Astro's Playroom (2020)

Astro's Playroom is a pre-installed game, that comes with the PS5. Not expecting too much, I was pleasantly surprised by this great introduction to a new generation.

Graphic/Design ★★★★☆
I love the design of the worlds and levels. In every corner, there's a little detail or Easter egg, that pays homage to a previous console or game. The Bots and their animations are just adorable and loveable.

Story ★★★☆☆
Astro's Playroom doesn't have a story per se. It shows the history of Sony's PlayStation consoles through its level design and collectibles. And even though it doesn't necessarily need a "proper" story, considering that the purpose of Astro is to show off the DualSense features, they could have done a bit more. (Maybe in a future game?)

Gameplay ★★★★☆
An engaging 3D-Platformer, with many things to discover and collect and challenges to complete. The features of the DualSense are nicely introduced.

Sound & Music ★★★☆☆
Catchy, upbeat music that brings a smile to my face.

Overall Fun ★★★✭☆
As someone who's been with PlayStation since their first generation, this was a great trip down memory lane. Even if this is your first PS console, you should definitely try it out. Such a fun game and for free on top!

Final Score 3.5/5

To be honest, I started playing the game after receiving my PS5 just as a tutorial for the controller and I was really impressed. Not for the controller of the PS5, that it is awesome. This 'demo' if we can say it that way it is really cool.

You are not going to play for a lot of hours but there are some different scenarios you can explore, collectables and a lot of cameos (well... bots dressed up and acting like some videogame characters).

The game is entertaining, fun, every scenario is different and the best of the game is try to identify the cameos and just smile remembering the game that they are representing.

If you like video games (specially Play Station video games) you will love it. Nothing else to say. Best 'demo' I have ever played.

This game was really fun, a throwback both in its gameplay and how it creatively tracks the history of PlayStation. Each world is distinct and full of fun little gimmick sections that creatively use the DualSense controller. Maybe calling them gimmicks isn't enough credit, since most of them actually feel well thought-out and memorable.

I love how detailed this game is, with so much personality, so many little Easter eggs and PlayStation references everywhere. It really creatively uses PlayStation hardware like analog sticks and fans as platforms and obstacles. It genuinely looks pretty great and makes a case for more colorful 3D platformers on this system, as well as for more bite-sized games in this genre. Besides Super Mario Odyssey, this is the most fun I had with a pure platformer in years.

As a side note, I think it's funny that this game is structured exactly the same as Demon's Souls with its 4 separate warp stones with big internal checkpoints, followed by descending down into the depths of the "Nexus" you've been based out of.

I would love to see Nintendo tackle a project like this, but they will probably never do that. Luckily, Sony stepped up with this unexpected hit.

This game is a nostalgia feast for anyone who grew up playing PlayStation games. All the little game references in bot form are cute, but I love the great renders of all the various pieces of PS hardware. Powering on any of the consoles in the Playstation Labo area grants you a very satisfying startup chime for each one. It's mazing how much power a little melody like that can have.

The game is also a very competent 3D platform. It's nice and short which is a plus, a fun romp that doesn't overstay its welcome. It's a lot like Bowser's Fury in that way, it's a perfect small-to-medium size game that provides an opportunity to hunt down every accomplishment because doing so never risks a grind or burnout.

It's cute, silly and revels in the history of PlayStation (even if Sony sadly tends not to in practice).

Also, importantly, they made a fun monkey level. Monkey's are never fun, so good on them for accomplishing the impossible!

Astro's Playroom comes pre-installed in every PS5 system. It's meant to be a tech demo, simply showing off the power of the PS5 and the controller. But it was more fun than I thought it would be

You essentially travel through the interior of the PS5 and go through interesting challenges along the way. Each level ends with you collecting a PlayStation system. From the PS1 to the PS4. You can also find other things to go with previous consoles such as the controller. It really brings you back through the history of PlayStation.

The gameplay is silky smooth and feels great, the graphics are beautiful, and Astro and the other robots are adorable.

There's also plenty of easter eggs in the game. You can find a robot dressed as Dante from the Devil May Cry games. You can also find the Buster Sword that Cloud uses in Final Fantasy VII. There's more easter eggs in this that would make this review too long

Astro's Playroom is more than just a tech demo. It's a really neat flashback to PlayStation's history and is simply a fun game that has loads of charm

Would Recommend

4/5