‘Astro Bot’ is an astronomical experience!

Emily Monaco / THE GATEPOST

By Paul Harrington Staff Writer In a year of video games that felt stale and repetitive to some consumers, one game made its soft landing on the PlayStation 5. Although Team ASOBI’s “Astro Bot” launched on Sept. 6, I didn’t pick up the game until Christmas break. My Christmas break was then spent playing “Astro Bot” from start to finish. This game is everything I could have ever asked for from a platformer. The story revolves around Captain Astro rescuing his crew and rebuilding their fleet's mothership - which is a PlayStation 5! The world of Astro Bot is full of unique life forms. It houses so many different silly creatures and biospheres that would take up the whole section if I went in depth about each one. The level design was breathtaking. Each one felt distinctly different from the next, and utilized 15 different power-ups to help you rescue missing members of the fleet. My favorite power-up to use was the timer backpack. It allows you to slow down time for a few seconds. It’s truly epic to see when it’s used in a level. Two levels in the five worlds will always contain hidden exits to the “Lost Galaxy.” This realm contains more levels with more comrades to rescue. They were pretty neat! The lost galaxy and main world combined are surely enough content to keep anyone hunkered down for a while. But without a doubt, my favorite part of “Astro Bot” had to be the crew members I rescued. Some members of your fleet are plain “Astro Bots,” and some are actually mascots from other PlayStation franchises! Seeing some of my favorite characters in gaming such as Aigis from “Persona 3” and Naked Snake from “Metal Gear Solid 3” brought me so much happiness. Another enjoyable aspect of “Astro Bot” is the collectibles you can obtain. They are obtained by saving up your hard earned coins for pulls in the gatcha lab. It costs 100 a pop for a single pull, so let’s just hope you get what you want. I say that because there sure is a lot to be obtained from this machine. The rewards vary from different cosmetics for your ship or rescued bots to a trash can to let you know you got nothing. So please, pull wisely. Other collectibles such as puzzle pieces, can be used to build new amenities for your hub world. They range from the aforementioned gatcha lab, a changing room, and a zoo with what I call “astro animals.” Seeing your hub world fill up over the course of the game is a cool process that also unlocks more collectibles. It’s a win-win situation. Other collectibles are locked behind your total number of bots rescued. Although the numbers aren’t anything to lose sleep over, it’s cool sending your fleet to come together to help form a path to whatever it is you need! One of the final collectibles is a path to a final level known as the “Grand Master Challenge.” This level is high up on the moon, and in difficulty. It also requires you to rescue ALL 300 of your crew members. The challenge uses everything you’ve learned from exploring the world, and is a run for your money. I do, however, wish there was more that came with completing the “Grand Master Challenge” itself. But beating it felt like a good enough reward. Overall, “Astro Bot” was an amazing game that offered a smorgasbord of collectibles to those willing enough to explore every nook and cranny. It’s a love letter to fans of Sony and I see why it won Game of the Year at The Game Awards. Rating: A+ A first party blast!