Astro's Playroom
Main game
4.21 average rating based on 1187 ratings
- Developers
- SIE Japan Studio
- Publishers
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Series
- Astro
- Platforms
- PlayStation 5
- Genres
- Adventure, Platform
- Themes
- Action, Science fiction
Release Dates
User Stats
How Long Is Astro's Playroom?
so yes it does so blatantly leverage your nostalgia against you but MAYBE I LIKE IT THAT WAY
okay sooo I recently acquired a PS5
- this thing is frickin huge and I did not plan ahead on how to store it
- i had no freakin idea what to play!
After ageing 84 years while it downloaded the PS5 upgrade for Ghost of Tsushima, and being mildly underwhelmed by said upgrade when I booted it up, I decided HEY theres that funny little robot game everyone raves about, let me just play that!
Now I went in knowing the hype, knowing that this little robot dude was deciding whether the ps5 sank or swam, knowing that my buyers remorse would only be dispelled by his funny little digital face and the rumbles he sent down my dualsense, knowing that this goofy semi-mascot had the herculean task of living up to the lineage of sony stars that paved the way for his shiny metal azz to run around my screen, and well?
I'm not gonna bother w a pro and cons list or yadda yadda, what I will say is Sackboy A Big Adventure has a lotttttt to live up to, Mario Odyssey was found wigless dead in a ditch and that i WILL sacrifice [somebody else's] firstborn ( I …
okay sooo I recently acquired a PS5
- this thing is frickin huge and I did not plan ahead on how to store it
- i had no freakin idea what to play!
After ageing 84 years while it downloaded the PS5 upgrade for Ghost of Tsushima, and being mildly underwhelmed by said upgrade when I booted it up, I decided HEY theres that funny little robot game everyone raves about, let me just play that!
Now I went in knowing the hype, knowing that this little robot dude was deciding whether the ps5 sank or swam, knowing that my buyers remorse would only be dispelled by his funny little digital face and the rumbles he sent down my dualsense, knowing that this goofy semi-mascot had the herculean task of living up to the lineage of sony stars that paved the way for his shiny metal azz to run around my screen, and well?
I'm not gonna bother w a pro and cons list or yadda yadda, what I will say is Sackboy A Big Adventure has a lotttttt to live up to, Mario Odyssey was found wigless dead in a ditch and that i WILL sacrifice [somebody else's] firstborn ( I dont plan on ever having kids x) for us to receive a full length, fully funded, fully promoted Astrobot platform-game extravaganza
A flawless next gen experience
Astro's Playroom is a tutorialish tech demo for a next gen console that is one of the most surprising games I've ever played. The game let's you experience a journey that playstation has made since it's release, and it does it with a blast. It's an excellent platformer with beyond cool easter eggs and a true playstation museum. It shows the true power of the dualsense and creates a very unique experience while playing. This short demo was cooler than Mario Odyssey and I would be happy to pay full price for a longer title like this, a must play for everyone who decided to get the PS5...
... And also it's my first ever platinum ;)
10/10
ASTROnomously great title!
~Wo
Wow!
A game definitely deserving of all the praise it receives. Nominally, it's a showcase for the power of the PS5 and the DualSense. But they couched it in this environment that reveres the history of Playstation in such a charming way and they made the gameplay really interesting and fun to boot. A must play for every PS5 owner.
What a fantastic little game - and it's even free!
Out of nowhere comes this cute, fantastic and lovely game. And the best part: It's absolutely free! At least if you're a lucky owner of the PS5, that is. But still, the fact that a game with such smooth and fun gameplay (better than most games nowadays tbh) is free is amazing. I enjoyed the hell out of it, even if it were just a few hours, and I collected every goddamn collectible in the game (and I NEVER collect everything in games). The different levels are exciting and not repetitive at all. And oh boy, this game was such a trip down memory lane. You can see the great history of Sony/Playstation everywhere and the easter eggs and hommages of popular games such as Bloodborne or Devil may Cry are just absolutely adorable. Furthermore, showcasing the possibilites of the new console and especially the controller gets me excited about all the games yet to release on PS5.
If you own a PS5, do yourself a favour and enjoy a few hours of pure fun! You won't regret it! And Asobi, I would pay for a sequel with more content! :)
Love letter to PS fans
What a wonderful title this turned out to be. I could not be happier with how this turned out. As a small title that was supposed to showcase the new DualSense controller, which it did amazingly, it sure did turn out to be special through and through.
