[Review] Astro’s Playroom (PS5)
Well, I got a shiny new PS5. Might as well play the pack-in game!
This is intended as a tech demo in the strict sense, as it shows off the new features of the system. It doesn’t feel half-baked though; it’s a very competent and enjoyable game, even if the emphasis on controller functions makes it feel too gimmicky half the time. Essentially it’s a 3D platformer and it’s fun and snappy at that; mostly linear with the occasional mini-sandbox. Punch things, jump over things, collect things. The vibrant colours on display and the haptic feedback of the controller make it feel all the more satisfying to experience.
In half the levels, our hero Astro the adorable robot enters a vehicle or transformation of some kind, and the gimmicks come out. Gyro controls, swiping the little touch pad, the occasional half-press of the variable triggers. These get old pretty fast but luckily nothing in the game takes very long. It’s short and to the point, never outstaying its welcome.
Another fun thing about Astro’s Playroom is its bold celebration of all things Playstation. Other cute bots populate this world, and you’ll often stumble across them dressed up and re-enacting classic PS characters and scenarios, from Crash Bandicoot to Locoroco, Ico to Horizon. There’s also a sort of explorable in-game museum, with a colourful mural illustrating the history of Sony’s console, bots fiddling with meaningful objects and technology, and the big collectibles of the game being giant versions of hardware items. This room will fill out with console revisions, controllers, EyeToys, Move guns, microphone peripherals, etc., etc. and you can jump on and punch them all.
On top of this, the aesthetics of the game heavily weave in the symbology of the controller’s face buttons, and the four worlds are charmingly themed after key components of each of the major consoles (eg. the GPU jungle, the SSD speedway) with a cheery techno-sci-fi coat of paint. It’s a joyous parade of Sony’s history in gaming, culminating in a final boss battle with the T-Rex from the very earliest PSX demo. Also, it’s a damn fine little 3D platformer which is very welcome by me.
Since this is a tech demo for the system, here’s a quick review of the PS5 itself. It’s bulky and oddly shaped, but just squeezes into my TV cabinet so it gets a pass. The UI is limited (no folders for game organisation, very frustrating) and hopefully will get patched soon. But it’s very responsive and fast: in the few games I’ve tried out load times are almost nonexistent! The controller has fancy new features but it remains to be seen how future games support them; for now it’s noticeably heavier than the DualShock 4, and the sticks are positioned higher so it’s slightly less comfortable to hold for my hands. None of my criticisms are dealbreakers though and I’m happy with it, and excited to play my backlog of PS4 games with enhancements. Maybe there’ll even be a PS5 game I want to play soon!
