Reviewed on 11/13/20
Astro's Playroom sets a new benchmark for pack-in titles on new consoles. It's such a perfect blend of tight platforming, collect-a-thon exploration, and a joyous celebration of PlayStation's long lineage up to this point, that I couldn't keep a smile off my face the entire time I was playing. And this is just a tech demo...it's not even a full game! Okay, sure, labeling this as only a tech demo is doing a disservice to just how much gameplay is actually here, but it's also an apt description in its own right. Each level and each new mechanic puts front-and-center a new feature of the PS5's DualSense controller, as well as new ways in which to implement them. It's absolutely genius in that way. It takes what could have been a 20 minute demonstration and stretches it into a 4 hour experience that is constantly leaning into the player's love for the PlayStation brand. Each new artifact from PS days of yore left me nostalgic for generations past while also looking forward to what's ahead. Astro's Playroom's message is clear from beginning to end: everything we've learned from the last four console generations is housed within the PS5. So let's start making some magic with it. This is surely a magical start.
Rating: 9/10
Platinum Difficulty: 2/10
Platinum #150
Astro's Playroom sets a new benchmark for pack-in titles on new consoles. It's such a perfect blend of tight platforming, collect-a-thon exploration, and a joyous celebration of PlayStation's long lineage up to this point, that I couldn't keep a smile off my face the entire time I was playing. And this is just a tech demo...it's not even a full game! Okay, sure, labeling this as only a tech demo is doing a disservice to just how much gameplay is actually here, but it's also an apt description in its own right. Each level and each new mechanic puts front-and-center a new feature of the PS5's DualSense controller, as well as new ways in which to implement them. It's absolutely genius in that way. It takes what could have been a 20 minute demonstration and stretches it into a 4 hour experience that is constantly leaning into the player's love for the PlayStation brand. Each new artifact from PS days of yore left me nostalgic for generations past while also looking forward to what's ahead. Astro's Playroom's message is clear from beginning to end: everything we've learned from the last four console generations is housed within the PS5. So let's start making some magic with it. This is surely a magical start.
Rating: 9/10
Platinum Difficulty: 2/10
Platinum #150