If you've enjoyed PS over the years like I have, this is a 100% must play. All the little nods and Easter eggs is quite a site to behold. You never know what's going to be around the next corner and I was constantly grinning like a school boy. This game brought me so much joy. And having my kids sit and play with me made it just that much more enjoyable.
On top of all the fun PS stuff there is a great platformer in here. Tight controls and and fun mechanics the whole way through. Special suits in each area that are unique and entertaining and never annoying.
In about 4-6 hours I got the platinum trophy and I still wanna run around this special world. More games like this, please!
Bullet Point Review
PROS
- Gorgeous visuals and catchy music
- Highly polished controls and interface
- Impressively showcases the DualSense's capabilities
- Celebrates PlayStation history in an earnest and endearing way
- Astro is cute af
CONS
- At the end of the day, it's an extremely basic 3D platformer that's essentially just an appeal to PlayStation users' nostalgia for the platforms in order to deepen their emotional connection -- and therefore their loyalty -- to the brand
mpbarlow's review of Astro's Playroom
This review is for the PlayStation 5 version
No-one needed to put so much effort and love into what is effectively a tech demo for a controller, but I’m really glad they did.
The game itself isn’t long (though longer than you’d expect for a freebie), but the level of polish is absolutely off the scale. The unique features of the DualSense are turned into cute and actually really fun gameplay mechanics, and it’s delightful to just run around in the little worlds they’ve created, watching other bots re-enact classic PlayStation games from over the years.
Then obviously there’s the ode to PlayStation itself; the artefacts and art murals unlocked by finding hidden collectibles in levels. These are modelled with such care and accuracy that they’re lovely to just fiddle about with. Looking down over a completed lab just feels terrific. What an excellent thing to pack in with the PS5.
The most fun I've had playing a tech demo
It's impossible to forget at any point while playing it, that this game is a long, elaborate demo of and hype-engine for the PS5 and its interface features. It's also full of nostalgic references both to iconic characters from past Playstation games, and also to the hardware of past Playstation generations itself.
That being said, it's also a genuinely enjoyable game experience. It's a solid platformer with plenty of character and sufficient variety & challenge to keep it interesting all the way through its relatively short play time. Also, it does an especially good job of showcasing the new abilities of the DualSense controller; before I played the game I wasn't excited about the new controller, and now I am. Well played, Asobi.
Beautiful Way to Start a Generation
This was an absolutely delightful way to start this console generation. I really loved this beautiful, charming 3D platformer and its nostalgia trip celebration of Playstation history. It also does a great job of introducing the many cool features of the DualSense controller.
Big up to Sony for giving this away with the console. Not all video game developers would give away this kind of intro-to-the console launch title for free. I’m looking at you Nintendo.
This little gem alone has made this my most delightful first experience with a new console.
Really Hecking Fun
This review is for the PlayStation 5 version
It would be easy to skip this game, but don't! Be the monkey! Be the spring thing!
I was surprised by just how cute the game was as well as how surprisingly fun and catchy the music and general sound design were throughout.
△○⨉□
I'll echo what my friend @peterwooley said in his review from last year: This is the best console pack-in since Wii Sports, and probably the best introduction to a console's controller since then, too. I could not put this down, which is kind of a shame since it doesn't take long to complete! Very excited to see what Team Asobi cooks up next.
Astro's Playroom
Astro's Playroom makes for a marvelous debut to a new console generation, serving as a delightful homage to the history of Playstation, even if the DualSense's clunky motion control sequences dampen the experience a bit.
The Best Tech Demo Ever
Astro's Playroom is near flawless. Nothing will make you appreciate your PS5 as much as Astro's Playroom does(and I mean currently until the next gen exclusives are out).
A perfect platformer that keeps giving several entertaining moments with ingenious use of every available PS5 feature. Also hey, it's free! What have you got to lose?
Astro’s Playroom is a Delight!
I played a lot of Wii Sports and believe it's my favorite pack-in game, but Astro's Playroom has no right to be this fun.
I loved Astro Bot Rescue Mission in VR and this game takes my nostalgia for that game, combines it with all of my Sony gaming nostalgia, and then plays with every feature of the DualSense controller. And it loads levels in 4 seconds or less. Gah, so good.
We've beaten three times and each time it's a delight.
