Between new Warhammer 40K, Harry Potter, and soccer simulator games, September is shaping up to be a packed month on the gaming calendar. But the best-reviewed game of the month–and the year thus far–has just launched in the form of Astro Bot, a new adventure starring Sony’s adorable mechanical mascot. Astro Bot has been a critical smash-hit, as numerous reviews have praised it for being an exciting platformer that is a joy to play and uses the DualSense controller to create immersive gameplay.
On GameSpot’s sister site Metacritic, Astro Bot currently has a metascore of 94 from 113 reviews. That makes it the best-reviewed game of the year on the review-aggregate platform, beating out strong GOTY contenders like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (92), Animal Well (91), and Balatro (90). This also puts Astro Bot in an elite club of critically acclaimed games, as it joins other legendary titles like God of War (2018), Grim Fandango, and Metal Gear Solid in the Top 100 charts of Metacritic.
“Team Asobi cements itself as an essential PlayStation studio with an imaginative platformer for the ages,” Mark Delaney wrote in GameSpot’s Astro Bot review. “Team Asobi’s Astro Bot quickly, consistently, and joyously launches its titular hero into the pantheon of all-time greats, both in its first-party family and genre, with a platformer whose incredible ambition is matched by its brilliant execution.”
Game: Astro BotPlatform: PS5Developer: Team AsobiRelease Date: September 6Price: $60
While Astro Bot is sitting pretty right now, there’s still some stiff competition ahead of it. The next quarter of gaming will see several high-profile releases like Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and Metaphor ReFantazio, and it’ll be interesting to see how the metascores of those games compare to Astro Bot as they’re typically also reviewed by a large number of websites, magazines, and video channels.
For now, you can see what else people have to say about Astro Bot and why it sparks so much joy in anyone who plays it.
GameSpot — 9/10
“This is a grand re-opening for Astro Bot, and it surely marks the start of what is destined to be a beloved series shooting for the moon.” — Mark Delaney [Full review]
VGC — 5/5
“Astro Bot isn’t simply an enjoyable platformer with some nostalgia tying it together; it’s a generationally impressive entry in the genre that understands PlayStation at an atomic level. The sheer level of joy the game produces makes it impossible to compare it to anything other than Mario’s very best adventure. Astro is no longer a vector through which to reference PlayStation icons; he is a PlayStation icon.” — Jordan Middler [Full review]
VG247 — 5/5
“Astro Bot only cares about fun, and I genuinely can’t think of a single moment it made me wish something had been handled differently, tweaked to be easier, or expanded upon. It’s just perfect.” — Tom Orry [Full review]
Eurogamer — 5/5
“Astro Bot is a really, really good 3D platformer. As is often the case with the blockbuster genres of yesteryear, it’s always nice when someone busts another one of these out, particularly when they put in so much effort to make it satisfying, curious, lavish and pleasantly odd.” — Christian Donlan [Full review]
Inverse — 10/10
“More than anything, my time with Astro Bot is dominated by one word: surprise. There were moments that had my jaw on the floor, moments I cackled with glee, and even one or two where may have shed a tear. Astro Bot is everything that I love about video games — the potential they have to cause wonder and excitement, self-reflection, and, most importantly, fun.” — Hayes Madsen [Full review]
GamesRadar — 5/5
“Astro Bot doesn’t just deliver on the promise and potential displayed in PS5 pack-in demo Astro’s Playroom, but soars above and beyond to serve up a near-perfect platformer to rival–and possibly surpass–the best of Super Mario’s Mushroom Kingdom romps.” — Matt Cabral [Full review]
IGN — 9/10
“Astro Bot made me smile from beginning to end. A collection of endlessly inventive levels and fantastically fun abilities, it delivers joy in spades, never once becoming even remotely dull or repetitive. And while you don’t need a long history with Sony systems to enjoy it, it is especially a delight for those with a piece of PlayStation in their heart as a treasure trove full of playable nostalgia awaits. Taking the PS5 marketing mantra that “play has no limits” more seriously than you’d expect, Team Asobi has crafted a mascot platformer that goes near enough toe-to-toe with Nintendo’s best efforts, and that’s about as high a compliment as I can give it.” — Simon Cardy [Full review]
Polygon — No score
“Sony has been reaching for something like Astro Bot since PlayStation launched 30 years ago in the age of Mario and Sonic. It has cycled through mascots like Crash, Jak, and Sackboy in its quest for a breezy family game that could hold its own with Nintendo’s best as well as mesh with Sony’s cooler, tech-centric brand. Sony ended up settling for edgier cinematic action heroes instead, but deep in the consoles’ soul, it felt like something was missing. Astro Bot–a dazzling, joyful game–is a celebration of all the failed attempts and quizzical detours Sony made on that quest. And it might also be the game to fill that hole at last.” — Oli Welsh [Full review]
