Astro Bot

Astro Bot is a mighty game and so is its eponymous hero, but I don’t think either is likely to save the world or this industry. For what it is, though, Astro Bot is incredible, and that is worth celebrating here and now. I just can’t help walking away from the experience with a bittersweet taste in my mouth and a hope that someday soon, we don’t have to look to gaming’s past for the best bits of it all.

Sony has been reaching for something like Astro Bot since PlayStation launched 30 years ago in the age of Mario and Sonic. It has cycled through mascots like Crash, Jak, and Sackboy in its quest for a breezy family game that could hold its own with Nintendo’s best as well as mesh with Sony’s cooler, tech-centric brand. Sony ended up settling for edgier cinematic action heroes instead, but deep in the consoles’ soul, it felt like something was missing. Astro Bot — a dazzling, joyful game — is a celebration of all the failed attempts and quizzical detours Sony made on that quest. And it might also be the game to fill that hole at last.

The PS5 gets put to the test for once with this rare instance of console exclusivity, producing some of the brightest, most expressive worlds we’ve ever punched our way through. It’s a game constantly exploding with beautiful colors, propulsive sounds, and, yes, the gentle kick of nostalgia.