Astro Bot

Astro Bot is a full-fledged 3D platformer in which a small robot travels the galaxy searching for the scattered crew of his mothership, shaped like a PlayStation 5 console. Every planet offers several short, densely designed levels each built around its own idea, whether that's growing and shrinking, playing with time, or temporary abilities that change both movement and combat. The structure is classic and clear, the pace never lets up, and no mechanic overstays its welcome.

The controls rank among the best in the genre. Jumping, hovering with the leg thrusters, and a laser attack cover most situations, but the game keeps adding new toys: springy fists, a dog-shaped backpack that lets you run up walls, or a rocket on your back. Collecting hidden bots is the main driving force, and many of them reference PlayStation's history, so the player runs into characters from dozens of games across generations. Boss fights are short, readable, and built around a single idea that gets developed and wrapped up within the fight. Alongside the main worlds await hidden levels, time trials, and puzzles that only unlock once specific characters have been found, which keeps players happily coming back to the galaxy.

The game also doubles as a showcase for what the DualSense controller can do. Haptic feedback distinguishes the surface underfoot, the adaptive triggers create resistance when you draw back a slingshot, and the controller's built-in speaker becomes part of the puzzles. Visually, the title relies on clean colors, soft lighting, and physics for small objects; the music is upbeat and catchy without becoming tiresome. Reviews were enthusiastic, and the game picked up numerous awards, including major game-of-the-year honors, which is certainly not common for a platformer. Today it stands as the most convincing proof that a classically designed platformer can still serve as a modern showcase title for an entire console. Accessibility is high, too: both a child and an adult who last sat down with a platformer twenty years ago can handle it, yet there are still challenges here for the completionist.