Astro Bot |OT| MC: 94

[Legend]

100% done with main game.

Great but not amazing imo. Some very clever elements, the potential to be amazing, but too much was average imo. Platforming could be improved a bit.

[Legend]

Deeper dive into my thoughts.

No 3D Mario, but incredibly impressive that it's in the same league. In a few ways it's even better imo, such as some songs, the creativity of certain levels, and the dancing fungi.

I think Astro's legacy is what holds it back, not its attachment to PlayStation ip. So many mechanics and ideas originated in the random free demos before "astrobot" was even a thing. Like why do all the robots shake their bottoms at you when you approach? It's just because in the vr demo you kicked them into the controller. And why is the alien design so boring? It's because the alien was just a random asset in 2013.

We love platformers here at Double Fine, so imagine our smiles playing Astrobot and seeing what ~seems~ to be a familiar face.

In 2013, we collaborated with Japan Studios on the Playroom's 'My Alien Buddy' and it seems like a version of our green friend is still on a rampage. pic.twitter.com/ZKpf2Reybl

— Double Fine (@DoubleFine) September 6, 2024

IMO Astrobot needs a bit of a reboot. Make changes and rewrites now that it's set to be a big thing. Make a good villain, upgrade astrobot's platforming mechanics, find a progression system that can be fun game after game, etc. Astrobot is the third or fourth game in a series that had absolutely no long term plans.


I'd like future games to have harder collectables. It was pretty easy to find all the bots, stickers, and gateways. I hardly ever had to replay a level because I missed something. Also I'd like future games to have better world maps. Flying around was kinda fun but it didn't hold a candle to the joy of something like super mario 3D world. The crash site was also pretty disappointing imo. All four extra areas were pretty similar and pretty boring. I liked the pikmin like feeling but it wasn't as good as the ps5 demo one imo.

Biggest flaw by far with the game imo was the coins and life system. Without lives I would just kill myself mindlessly without worrying about it. It made a lot of levels less engaging because death wasn't a consequence. And then late in the game I realized that coins are reset when you die. It is meaningless to pick up a coin unless you expect to reach the next checkmark with this life. That revelation made it so much less fun to collect them. I just stopped caring about them because at that point I mostly had challenge levels left.

The challenge levels were nice but kinda mindless. So much is just memorizing which movement pattern works since it's hard to anticipate what will be thrown at you next. For example landing on glass but the camera angle doesn't show the glass so you are all but guaranteed to fall the first time you reach it.

Astro Bot turned into Dark Souls wtf #AstroBot #PS5 pic.twitter.com/weYWzq0vb4

— Shinobi602 (@shinobi602) October 4, 2024

Funny that this level was the one that people shared on twitter. I struggled with other challenges more. The final one took a fair few times and I got frustrated. Mostly my fault, sometimes the game's. For example one block should have crushed me but a glitch put me on top of it. Then I got too close and got crushed anyway, so that felt pretty fair haha.


Never used any costumes. I just wanted to be astrobot.

9.5/10.

[the-pi-guy]

And why is the alien design so boring? It's because the alien was just a random asset in 2013.

I don't 100% agree with most of your post. But this was a big thing that I complained about. 

It feels like a big weakness with the game, there's no interesting enemy. 

[kitler53]

I agree with you that asto could use a lite reboot.

Astros power ups are amazing but his core mechanics lack variety.  he could use something along the like of a dodge/roll to the unused O button.  double jump is always fun. 

I wholeheartedly disagree with you about dieing/difficulty though.  they nailed it. 

my kids can't play sackboy's big adventure past the 2nd of 6 worlds.  adults like myself are welcome to play astro but what Sony really need is to appeal to someone not 40+ with decades of experience.  Astro is the first kid appropriate game Sony has made in 3 gens. 

to be honest,.. Mario already made lives meaningless back in galaxy by shoving dozen of extra lives per level at you.  fear of death hasn't been a thing in decades now and the whole mechanic ought to go. 

you didn't say it in the post above but previously,...  Astro's enemies need to be 100% reconsidered.  too many clones.  some have fine mechanics but the design is just meh.  a nut with a bolt??  wtf is that? 

[Legend]

I wholeheartedly disagree with you about dieing/difficulty though.  they nailed it. 

I don't want harder platforming, just platforming that is less built on trial and error.

I want harder secret content. Some warpgates had the potential. Like for example the one under the first pirate boss. There was a map on a rock earlier in the level, I expected that to be important, but then the dig spot was impossible to miss.

you didn't say it in the post above but previously,...  Astro's enemies need to be 100% reconsidered.  too many clones.  some have fine mechanics but the design is just meh.  a nut with a bolt??  wtf is that? 

I first encountered the nut enemy in the Japanese sponge level's warpgate room. Was so confused by it.

Yeah regular enemies were one of the things I was thinking about too. They are mostly introduced in levels where they kinda fit, but then they just show up everywhere after that. Just very random.