Still one of the best games on the Playstation 5
This review is for the PlayStation 5 version
Astro's Playroom is essentially the Wii Sports or Nintendoland of the PS5 – in the sense that it’s a tech demo on what the Dualsense controller can do. But don’t be fooled – From the same developers that brought us Ape Escape it is not surprising that Astro’s Playroom is both full of control innovations and oozing charm from every nook and cranny, despite its short length.
Premise wise, you play as Astro – the little robot that has been PlayStation’s mascot since the PS4 days, in a linear collectathon style platformer somewhere inbetween the early Crash Bandicoot and Spyro games. Controls are limited but very responsive – certain segments will shake up the control style to make use of one or more of the DualSense’s features, such as the haptic feedback triggers, the touch pad, gyro and the microphone (optional thankfully), but by and large it is a very intuitive and basic platformer harkening back to the glory days of the genre.
What makes it stand out however is that the entire world and all the levels are presented as being stored inside the Playstation itself. You have levels based in the memory, the SSD, the cooling unit, etc …
Astro's Playroom is essentially the Wii Sports or Nintendoland of the PS5 – in the sense that it’s a tech demo on what the Dualsense controller can do. But don’t be fooled – From the same developers that brought us Ape Escape it is not surprising that Astro’s Playroom is both full of control innovations and oozing charm from every nook and cranny, despite its short length.
Premise wise, you play as Astro – the little robot that has been PlayStation’s mascot since the PS4 days, in a linear collectathon style platformer somewhere inbetween the early Crash Bandicoot and Spyro games. Controls are limited but very responsive – certain segments will shake up the control style to make use of one or more of the DualSense’s features, such as the haptic feedback triggers, the touch pad, gyro and the microphone (optional thankfully), but by and large it is a very intuitive and basic platformer harkening back to the glory days of the genre.
What makes it stand out however is that the entire world and all the levels are presented as being stored inside the Playstation itself. You have levels based in the memory, the SSD, the cooling unit, etc – and all of them are themed after one of the four previous generations of Playstation, with collectable “Artefacts” that are accessories and hardware available at the time. Everything from the original Playstation to the PSVR Headset can be found in game, including some stuff I’d never seen before. If you grew up with Playstation as I did, or are a retro hobbyist – it’s incredibly satisfying discovering these artefacts around the levels and digging them up to see what they are. Some of them are even quite well hidden in their own way – but not frustratingly so, you might have to revisit an area, but rarely will you be totally stumped where to look.
Other collectables include puzzle pieces, which when collected fill out massive posters detailing PlayStation’s history with cool artwork, and coins which can be used in a machine to win prizes, not unlike Ape Escape 2 – although with a more interactive process. These are mostly more puzzle pieces and ornaments you can look at, or occasionally artefacts and duds. There’s no way to choose what order they come out in, but if you’re like me and collect all the coins you find in every level you will be able to get all of them by playing each level twice give or take.
The titular playroom itself is full of other robots playing on the consoles or hiding in the accessories – there’s loads of neat little easter eggs if you try to use any of the consoles and controllers – sometimes it’ll just be the disc try opening, other times it’ll play that console’s startup sound, or reveal hidden robots. It’s very adorable and genuinely fun to play in.
Speaking of Easter Eggs – the robots are also dotted around the levels, sometimes cosplaying as famous PlayStation characters – I spotted Aloy, Cloud, Dante, whatshisface from God Of War (never played it, soz), what I think was a monster hunter campfire, Spike/Hikaru from Ape Escape, Sir Daniel Fortesque, the guy from Death Stranding, Pyramid Head, Sackboy, Locoroco, Solid Snake, Jill Valentine, Castlevania, Nathan Drake, Journey Laura Croft, Kazuya & Heihachi and a few others that I’m sure were unique but I didn’t recognize.
This game is full of fan service to PlayStation fans of any generation – but even if this is your first Playstation the game is decent enough on its own to hook you in and enjoy the aesthetics even if you don’t get all the references.
My favourite part of the game is the final boss – which sees you fighting the Playstation Dinosaur from the very early PS1 tech demos in rendering 3d models. It’s actually a pretty tough fight. You have some mini bosses in some of the levels, but this is the only one that truly tested your skills. It’s not a roadblock, but a satisfying challenge and a great way to round off the game. It reminds me of early Kingdom Hearts 1 bosses in which patience is of the essence but overall very doable.
The game also has a speedrun section – which provides 8 mini levels to test your speedrunning chops on. My leaderboard positions are not high, but I’m honestly happy to see these kind of things return – they’re very fun to grind at in the Crash Bandicoot gams and Tony Hawk remake.
