Astro Bot Is the Mascot Game PlayStation Needs Right Now

Nintendo has Mario . Microsoft has the Master Chief . However , Sony haslong struggled to have consistent brandingfor its mascots . Over nearly 30 years of PlayStation exclusives , includingJak and Daxter , Ratchet and Clank , Sly Cooper , andGod of War , none of them stuck out as the principal face of the console . Sackboy was supposed to take that title , but he ’s been supplanted by a little robot called Astro .

He is now getting hisown game this yr , made more substantial by a deficiency ofbig Sony exclusives in 2024 . I ’ve in the end had the chance to trifle it , and I guess this may be the destruction of Sony ’s mascot woefulness . It does n’t have just one mascot ; it now has scads .

Astro Botis an expanded version of the demo secret plan that comes pre - installed on all PlayStation 5 consoles . I was n’t alone in feeling surprised thatAstro ’s Playroomwas as good as it was after I first unboxed my PS5 . It had tight controls that took reward of the DualSense ’s tactual triggers far comfortably than any secret plan has since . It was a cunning digression with the added welfare that it was frankly originative and fun to play . It was stuffed full of enough collectible Sony memorabilia to soften the middle of longtime PlayStation devotee .

Astro Bot’s various levels include power ups, like the dog companion that rockets Astro forward in a straight line.

Astro Bot’s various levels include power ups, like the dog companion that rockets Astro forward in a straight line.Image: Sony Interactive Entertainment.

I was curious to see how Sony and developers Team Asobi would transmute our wide - eyed Astro into the hero of his own game , one that was n’t necessarily beholden to PlayStation ’s past times . Except it ’s not . All the coins are blazon with PlayStation logos . Your rocketship is literally a PlayStation 5 DualSense accountant you’re able to command with movement controls .

At first , I balk at the idea of playing a game that , at a glance , feel like promotional material for PlayStation . My demo did n’t include much story at all , but what was there madeSuper Mario Galaxy 2seem like a novel in comparability . All you want to recognise is that your PS5 “ mothership ” is bust up , and now all the various Astro bot are stranded across the extragalactic nebula , and you take to get those bots back .

I play through three levels ofAstro Bot , plus two challenge stage . The controls involve jumping , hovering , attacking , and book the blast release to do a spin move . The gaud comes from the various power - ups you get from each level . In my demonstration , one of them shoot a line up Astro like a blimp for wide-eyed platforming puzzles . Another , shaped like a dog , makes Astro rocket forward in a neat line . For a boss fight against a giant squid — one that at once prompt me of the Glooper Blooper fight down inSuper Mario Sunshine — Astro ’s allot a pair of spring - powered boxing gloves .

Astro Bot featuring the God of War, Kratos

Image: Sony Interactive Entertainment.

The more I played , the more I halt worrying and learned to love the PlayStation - theme solidifying - dressing . The expressive animations are some of the best since playingRatchet & Clank : Rift Apart . Each foe and cunning , bot - face part you meet grins or leers at you with cartoonish charm . I ’ll admit , the nostalgia center of my brain lit up when I receive PaRappa the Rapper and previous Kratos in bot - form .

It ’s not the most inventive 3D platformer I ’ve ever play , but what ’s there is full of simple but interesting interactions . The rocket camp , for instance , can throw sure enemies off the stage or jounce them off specific pads . Those main levels were perhaps too easy for anybody experienced in these types of games . The challenge levels offered a bit more spicery , necessitating a bit more precision from your jumps , but it was nothing an experienced gamer could n’t ping out in 10 minutes and a few retries .

I ’m curious if Astro Bot can keep up that level of cleverness and charm across all 50 stages , but what ’s there seems like it ’s on the right lead , especially for those not too experienced with platformers . Astro Bot comes out Sept. 6 only on PS5 for $ 60 .

Astro Bot Announce Screenshot 01