Astro's Playroom Reviews
A love letter to PlayStation and a showcase for the future of PS5: a delightful thing to include with the console.
Astro's Playroom is way more than a tech demo: it's fun and brilliant, definitely worth playing.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Astro's Playroom is the epitome of the PlayStation 5. It's the foundational software kicking off the next generation of PlayStation gaming. ASOBI Team from Japan Studio could have just phoned it in with a handful of gimmicky levels to distract players while they wait for Miles Morales or Demon's Souls to download, but they didn't. They developed a full fun platforming experience that not only demonstrates the PS5, but celebrates 25 years of PlayStation history in some pretty special ways. It's a powerful showcase that honors everything that led to the "5" in PS5, while also providing a pretty clear picture of what makes this new generation so special.
Astro's Playroom is deserving of every single superlative you're likely to hear associated with it. As a platformer, it's a varied and entertaining experience that's constantly introducing new and exciting ideas over the course of its campaign. And as a DualSense tech demo, it's similarly effective at showcasing the power and potential of Sony's new hardware. But perhaps above all, this is a love letter to the legacy of PlayStation, and it feels fitting that as we enter an exciting new chapter from an undeniably iconic gaming brand, we take a moment to remember the milestones that got us to this point.
Astro's Playroom is a great showcase for the varied, impressive ways the DualSense can immerse you in next-gen games.
Alas, Astro’s Playroom is only a few astonishing, magical hours long. There are lots of collectibles to go after and a leaderboard driven speedrun mode, but when I finished I was still hungry for more. And that’s kind of the only criticism I can levy against it. The way it leverages PlayStation’s history, I can’t wait to see what irresistible creation Team ASOBI comes up with next. In the here and now, Astro Bot has earned a place in my heart among the very best of PlayStation’s franchises.
Astro's Playroom isn't just an introduction to the PS5. It is a charming and enjoyable game, even if it isn't trying to redefine the boundaries of the platforming genre
Astro's Playroom is an irresistible delight.
Astro Bot has replaced Knack as the cute Sony mascot and I'm okay with it. Although Astro's Playroom isn't a killer app, booting up your PS5 and playing it for free is a great way to get accustomed to your shiny new toy from multiple angles.
With its much hyped status as a showcase of the DualSesne controller's fancy new haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, it's equally important to recognise that like Astro Bot before it, Astro's Playroom is a fundamentally excellent platformer that commendably stands on its own merits. Equal parts a stirring demonstration of the capabilities of the DualSense and PS5 console as it is an excellent traditional platformer, Astro's Playroom might just be the best pack-in title of all-time.
Transcending its role as an introduction to the PS5's features, Astro's Playroom is a quick and delightful celebration of PlayStation's history.
As a free pack-in game, Astro's Playroom is a great showcase of the new DualSense controller. More importantly though, it goes above and beyond in celebrating the history of PlayStation. There's throwbacks to PlayStation's greatest games and moments at every turn and it's a genuine delight from start to finish.
Astro's Playroom it's the best possible way to try your brand new PS5. It's not just a great tutorial to try all DualSense's new tibdits, it's the best possible homage to the PlayStation brand's 25 years of videogaming history, full of references here and there. And it's free. What a pity that it ends very soon.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Astro's Playroom is a truly adorable and joyful platformer. Even if a bit short and not very difficult, it shows the potential of the DualSense as we go through some lovely levels with some funny ideas and a lot to remember about the whole PlayStation brand. Definitely worth your time.
Review in French | Read full review
In the modern landscape it's easy to believe we've seen everything the medium has to offer, but then a title such as Astro's Playroom comes along and redefines all previous conventions. It's pure platforming excellence and hopefully spells a bright future for one of Sony's finest current mascots.
The only downsides to Astro’s Playroom are that it is fairly short, and it could have used a little plot to tie the whole thing together. However, for the price, it can’t be beaten, and it’s a must-play for those booting up their PS5 for the first time.
Just as Astro Bot Rescue Mission was the perfect title to introduce PS VR, Astro's Playroom is a gem that works better than any manual or datasheet in creating a true man-machine relationship, informal, very pleasant and extremely fun. The DualSense proves to be an exceptional controller with absolutely unique sensory possibilities, able to bring the player even closer to gameplay, without upsetting but moving to a new and unknown level of intimacy that, VR aside, had never been achieved in the "traditional" video game. Its nature as a pre-installed software, which I strongly advise you to start before anything else, to end in an afternoon of non-stop play, gives the ASOBI work a resounding value in empathic terms and "first impact" with the new generation, communicating in the language of fun and surprise everything there is to know about the characteristics of the newcomer. A much more important goal.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Thanks to the incredible new Dualsense controller gaming has never felt so good
While many may initially see it as a throwaway free demo for the features of the next-generation console it comes installed on, Astro's Playroom is a wonderful surprise whose price does not speak to its quality. Though it certainly does showcase what the PlayStation 5's new DualSense can do, the game actually has far more value being just that: a game.
Sony leans into its PlayStation past in this frequently innovative, supremely charming old-school 3D platformer.