Astro's Playroom Review

Author: FuzionByte.
Genres: Platformer, Reviews.
Astro’s Playroom directory.

Here is our Astro’s Playroom Review giving you a subjective, unbiased review helping you make a more educated decision on whether or not the game is for you.
Release Date: 12-Nov-2020.
Platforms: PS5.
Price At Launch (UK): Free to everyone who own a PS5.
Developer: Team ASOBI!, Japan Studio.
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Genre(s): Action, Platformer, Tech Showcase.

The game

Astro’s Playroom sees you play as Astro, a revolutionary robot who can through the 4 main worlds in the game using all sorts of tech as you climb, swing, roll and jump your way victory as you make your way through GPU Jungle, Memory Meadow, SSD Speedway and Cooling Springs which are all nice little nods to the most anticipated new hardware inside the PlayStation 5 system. Each of the 4 main worlds are made up of 4 levels, on top of which are the CPU Plaza and the PlayStation Labo giving you a good amount of variety in the game.

Ultimately though, the main thing this game has been made for is to show off the amazing new features of the DualSense Controller for the PS5 which is truly a next level bit of kit. In the Gusty Gateway section of Memory Meadow for example, it will start to rain and you can feel it through the controller, as the rain gets heavier, the vibration will increase in time with the rain

Me writing about it doesn’t do it justice, it really needs to be felt to be appreciated as do the Triggers on the back of the controller also having resistance to them depending on how far you want to jump for example or fire a bow. Going back to the actual game, it’s a fun, platforming adventure which writes a beautiful love letter to the last 26 years of PlayStation throughout.

The good

One of my favourite things about Astro’s playroom are the artefacts that can be collected throughout the 16 levels which pay a wonderful homage to the last 26 years of PlayStation. You can collect every sort of PlayStation bit of kit including the Eyetoy from PS2, the VR Headset made available in the PS4 era or a PSone Console and everything in between.

You can then go and view and interact with the artefacts in the PlayStation Labo turning the consoles on and off, opening the trays and playing with the different generations’ controllers as well as utilising the Move controllers and accessories. For a fan of PlayStation as a brand, this entire area invokes a warm sense of nostalgia throughout which only deepens the earlier you started with PlayStation as a brand the longer you have been around it for.

The not so good

Astro’s Playroom is a very good game that can pull you along with the nostalgia of a 26 year old brand that feel fresh and vibrant to this day, however, as a reviewer I need to look at the game as a whole and it’s not without a few faults. The controls for example when navigating the Spaceship or the Spring-suit feel somewhat disengaged, you can press the triggers lightly and can overshoot the platform, which does get better with practice although I feel they could have tightened up a bit on the controls themselves. But that’s about it really.

Audio

Astro’s Playroom is brought to life through it’s beautifully simple audio which complements the gameplay style perfectly from the sounds on screen to the sound through the Dualsense® Controller it all just works in harmony with whatever is happening on screen. I’m well aware that Astro’s Playroom was developed as a Tech Demo for what the Dualsense® is capable of, the sound effects from Astro punching an enemy to rolling down a hill or jumping up the monkey bars all just sounds exactly as you’d expect it to. The soundtrack as well is an original score which adds to the excitement of the game. Astro’s Playroom is a fantastic game made even better by the sound throughout.

Online

Astro’s Playroom is a completely offline, single player game.

Trophies

There is a nice variety of trophies found throughout Astro’s Playroom which require you to find all of the collectibles, interact with a good number of things off the beaten track throughout the 18 areas (16 main levels, CPU Plaza and PlayStation Labo) as well as perform different combat techniques you wouldn’t usually perform. Click the link to see our complete Astro’s Playroom Trophy Guide.

Gallery

Here are a series of photos to show you how the game looks.

Overall

Astro’s Playroom is pretty damn solid and achieves what it sets out to achieve, a fun, interactive platformer which as mentioned above, pays a wonderfully nostalgic tribute to PlayStation over the years from first gen to current gen hardware and software. Using the controller and seeing everything it can do throughout this oversized, enjoyable tech demo is a pleasure to see. I wish they had tightened up on the controls a bit more, especially in the spaceship but that really is a minor gripe given the quality of the overall product. Maybe I’m gushing on the game as a PlayStation veteran who has been with the brand since day one, but hell, it’s my review and I think it’s worth gushing over. I award Astro’s Playroom a solid, well earned 9 out of 10.