Astro’s Playroom is a free launch title that was installed in every PS5. It’s also the most recent title in the Astro series. The Astro series is usually known for being a tech demo in order to show what Playstation’s hardware can do while also being a full on game. Without further ado, let’s jump into the review.
Astro’s Playroom is a huge nostalgia trip!
If you’re a big Playstation fan, Astro’s Playroom is a huge nostalgia trip. As you progress through each level, there are many cameo appearances from various Playstation titles. Some of the cameos I’ve seen were from Uncharted, The Last of Us, God of War. There are also some cameos from third party games that had their big success with the Playstation brand such as Final Fantasy VII. Aside from the cameo appearances, the collectibles in this game are very rewarding. Throughout each level, there are artifacts that you can collect which are 3D models of various Playstation products from each era of their gaming history. After collecting these artifacts, you can look at them in the Playstation Labo. There’s also a slot machine in the Playstation Labo in which you can spend your coins on in order to get more artifacts.
Gameplay
As far as gameplay goes, this is a 3D platformer. We don’t get many 3D platformers these days so this game brought me so much joy, especially since I grew up being an N64 kid. During the N64 days there were a ton of 3D platformers. If I were to compare this game to another 3D platformer, I want to say it plays similarly to Super Mario 3D World. There’s a beginning and ending to each level.
Since this game is also a tech demo, there are also motion control levels that demonstrate what the Dualsense controller is capable of doing. These levels consist of being in a hamster ball, a monkey, a spring robot, and a rocket ship. Out of all the motion control levels, my favorite levels were the hamster ball levels. You control the hamster ball by flicking your finger on the Dualsense’s touchpad. As far as the other levels work, although they are fun, tilting the Dualsense left and right felt odd for me somewhat. I’m not sure if it’s because its been a while since I’ve played a game with motion controls.
I won’t go too into detail how all the other motion control levels work since it’s difficult for me to explain as I’m typing this, but I will say that overall, the motion controls on the Dualsense work great. Also, fun fact, apparently the manufacturer for the motion controls are the same ones that provided the motion controllers for the Switch Joy Cons.
Conclusion
Astro’s Playroom is a game that’s worth playing even though if it’s a tech demo. If you have a PS5, please play it. Don’t leave the game hanging on its own. Other than it being a 3D platformer, the game is worth playing for the nostalgia trip. Also, I really hope they can make a sequel to this game. I’d be fine with paying $70 for a sequel with more content. I also do believe that the Astro series should get more games than just being tech demos for the Playstation hardware. With that being said thank you all so much for reading.
What are your guy’s thoughts on Astro’s Playroom? Have you guys played it yet or plan to? Please let me know your guy’s thoughts in the comment section below.
