The competition for the game of the year 2024 award was, I can say, quite solid. In addition to the excellent Metaphor: ReFantazia, Black Myth: Wukong and even the indie hit Balatro, many people were surprised that Astro Bot won. Personally, I had no doubts about the quality of the game based on the videos and reviews I had seen, but again, I was not convinced that the game was worthy of that prestigious award.
Almost a year later I decided to get the game for myself and after about 10 hours of playing I can say that this is not only a great game, but maybe the best 3D platformer we've seen in a while. First of all, Astro Bot has too much charm, and is bursting with style. When I saw the opening cutscene where you crash into a flying PlayStation 5, I was afraid that the game would feel like an interactive advertisement for Sony, but that was not the case. This game is not an advertisement, but a love letter to PlayStation and the legendary games associated with this platform. If your favorite game has anything to do with PlayStation as a brand, expect to find at least one character from that game here.
Okay, references and easter eggs are fun, but that doesn't help if the gameplay isn't fun. Fortunately, the levels and platforming in Astro Bot are really great. The game is divided into 6 different worlds and a special hub area where you can see all the bots you've collected (of which there are over 300), and edit your character or your aircraft, which is, of course, a Dualsense controller. The levels will take you to various environments, and almost every level will give you some special power or way of moving. Sometimes it will be slowing down time, turning into a ball, or shrinking to the size of a mouse - and it really never gets boring. The movement itself is excellent, it is smooth, fast and responsive, and our bot can be maneuvered very well, which is especially true in some difficult levels. The main levels are not particularly difficult, and you will spend most of them looking for hidden bots, because they are needed to unlock further levels, and it is always interesting to find a character you like. Checkpoints are everywhere, so there is almost no penalty for dying. This worried me a bit because I wanted the game to have some weight, but that changed when I discovered the hidden side levels, which besides having no checkpoints, have incomparably harder obstacles, enemies, and require really excellent precision to complete them.
I also think it is necessary to point out how technically perfect Astro Bot is. The game runs at a dynamic 4k resolution, with beautiful reflections, physics, and seamless loading, all at a smooth and stable 60 frames per second. The Dualsense controller is used to the maximum here, haptics, adaptive triggers, the speaker and even the microphone are used to the maximum, and it really provides an experience that is impossible to see on other controllers. I spent at least 20 minutes playing with the controller and the bots that are "located" inside it, it's that good.
In short, Astro Bot is a superb game, and a rare example of a game whose sole focus is to make a fun experience, without compromise. If you own a PlayStation 5, I absolutely recommend that you give the game a chance, because there really is something here for everyone.
