Associate
- Joined
- 25 Sep 2012
- Posts
- 2,497
- Location
- Scotland
I want to preface this by saying my favourite games are Super Mario World and Super Mario 64. I got the platinum in Astro's Playground and would give it 5/5. I am about 75% of the way through Astro Bot having got the game bundled with my PS5.
The thing I liked about Astro's Playground was that it was the perfect length to show off the new features of the PS5 controller. It was really polished and it's short length helped you look past the rather basic platforming so it never overstayed it's welcome.
Clearly a lot of polish has also went into Astro Bot. It is a beautiful game with very beautiful world design and lots of cool throwbacks to other Playstation games. The music is fantastic, but the platforming is still really basic and that has me scratching my head at all the game of the year awards. Astro's move set is just so basic. Jump, hover, punch. The power ups are just extensions of the basic moves. Jump higher, punch further. Most of the levels are basically the same, linear paths with bots hidden just off the main path. The platforming is extremely easy outside of the more challenging triangle, circle etc levels. The checkpoints make failure inconsequential. Most level's are more or less the same but with a different theme.
I feel like it isn't very engaging on a fundamental gameplay basis and it is only the Playstation nostalgia trip, the visuals and the music that elevate it to being a good game rather than a mediocre game.
4/5
The thing I liked about Astro's Playground was that it was the perfect length to show off the new features of the PS5 controller. It was really polished and it's short length helped you look past the rather basic platforming so it never overstayed it's welcome.
Clearly a lot of polish has also went into Astro Bot. It is a beautiful game with very beautiful world design and lots of cool throwbacks to other Playstation games. The music is fantastic, but the platforming is still really basic and that has me scratching my head at all the game of the year awards. Astro's move set is just so basic. Jump, hover, punch. The power ups are just extensions of the basic moves. Jump higher, punch further. Most of the levels are basically the same, linear paths with bots hidden just off the main path. The platforming is extremely easy outside of the more challenging triangle, circle etc levels. The checkpoints make failure inconsequential. Most level's are more or less the same but with a different theme.
I feel like it isn't very engaging on a fundamental gameplay basis and it is only the Playstation nostalgia trip, the visuals and the music that elevate it to being a good game rather than a mediocre game.
4/5
Last edited: