Sometimes consoles need the perfect game to launch with. Some consoles have done this perfectly, the NES and SNES all had a 2D Mario game to launch the platforms with. So when the ps5 was on the horizon in 2020, Sony needed the perfect game to launch with out of the box. So they thought: ‘why not take a few notes from what Nintendo did all those years ago and launch with a platformer? They had already confirmed a new ratchet game was in the works but it was at least a year after the ps5 would launch so they had to come up with something. ‘Hmm…why don’t we use that Astro bot guy?’. That question would then birth a surprising legend.
Astro’s playroom feels like your average tech demo with a heart and soul, and oh man, what a heart and soul it has. You play as Astro, a little robot on his quest to retrieve every single past PlayStation console and defeat the ps1 tech demo dinosaur…and that’s kind of all there is to it. there isn’t some big plot but why should there be? When you break it down it’s a simple tech demo…its main punch comes from its environments and simple gameplay.
The gameplay is like most 3D platformers. You can jump, punch, and use lasers on your legs to get over gaps…just like every 3D platformer! There are 4 main levels in the game: memory meadow, a level based around the ps1 era with a windy and cloudy environment. SSD speedway, a level based around how fast the SSD is! It’s based around the ps2 era and features a space-like environment. Cooling springs, a level based on the big ass fan that you can’t see on the ps5. It’s based around the ps3 era and features a beach and summer vibe to it. And finally the GPU jungle, a level based around the graphics card. It’s based on the ps4 era and has a jungle environment to it. Each level tries to make itself different to the last and it’s an excellent nostalgia trip.
What else can I really say? Astro’s playroom is a quirky little tech demo with tons of love and heart. For a simple game that’s meant to show off the ps5 it’s absolutely excellent and became my most played ps5 game for a time. It’s definitely a game that, if you’ve picked up a ps5, you should definitely try because it’s an excellent demo to show the ps5.
Great tech demo, lovely little gameplay, adorable references, some weird ass frog
Astro’s playroom feels like your average tech demo with a heart and soul, and oh man, what a heart and soul it has. You play as Astro, a little robot on his quest to retrieve every single past PlayStation console and defeat the ps1 tech demo dinosaur…and that’s kind of all there is to it. there isn’t some big plot but why should there be? When you break it down it’s a simple tech demo…its main punch comes from its environments and simple gameplay.
The gameplay is like most 3D platformers. You can jump, punch, and use lasers on your legs to get over gaps…just like every 3D platformer! There are 4 main levels in the game: memory meadow, a level based around the ps1 era with a windy and cloudy environment. SSD speedway, a level based around how fast the SSD is! It’s based around the ps2 era and features a space-like environment. Cooling springs, a level based on the big ass fan that you can’t see on the ps5. It’s based around the ps3 era and features a beach and summer vibe to it. And finally the GPU jungle, a level based around the graphics card. It’s based on the ps4 era and has a jungle environment to it. Each level tries to make itself different to the last and it’s an excellent nostalgia trip.
What else can I really say? Astro’s playroom is a quirky little tech demo with tons of love and heart. For a simple game that’s meant to show off the ps5 it’s absolutely excellent and became my most played ps5 game for a time. It’s definitely a game that, if you’ve picked up a ps5, you should definitely try because it’s an excellent demo to show the ps5.
Great tech demo, lovely little gameplay, adorable references, some weird ass frog