That’s about all the game has to offer you – and for the price of £0.00 it is well worth checking out. If you’re a fan of platformers this is a solid one, if you have any nostalgia or interest in PlayStation’s history this is a gold mine, or if you just want a demonstration in what the DualSense is capable of it’s a fine example of that.
I compared this game to Wii Sports and Nintendoland at the beginning, and that is high praise. Astro’s Playroom feels like a Nintendo launch title but for a much more powerful system. It captures the same fun and wonder that you’d get from Mario 64, Luigi’s Mansion, Wii Sports, Nintendo Land…maybe not 1, 2 Switch, but the others definitely.
Astro’s Playroom is the first game I would recommend any PS5 owner trying – it’s free, and it’s genuinely great fun. Even now I’ve 100%ed it I can imagine wanting to do it all over again and maybe try and improve my speedrun scores very soon. I have very little bad to say about the game, it’s not trying to be The Last of Us or anything, and for what it is it’s perfect.
I had Astro Bot well on my radar as a title, for saturated platformers live deeply nestled in my sensibilities.
Although I was completely unaware of this outing, only after puttering around in the ps5 menu waiting for Ghosts of Tsushima to finish downloading. Turns out I'm going to have to be a samurai after this.
It's Sony pandering to itself so flawlessly that it turns into endearment, foolishly hoping I myself am in the unlockable puzzle piece collage somewhere. Obviously, I'm not, but 25 years of my money sure is!
Begrudging warm-and-fuzzies.
My 2nd Platinum Trophy and 100% Completion… So Fun! I’m looking forward to Astro Bot now.
Took PTO from work today to play this over at my buddy's place, as I don't have a PS5 myself.
It's a very fun and charming game. I loved all the nods to PlayStation's history, even if some of them had to have the names changed, likely due to Sony either no longer owning the rights to the IPs or other licensing agreements (eg: Crash Bandicott, Spyro).
This is probably the most "Super Mario 64" game I've ever played on a PlayStation console. In fact, it takes from quite a few Nintendo IPs, such as Kirby and Pikmin. Imitation is the biggest form of flattery, or so I've heard.
It's not a long game. Most people I think will beat it over the weekend.
It would be great if Sony made more games like this. Charming, fun, colorful games.
I know it's generally a tech demo. But even if it is, it's the Best Tech Demo I've Ever Played!
When it comes to video game consoles, I've been around long enough to play The Odyssey... Now consoles are capable of displaying games that are so detailed, that even when I walk across the room, get up close to the screen, the details get even more clearer, that I get excited and appreciate where we've come from. (I used to have to sit that close just to see it! 📺)
The nostalgia of the Playstation hardware in this game warms my heart and brings back many memories of my childhood. I remember the cracking open my Playstation and playing Destruction Derby for the first time. That opening screen and signature sound 🥲
I really appreciate where we are because I've seen where we came from.
I hope everyone takes the time to play this little adventure, especially if you're a vintage gamer like me.
This is a neat little tech demo for the controller. I liked the adaptive triggers in particular, it reminded me of playing Time Crisis in the arcade as a kid. As for the game itself, it was more touching than I thought it would be. It was really nice seeing Sony acknowledge its long history of hardware and show appreciation to the series that appeared on their consoles throughout the years.
All the features present in this game are SO NICE. It really shows everything the PS5 is capable of. Just waiting for more games to take advantage of some of these aspects!
Just finished. What a delightful little game. What an amazing tech the DualSense is.
I will definitely go for the Platinum Trophy. It doesn't seem hard and I just want to spend more time with this fun little robot.
Edit: got the platinum.
One of the best games I have played, not just one of the best free games. Really fun, doesn't take itself too seriously, and made me feel 8 years old again. The speedrunning feature built in is a great way to increase replayability. The various references made me realize I had a ton of childhood memories tied to the playstation consoles, even though I always considered myself a Nintendo kid. The music and controller features were excellent as well.
It was hard picking between a 4/5 or a 5/5. It's not long like the usual platformer but it's solid as far as everything in it and it's basically a tech demo - short for the purposes of showing what the dualsense can do and as a celebration for Sony.
Either way it's a must play for ps5 owners. Solid 9/10
I can't believe how good this actually is. I thought it would just be some doofy advertisement/tech demo...and I mean it IS those things, but it really made me feel all fuzzy inside with how it references older Sony game things.
