Astro Botis quite rightly being celebrated for being one of the best platformers ever. A welcome reminder thatPlayStationhas a rich platforming history, it was a clear reminder that with the right studio assigned to the task, it can revive the glory days ofCrash,Spyro, andSlyand then surpass them. The thing is, it had already proved that onPS5launch day via the latest outing of Sackboy, the platforming mascot from which Astro has now taken the reins.
Although it might feel as if PlayStation has been lacking a platforming mascot for the last two and a half generations, that’s not the case. Before Astro, Sackboy was PlayStation’s go-to for family-friendly fun in a run that spanned thePS3and thePS4, not to mention appearances on thePSPandPS Vita. Sackboy even kicked off the PS5 era viaA Big Adventure, one of the console’s launch titles and still one of its best games.
A Lack Of Hype For A Big Adventure
Seriously, Why Does It Feel Like No One Played This Game?
Two years had passed since A Big Adventure’s release by the time I got to it. Not because I didn’t want to play, but because the game had launched to very little fanfare and has rarely been mentioned, much less celebrated, since. The more I played, the more I wondered why that was. It can partly be chalked up to how hard it was to get a PS5 at launch, but it was released on PS4 too, so what gives?
Almost all of the PS5’s platforming spotlight shone onAstro’s Playroomat launch since it was installed on every console as standard. That may well be when this mascot power shift began.
Another potential reason Sackboy: A Big Adventure may have been passed up by some is the decision to drop content creation. Much of theLittleBigPlanetsuccess that came before it stemmed from letting players create and share their own levels. That popular feature was omitted from the latest Sackboy game, and perhaps many of those who loved the series up until that point didn’t make the jump for that reason.
Other than that, I struggled to find many faults with the game during my initial playthrough, and then struggled again when I played it a second time with my son. Similar to Astro Bot, A Big Adventure’s levels are crammed with innovative ideas and puzzles that set it apart from your bog standard platformer.
Sackboy Does Some Things Better Than Astro
And On Occasion, Even Better Than Mario
While its levels are linear, there’s a lot more to them than simply getting from A to B. It also has fantastic boss fights, something other platformers fall flat on and again, and one of the things I believe sets Astro Bot and A Big Adventure apart from games in the same genre.Mario’s boss fights, in particular, are rarely much to write home about, and as much as it pains me to say it, I’ve usually forgotten about most ofSonic’s boss fights by midway through the next level.
There are even times when A Big Adventure does things better than Astro, most notably its co-op. An unfair comparison to make, perhaps, since Astro Bot doesn’t have co-op, and I appreciate a game with no co-op at all rather than a watered-down mode. Sackboy’s co-op never feels tacked on. Its levels and puzzles don’t need two people to clear, yet it still feels like you’re working together when there’s more than one of you. It sounds simple, but it’s a very difficult dynamic to nail.
A Big Adventure also has one of the wilder soundtracks you’ll ever hear in a video game. If you can’t have a good time playing a colorful platformer scored by Britney’s Toxic, it’s unlikely we’ll get along.
Now Astro Bot is here, there’s no questioning who PlayStation’s platforming mascot is. Not even just platforming, but PlayStation in general. Sure, Kratos and Ellie are its flag bearers, but they’re not mascot material. What Kratos, Eliie, and other protagonists from PlayStation’s more adult games don’t need to worry about is being replaced by Astro, and it already feels like that’s what has happened to Sackboy.
Once You’re Done With Astro Bot, Don’t Forget Sackboy
That Goes For You Too, PlayStation
Four years on from A Big Adventure, there has been no mention of a new Sackboy game nor whether there are even plans for one. My guess is the decision makers at PlayStation will look at Astro Bot and say, ‘Well, this is our little mascot guy now.’ There’s no reason a console can’t have more than one successful platforming mascot at a time, of course. PlayStation’s early years were led by Crash and Spyro, andNintendohas Mario, Yoshi,Kirby, andDonkey Kongflying that particular flag onSwitch. It took so long for PlayStation to realize it could do with just one though, I hardly think it’s going to feel the need to have two.
