on, Sony allowed us to wander around several planets to discover and understand the gameplay, fight a boss, a big, absolutely brilliant octopus, I’ll come back to that in a few moments, but also test our nerves and our endurance on two bonus missions of very difficult difficulty, in order to prove to us that this Astro Bot will not be just a cakewalk. I would still like to reassure children and parents who will watch this video, the crazy missions are generally bonus side quests which will not interfere with the main course of the adventure, rest assured. On the other hand, if you platinum the game, that is to say finish the game 100%, you will have to take on these challenges. What fascinated me at first glance with Astro Bot was its production, its technique, its graphics. We complain about the lack of truly next gen games, but when you get your hands on Astro Bot, it feels like a next gen game. So of course, if you’ve already played Astro’s Playroom, we’re in continuity, even if this “sequel” is even more advanced technically speaking, but the game breathes life everywhere. It’s colorful, it’s shimmering, the levels are filled with elements of all kinds, so much so that our eyes no longer know where to rest.
Since our gaming session was timed, I couldn’t hang out too much in the levels, but I just wanted to go through and discover every bit of what was offered to me in the environments. There are indeed a thousand and one things happening on the screen. There are enemies everywhere, on the ground, in the sky, the vegetation moves, the flowers too, everything interacts with realism each time Astro passes. There is also a pretty incredible physics engine and by combining all these elements, we obtain this next gen side to the game. And as it is a platform game, we are not used to seeing such visual rendering. Well yes, the references of the genre being Nintendo games, Mario at the head of the gondola, we are forced to limit ourselves to the limited performance of the Switch. Of course, the console is capable of offering us crazy things, the proof with Super Mario Wonder which was incredible, but now we are no longer boxing in the same category.
Moreover, this Astro Bot looks a lot like a certain Super Mario Galaxy in its structure and its proposal, and even the feeling of the controls is reminiscent of the Nintendo game. Because if Astro Bot surprises with its graphics, it also surprises with the quality of its gameplay. Everything is adjusted to the millimeter, whether it is the speed of movement, the different jumps to manage, the jump distance, the attacks, the obstacles to understand, everything is perfectly oiled, with this instinctive side which proves that Team Asobi has mastered the gender. Especially since the game also has another great quality, it is its rhythm and the way in which it connects game design ideas, all in perfect harmony and coherence with the world which offers, with this somewhat robotic and mechanics that are a pleasure to see. And then if you are a fan of the PlayStation brand, the game is full of references and other Easter Eggs which are nice to see. Throughout the adventure, we will come across other characters from the world of PlayStation. Ratchet & Clank, Parapa the Rapper, Kratos and Atreus from the God of War series, Journey, Nathan Drake, even the story is directly linked to the PS5, since the console finds itself crashed on a planet after fighting in space . And of course, like any platform game of its kind, Astro Bot relies heavily on replay value, replayability, with secrets to find, hidden levels to unearth, artifacts to find, the idea being to push the player to exploration.
A GAME THAT GIVES SMILE
And what’s also nice about Astro Bot is that the gameplay is evolving. Throughout the adventure, our little robot will be granted powers based on the planets he will discover. There are frog heads to screw onto your hands and which act as grappling gloves which will allow you to cling to walls, or to grab certain objects. There is also the rocket dog, which you strap to your back like a simple jet-pack and which then allows you to rush a short distance. Not only does it allow you to cross the void, but also to destroy crumbly walls. There is also the octopus which also allows our robot to inflate like a balloon and other powers will be available throughout the adventure. We could see that Astro could become a giant, have a timer to stop time, knowing that each of his powers cannot be combined, they are adapted to each planet. We let ourselves be transported by this colorful, smiling, caring adventure, which is full of ideas, which is full of rhythm and which manages to adapt to all types of players. The game is likely to be played with pleasure and delight, but as I said above, there will also be plenty of challenge for more experienced players. Levels to complete in one go, without dying once, otherwise you have to start all over again from the beginning of the level. I swear to you that certain passages, I had to start again 20 times before succeeding because it was so difficult. In short, there will be something for everyone.