[the-pi-guy]

https://www.thegamer.com/astro-bot-most-game-of-the-year-awards-any-platformer-ever/

Astro Bot is the most awarded platformer ever. I think it helps a lot that it wasn't a crazy year. 

[kitler53]

https://www.thegamer.com/astro-bot-most-game-of-the-year-awards-any-platformer-ever/

Astro Bot is the most awarded platformer ever. I think it helps a lot that it wasn't a crazy year.

i agree.

i loved astro bot but if i were the type of guy that curated a top 10 list astro bot would not make it while mario galaxy likely would.   super mario world and rayman origins/legends and lucky's tale 2 would all likely come first actually.   so like a top 5 platformer for me (because origins/legend is 1 game) but not the best game ever.

[Legend]

i agree.

i loved astro bot but if i were the type of guy that curated a top 10 list astro bot would not make it while mario galaxy likely would.  super mario world and rayman origins/legends and lucky's tale 2 would all likely come first actually.  so like a top 5 platformer for me (because origins/legend is 1 game) but not the best game ever.

Wow lucky's tale 2 is that good? I played a demo of the first or its remake and wrote the franchise off.

[the-pi-guy]

super mario world and rayman origins/legends and lucky's tale 2 would all likely come first actually.  

I think that's a niche take. 

My niche take is that I like Astro Bot more than Super Mario. 

[kitler53]

Wow lucky's tale 2 is that good? I played a demo of the first or its remake and wrote the franchise off.

the 1st one is exclusive to VR.   technically i own it but i never got around to playing it.

the 2nd one shrugged off the franchise as far as i know.   ...at the very least is shrugged off VR to be a regular old 3D platformer.   i loved my time with it.  it had this game mechanic where you burrow underground and it made for some pretty interesting twists to platforming.   ...but more importantly it made for what i'd consider the most interesting "combat" i've played in a 3d platformer.  

ever since i've played it i've been yearning for a game that doesn't exist (afaik) that is a platformer adventure game.   so like the core gameplay mechanics of a platformer (3D mario) with the structure of an adventure game (zelda).  lucky's tale showed me how well these game types could be blended because you can create some really interesting combat without the common crutches of swords, guns, magic.

[kitler53]

and since we are talking about platformers in depth now...

...i did finish a hat in time.  i'm very mixed about it.

on the one hand i can see why people like it.  it has fantastic variety of game design many of the ideas i found to be incredibly unique to the genre and thus very fresh.  

on the other hand the camera was horrible and i encountered bugs all over the place and even crashed the game several times.  also the jumping mechanics were too complicated.  in more capable hands i'll guess you could do really neat things but i'd miss tons of really basic jumps because of it and the tripping on your face mechanic was suuuper annoying.


in the end i think i'd say the good was worth enduring the bad but omg do i wish that game had a bit more polish.  

[Legend]

the 1st one is exclusive to VR.  technically i own it but i never got around to playing it.

the 2nd one shrugged off the franchise as far as i know.  ...at the very least is shrugged off VR to be a regular old 3D platformer.  i loved my time with it.  it had this game mechanic where you burrow underground and it made for some pretty interesting twists to platforming.  ...but more importantly it made for what i'd consider the most interesting "combat" i've played in a 3d platformer. 

ever since i've played it i've been yearning for a game that doesn't exist (afaik) that is a platformer adventure game.  so like the core gameplay mechanics of a platformer (3D mario) with the structure of an adventure game (zelda).  lucky's tale showed me how well these game types could be blended because you can create some really interesting combat without the common crutches of swords, guns, magic.

Guess new super luckys tale was the 2D port and one I tried.

Platformer adventure game could work well. Makes me think of Super Mario 64. Just a few tweaks and it could have that adventure element.

[kitler53]

Guess new super luckys tale was the 2D port and one I tried.

Platformer adventure game could work well. Makes me think of Super Mario 64. Just a few tweaks and it could have that adventure element.

if i had the skillz or time i think an open world-ish 3D platforming adventure game is what i'd make.   thrown in a few interesting puzzles and it would be the perfect game (for me).

[Legend]

if i had the skillz or time i think an open world-ish 3D platforming adventure game is what i'd make.  thrown in a few interesting puzzles and it would be the perfect game (for me).

I felt that way playing Astrobot. One level really made me nostalgic for Twisty Puzzle Simulator (lol) since it was floating platforms with propellers.

[the-pi-guy]

9.5/10.

When I played through the first time, I think I would have given it a 9/10. But I've come back a bunch, between the DLC and helping the kids. And I think I like it even more. Think I would give it a 9.5/10 myself.

The levels where you mess with time (casino level mostly) and space (mouse level) were my favorites.

I generally loved the ghost levels in the VR game. Here I wished there was a bit more. To a big extent, that's how I felt throughout a lot of the game. I would have loved to see more levels where they do mess with sizes and other stuff.