The PlayStation 5 wasn't short of stellar launch games, but we're not sure many expected a freebie pack-in title to be among the best. Believe it or not, Astro's Playroom is an absolute gem; the fact all PS5 owners get it for free means your next-gen journey starts with a bang.
All this game needed to be was a decent example piece for the DualSense controller's capabilities. However, Asobi Team didn't stop at creating a simple tech demo. After finding success with Astro Bot Rescue Mission on PlayStation VR, the studio brought the little guy back for a short but very sweet adventure on Sony's latest hardware. The result is something really rather special. It does run you through all the PS5 pad's key features, but it goes way beyond that.
Astro's Playroom doesn't feel like it's giving you the hard sell on the DualSense — it's showing you the true potential of the controller's haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, with real, tangible examples. There are only four main levels, but they each offer new environments and mechanics. It's a fantastic platformer in a tiny package, and one that provides a completely unique experience. Better than any other PS5 title, this game utilises the DualSense controller superbly. You can feel the slipperiness of ice, the pitter-patter of rain, and the tension of a spring. It's enough to convince you this pad is the real deal.
If this game was just a stunning 6-hour platformer, that would've been more than enough, but one extra layer tips it over the edge. Never has there been a better, and more effective, celebration of PlayStation than this. This thing is absolutely stuffed with references to Sony's first-party games old and new, and it makes an already adorable game that much more endearing. Seeing little robot Kratos and little robot Atreus bobbing up and down on a little boat is just delightful, and this is only one example from dozens. PlayStation Labo, meanwhile, is practically a museum of past and present hardware, home to unlocked artefacts from the PS Vita all the way to obscure products like the PocketStation. For PlayStation fans, it's a true wonder.
Astro's Playroom succeeds in its mission to showcase your new controller, but it does it with such heart and charm that it's impossible not to fall in love. We sincerely hope that adorable little bot is here to stay. If this is what Asobi Team can achieve with a short, free pack-in game, we're hopeful for what comes next.
For more information, you can read our Astro's Playroom review through the link.
What do you think of Astro's Playroom? Does it rank among your top games of 2020? Tell us in the comments section below.
How we decide our Game of the Year: This December, our editorial team created a list of nominees for Game of the Year based on our own review scores and a variety of other factors. After much discussion, we trimmed the list of nominees down and asked all Push Square staff and the Push Square community to vote on their five favourites using a points-based system. The ten games with the most points by the designated deadline were then determined as our favourites of 2020.
Comments 30
This game is great indeed and so much variation without going stale. Short but sweet. I can understand the longing for a longer game, but I don't know if it would have worked like this. Curious if they come up with more content though, but I hope it then focuses more on the platforming and less to show off the controller (then that might work).
If this had had a similar run time to Astro Bot Rescue Mission then this would have easily been my GOTY. As it is this certainly made me smile more than any other game I played, it was just over a little too quickly unfortunately
Simply amazing ! This game brings so much joy and nostalgia and is a great demonstration of the controller capabilities.
Loved this game. Collected everything ... just have to finish that basement section i'm being prompted to do. Zipping myself into that rickety little rocket with the bone rattling engines was easily the highlight for me. The various typres of trigger feedback all feel completely unique.
The game was ok, the feels were superb.
It was just okay I thought, honestly!
If this is on the list then I expect sackboys big adventure to be in it aswell
I would love to see a full production/budget Astro game. It's an unpopular opinion for sure so I'm probably 'wrong', but I still feel like this and the VR one were really just overhyped tech demos. Nothing wrong with them, but very shallow/uninteresting outside of the nostalgia/history factor.
@UltimateOtaku91 Yeah, I thought Sackboys was a much more compelling platformer. I wish the controls were as tight as Astro though.
Either way, I'm pretty sure it won't make their list. There's only 4 slots left and still some huge releases unranked. We still have Ghost Of Tsushima (likely #1 or 2), Last of Us 2 (likely #1 or 2), Demons Souls at #3, and FFVII Remake at 4.
Astrobot on PS5 is fantastic, still the best use of the dualsense so far. But the whole experience is just magical. If your not fortunate to have a ps5 yet, make sure you play this first when you do.
Great game to kick off the PS5.
