Astro's Playroom (PS5) Review

A PACK-IN WITH A LOT OF LOVE

Where to start with Astro’s Playroom? I mean its a pack-in that I personally kinda overlooked, maybe played it for an hour, then started diving into other things like Demon’s Souls, but it really shows the love that Sony not only holds for its first-party games like Uncharted but it shows that Sony understands that strong third-party selection is what skyrocketed PlayStation to where it is today.

Along with these easter eggs and the 26 years of history of gaming on the PlayStation, there is a lot of deep cuts reenacted with little Astros sprinkled throughout the game. There are obvious references like a little robot Nathan Drake climbing up a plane as a tribute to Uncharted 2 or Cloud’s Buster Sword from Final Fantasy VII sticking out of the ground but a lot of these scenes I don’t get and I love that I don’t get all of them as it shows just how much fun the developers had with these scenes.

The story in Astro’s Playroom is quite simple, a meta journey through the innards of the PS5 console and flaunt how cool the new DualSense controller is. Players start off in the main hub world and from there they can take on any of the four worlds in whichever order with each world representing a piece of hardware in the PS5. There is GPU jungle revolving around getting into a monkey suit and using the motion controls of the DualSense, SSD Speedway focusing on the haptic triggers by getting in a jet pack and having each trigger attached to either your left or right booster, Memory Meadow making full use of the updated touchpad by turning you into a ball and you flinging yourself around the level with surprising precision and finally, Cooling Springs showing off the power of the insane haptic feedback on the controller represented by a rainstorm that slowly builds over the level which by the end really shows off how great this controller is.

Each selection also represents a past generation in Sony's history. Along the way, players collect these artifacts and can then play around with and interact with them in another one of the hub worlds called PlayStation LABO… Yes, Sony also now has a Labo as well. In this Labo section, there is a gacha game for collecting extra artifacts by collecting coins through the levels and bringing them to this machine. It was nice to see the multiple versions of the PSOne, PS2, PSVita, and even the different versions of the Aim controllers.

The goal of the levels is simple. It is a platformer, so players jump and punch their way to the end of the levels with no level lasting more than maybe twenty minutes. Sound easy? It is. Overcoming a tough challenge is not the point of Astro’s Playroom; it is to not only show the love from PlayStation’s past but also to display the cool new controller, the DualSense, which if I’m being honest is mindblowing.

I was not a fan of the Dualshock 4s speaker, touchpad, or even the motion controls, but they really updated it all here. The speaker actually sounds good. The touchpad feels more 1-to-1; I was able to make hairpin turns on an ice level with the damn thing and I feel like that says a lot. The motion controls felt a little better here but to be frank, I can’t really remember the last time I used motion on a DS4 outside of a few VR games and it was iffy at best in VR.

When players reach a rainstorm in Astro’s Playroom is where it all really comes together. Being able to feel the adorable pitter-patter of Astro running around and then feel distinct raindrops is an experience everyone needs to feel. I think that’s why this is a pack in-game; Astro’s Playroom is a damn good choice for a pack-in game by Sony.

The real unfortunate thing here is the game is short, clocking in at around two hours or four for those chasing the platinum trophy. I actually lost progress on the platinum because the game crashed and I lost about an hour’s worth of play, so it will probably sit for a while unfinished. That being said, when you get to the end of Astro’s Playroom there is something time-based that happens and I really wish the developers had pushed that a little more and we got to see some more from different generations but I think that the moment is just too good to spoil.

The big takeaway is that Astro Bot is a series that Sony needs to continue; it really has the power to be, and basically already is, the mascot that Sony could continue to grow around.

Between the incredibly crafted levels, which switch up gameplay about every 20 minutes all while utilizing the amazing new features of the DualSense, and the passion for Sony's past generations I cannot wait to see what Asobi is going to do with this now beloved character. I am not huge on platformers but after diving deep into Astro’s Playroom, I will gladly follow the little guy to his next adventure.

SCORES

GAMEPLAY - 8/10

VISUALS - 8.5/10

SOUND - 8/10

CONTROLS - 9/10

REPLAY VALUE - 9/10

OVERALL - 8.5/10

For more information about Astro’s Playroom, check out the official PS5 listing. This title was made available for free for all PS5 owners. Featured image courtesy of PlayStation; screenshots captured through native PS5 features.