Genuinely would've been an amazing time if the PSVR was at all decent. The controller tracking is just god awful on the Dualshock 4 and the overreliance on the motion control was impossible to work with. I went from wanting to get the platinum on this because I loved Playroom so much, to just clawing my way to the end. And it sucks, because if it weren't for that then the game would be amazing. Astro is so fun to control. I love this little guy. I really tried to put in the time, I 100%ed the first 2 worlds, but man I just can't handle the motion controls. I hope that new rumored Astro game is not a VR2 game.

One of the most charming games I've ever played. And a killer app for VR, I'd honestly say it was almost worth the price of admission by itself. A very fun and unique platformer with a lot of creative ideas, and a delightful visual design. I really hope they make more of these, PlayStation has had at least one iconic first-party platformer series since the PS3, but with PS4 to now, its been very hit or miss. But this and Astro's Playroom are a sign that at least one Sony team still knows the art of the platformer.

I understand now why this was such a killer app for the PlayStation VR. It's absolutely oozing with charm and uses VR to a highly effective and accessible degree. Each stage is sharply designed and the level design is highly varied. It's a joy to actually have to look around the world to find hidden bots and the various "powerups" with the controller were all enjoyable additions. It's impossible to not be charmed by Astro Bot, I'm glad to have picked up a PlayStation VR even if it's just to experience this lovely treat.

Mario was the undisputed king of 3D platformers since the N64 days. But every king has to fall someday and a new one has to arise. The new king is Astro Bot. A super cute little robot that is already known from the free Playroom Demo. Astro Bot: Rescue Mission is basically Mario 64 where you travel to small worlds, collect coins and – instead of stars – missing crew members to unlock new levels. The design of the five worlds is outstanding, the controls are tight and the graphics are fantastic. There is a lot of charm, colour, unique art-style and an amazing soundtrack. Astro Bot jumps across chasms, on moving platforms, dodges deadly obstacles and jumps on or smashes a good range of quirky enemies. But what really takes it to the next level is the way the developer implemented VR-technology. Instead of just “watching” the screen the player and its controller are entities inside the game world that can alter the levels. You have to look around obstacles, follow Astro Bot’s path with head movement and help him out with several virtual tools for your controller. For example you can shoot ropes that Astro Bot can balance on or you extinguish fire enemies with a water gun. Head tracking and gyro controls are masterly woven into the gameplay and provide a lot of change during the course of the game. All this especially comes into effect during the fantastic boss fights at the end of every world. You really feel like a part of the game instead of a disconnected observer that only controls the protagonist. Trust me on this: You have to experience it for yourself. Words, screenshots and videos don’t do this game any justice. Absolutely try it for yourself! Astro Bot: Rescue Mission is pretty much the perfect VR game. It’s easy to learn, perfectly showcases the capabilities of VR technology and is immensely fun to play with minimal risk for motion sickness. One could argue about the lengths of the game though. The 26 main levels can be finished in six to eight hours. There are 26 additional challenge levels which can get pretty hard, especially when going for gold medals. These add several more hours to the play time. And then there is a beautiful panorama level where you can collect little animated figures with your collected coins through a claw machine.

Team Asobi's debut title that originates from a 10 minute long tech demo in a free downloadable PSVR game gets an upgrade to a full priced (for VR) and length VR game that delivers on every front. It may have taken me nearly 6 years to play this game, and while this is my first VR title, I don't think I could have chosen a better title to play than this one. The fact that this team was able to execute a 3D Platformer in VR so perfectly is astounding. Such relatively simple gameplay and controls, but so perfectly amplified by the fact its being done in VR. It's hard to describe, but the game is able to really perfectly throw you into this environment where you have full 360 movement to look ahead, behind, and to the side of you as you help guide astro through 26 relatively short, but packed levels. What really helps this game is that no one world has a certain theme. Each world gives you so many different themes. You could start the world in a relatively simple city level, and then over into a lush forest followed by an underground cavern lit by mushrooms and then followed up by a lush beach that takes you to the bottom of the ocean floor. Even when some of the levels feel like they're repeating at first, this game always finds a really clever way of doing something new with it and surprising you out of left field. If you ever have access to a PSVR, this is a MUST PLAY. Do not pass up the chance to play one of the best VR games to date. This only makes me hope that whatever Team Asobi is working on post Astros Playroom isn't related to PSVR2. I'm sure it'll be fantastic, but I don't want to wait another 6-8 years until PSVR2 is in my price range to be able to play it. I'd rather slap $40-$70 down for an Astros Playroom that's double the length of what Playroom was. Whatever it is, I'm glad Team Asobi seemed to make it out of Jim Ryan's insane Playstation Layoffs unscathed and can't wait to see what they're planning next.

A perfect platformer, making great use of some fantastic VR gimmicks. It's a lot of fun, with a variety of creative and beautiful levels and powerups for you, the floating buddy hanging with Astro through the game. I still don't love that Astro Bot and its little pals feel more like a stand-in tech demo character design aesthetic, but much like in Astro's Playroom for ps5, they do quite a bit to try to inject some personality in him and some great cartoony personality into the bosses, especially. The music is also fantastic. It does get a bit repetitive, but by breaking up levels between worlds into different themes, you're typically not in them for too long. Plus the core gameplay and "hidden object" mechanics are a neat way to really make you observe your surroundings. The difficulty is also paced wonderfully, mostly easy but with a few segments that do pose a challenge. And I love the crane game. This is the most I've wanted to 100 percent a platformer.

When PlayStation VR launched in October 2016 VR had an exciting and promising future ahead of it. The new tech ushered in fascinating titles and immersive ports, with PSVR growing to be the best-selling VR platform in 2017. The launch also posed a host of challenges to both developers and gamers, and even today it remains difficult to demo and convey the content to those that don’t have a headset. At its inception, Sony understood that PSVR was generation one hardware, and with it would come all of the experimentation, successes, and misfires of an introductory piece of tech. The promised land of VR wasn’t going to arrive right away. Rather, it would take quite some time for rich experiences exclusive to the platform to hit store shelves. While all of the VR platforms have some excellent software now, there’s not a single PSVR exclusive that I could recommend without some caveats. While Super Hot, Resident Evil 7, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in PSVR offer engaging ways to play older titles, they are games that can be played without a headset. Like many early adopters of PSVR I’ve been waiting for something truly exceptional that can only be played in PSVR and nowhere else – a title that takes the platform to new heights, and one that becomes an easy recommendation for any PSVR owner, both currently and in the future. Astro Bot Rescue Mission is that game.

Full Review: https://neoncloudff.wordpress.com/2018/10/14/astro-bot-rescue-mission-review-breakthrough-vr-platforming/

Fantastic platformer that was very immersive and interactive. It put the controller into the spotlight, which was novel. Using your controller with different attachments was satisfying and felt like I was in that world. I began to grow a connection to this little robot buddy. If you look at him he waves at you and you want to prevent any deaths to your new buddy. The major issue was there wasn’t enough enemy diversity. Too much repetition. Using your head to interact with the environment was one of the coolest features; use your head to bash breakable objects and enemies and head the soccer ball back to the goalie enemies. It accurately changed the direction of the ball depending on how you headed it. Extremely satisfying! The highlight for sure was the boss fights. A lot of variety and actual difficulty. I think they nailed the difficulty of the experience overall. The music was good but kinda went unnoticed and only accompanied the action. Some standout one off levels were the graveyard that was chockful of some cool easter eggs and the Japanese medieval era level. Very cool level design with new concepts that weren’t repeated. It’s the best psvr game and needs to be brought to psvr2.