Astro's Playroom: PS5 Review

Developed by Team Asobi

Platform: PS5

It’s hard to explain just how good Astro’s Playroom is.

Both as a game and as an extension and showcase of what the Dualsense controller can do, it’s exceptional, going above and beyond what anyone could expect from a free game.

Where the VR Game AstroBot Rescue Mission showed off what VR could do, Astro’s Playroom takes the overly cute robot and puts it front and centre of the PlayStation’s past and its future.

Jumping through four different lands (essentially the inner workings of the actual PlayStation), the Bot collects coins, uncovers artefacts from the history of Sony’s console and generally platforms its way around the various levels.

But it does more than just this - it showcases the possibility of what the controller can do and what future developers should be embracing to ensure the next generation deserves its label.

Whether it’s using the controller’s haptic feedback and tensions to power a spaceship with Astro in (like some of the very first basic games from the 80s which saw you using z and x on keyboards to avoid walks) or stroking the touch pad to roll Astro in a ball in an homage to Marble Madness,there’s a real sense of gaming nostalgia at play here.

Team Asobi doesn’t hold back at all from delivering something that excels for all age levels.

Sure, this may be a play once through and never again kind of game, but it’s 12 hour gameplay, designed to engage from the get go.

From truly inventive moments like blowing on the keypad to power an onscreen fan, there’s not a single moment of Astro’s Playroom that’s not about fun, using the haptic feedback from the adaptive controller to maximum effect and earning the title of one of the best next generation games.

What a written review can’t explain or demonstrate is the thrill of the DualSense and its execution. From feeling rain hitting the top of Astro through the controller to feeling the scratching and crunching of ice in snowy levels, Astro’s Playroom goes beyond to utilise its controller.

When the next gen ends, Sony’s team can easily look back on Astro’s Playroom content in the knowledge this title launched it with a creative bang and set the bar high for others to emulate right from the start.

A review key for Astro's PlayRoom was provided by PlayStation New Zealand.