Astro Bot Rescue Mission is easily one of the PS4’s best games.
Anyone that hasn’t played it, needs to get on it ASAP.
I absolutely loved this. Finished off the time trial gold trophy yesterday.
The sounds and catchy music are amazing. I've not had memorable game music in my head since the C64!
The graphics are lovely and the icing on the cake was the stunning use of the new controller.
Brilliant game that made me smile more than anything I've ever played.
Just watch mystic on YouTube. His reaction playthrough is EXACTLY how I felt.
Yes there's better, more impressive games around, but as a pack in freebie to usher in a new era, it's untouched imo.
Fantastic game! I finally got around to playing it as a Christmas treat, and I'm impressed with both how close to the rescue mission formula it sticks to, and how tremendous a celebration of the PlayStation it is. It feels so me like a PlayStation dark ride experience in a lot of ways, and while I technically, these days, prefer XB as my main multiplat console and PS for the (many) games I can't get on XB or Nintendo, I walk way from astros playroom in love with PS all over again. And I'm reminded of just how much ps stuff I've bought over the years. "New collectable". "oh, i have that!". If anyone here ever dares call me an XB fanboy, I have nearly every piece of Astros PS museum hardware except the ps1 stuff to sell you.... It actually surprised even me to see how big a PS fan I've been for so long, apparently!
This is the kind of game I was talking about that defines PS for me, and the kind of game they seem to be moving away from with Japan studio under Ryan. I'm hoping the popularity of Astro helps reverse that, or at least emboldens his opponents from inside to light more fires under him for more of this kind of content!
I love this game so much. I desperately want a big $70 Astrobot platformer.
I sincerely look forward to playing this in 3-12 months when sufficient stock of the PS5 Disc Edition exists to facilitate easily buying it at the RRP and not via eBay/Gumtree at ridiculously inflated scalper values. I've heard nothing but good things and I like the "trip down retromemory lane" idea that's been used, from what I've heard without spoilering it for myself.
Rolling over the rocky path as the ball and feeling the rain turn to hail were both jaw droppers for me.
So far I have only played 3 games on the Ps5 : Astrobot,Sackboy and Assassins creed Valhalla.Astrobot comes out top.
Thinking about Astro's Playroom I seem to dismiss it as game of the Year material because it was Free and short. But thinking about it, it's still a award winning title. Much like the way I loved Resogun at launch of the PS4, but even more so.
Astonishing game, I highly recommend playing this first on the ps5, it really showcases what the dualsense is capable of.
I particularly enjoyed the speedrun stages, also collecting the artifacts is really cool as you can really see the material textures of each piece.
The difference between surfaces, the resistance of the triggers with the bow among other things, there's so much in this game, they could've easily charged for it
I voted I Didn't Play It and Will Never want to play it when i get PS5 in the future.
I will immediately delete that game from my PS5.
It broke my heart to put that cute innocent game on my Black list due to contaminated with rated 18+ cameos.
@Anti-Matter
I thought it was excellent! Love how the speedrun community aspects work with the activities cards, so easy to jump in and do a course
I never realized how Sony finally surpassed Nintendo in terms of personal nostalgia for me until I played this game.
@R1spam I still don't know how to use the cards and I aren't even sure if I have even seen them!
@NEStalgia great post, I enjoyed reading that.
@Dan_ozzzy189 they are in ui when you are on a game and press down on the d-pad (where trophy stuff is on ps4). I think they are great! Hope we get to the stage you only see an initial menu screen in a game once then you can jump in from the cards. They also tell you how long a mission might take, so if you only have 10 mins to play you can judge whether you can finish a quick side quest or not. It will be down to devs how they handle that stuff but potentially great quality of life feature
I think it says a lot about Astro's Playroom that, even as a pretty fanatical Soulsborne fan, I was putting off playing Demon's Souls to finish off finding all the collectibles and easter eggs. It's a joyful little game and I'd love to see much, much more of it.
Genuinely as great as any Nintendo platformer I've ever played.
This is my biggest attraction to the PlayStation 5 so far. Astrobot Rescue Mission is one of the best platformers ever made, so I need to play this sequel.
Fantastic game, everything about it is just top notch! Completed everything last night and was legitimately sad to see it end.
@Dan_ozzzy189 lol
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