Summary
Astro Botis many things. It’s a fun, family game; a 3D platformer that brings back the levity of older entries. It’s also a giant homage to PlayStation’s history, filled with bot versions of Sony’s legacy characters, and it even goes as far as creating levels that reference some of these franchises.
The game has five main nebulas that serve as a level hub, and each of these nebulas has a level dedicated to another one of Sony’s series. These levels also offer unique gameplay mechanics that are based on the franchise they’re referencing, and some are surprisingly faithful to the source material. Which level is the most fun to play, though?
5Going Loco
A LocoRoco Level
When it comes to the authenticity of the source material,Going Locois one of the most faithful adaptations here. Here, Astro becomes a giant blob that can only really jump, and instead of moving him around, you actually move the map by tilting your DualSense and Astro will roll in the direction you want him to go.
The level itself is the most straightforward one, as there are few areas to hide secrets. There are still some, though, especially because the game still plays in a 3D environment rather than just toying around in 2D areas like LocoRoco itself.
In the end, this level offers an excellent change of pace as its mechanics are quite different, meaning there’s no other level like it in the entire game. Plus, the music is very catchy.
4Apes On The Loose
An Ape Escape Level
Apes on the Looseis another great example of adapting a game. Both Astro Bot and Ape Escape are 3D platformers, making this transition the smoothest of all games. In fact, this level is a great example of how to make Ape Escape with modern controls, in case anyone wants to remake the originals or make a sequel already.
The level is essentially an open area where you need to hunt and capture monkeys with your net. It’s short and simple, unfortunately, but it gives you the same feeling of playing a starter level of Ape Escape.
It also comes with a fun “boss fight,” as you need to be attentive to where the monkey is running to capture them, and Specter is clearly faster than you.
3Machine Learning
A Horizon Level
Aloy takes a while to appear here, but she graces us with the final cameo level the game has to offer inMachine Learning. This level works more like an Astro Bot level, but you carry Aloy’s bow throughout, and you can shoot enemies with it - it’s what bows are for, after all.
The mechanic takes a while due to being a bit slow, but that’s mainly because Astro Bot’s camera is slow in general. In the end, having the freedom to shoot targets as you please is very helpful, and you can also break things from afar to obtain coins and collectibles. Some of those are well hidden because of that, as they aren’t reachable on foot, so you need to pay attention to your surroundings.
The level also ends with a fun boss fight against a mechanical T. Rex, inspired by the mechanical animals that are present in the Horizon series - although this T. Rex is more cartoonish, design-wise. The boss, along with many enemies here, also has the yellow cylinders that is commonly a weak spot in Horizon’s machines, which is a fun nod.
2Bot Of War
A God Of War Level
After realizing that some of Sony’s series would get their own levels, the most obvious guess is that you’d eventually see God of War. Lo and behold, we have the levelBot of War,and it’s a fun addition to the game.
Similar to Horizon, this level also feels more like an Astro Bot level with exclusive mechanics, as God of War isn’t a platformer (even though the old ones have a lot of platforming elements). The biggest difference here is having the Leviathan Axe at your disposal.
Everything else works pretty much the same, but the axe allows you to kill enemies you normally can’t, as well as kill them from afar by throwing the axe - and you’re able to recall it at any time. The axe also freezes enemies, and frozen enemies can be used as platforms to reach a few areas. Lastly, you also have Odin’s ravens to hunt, just like God of War.
1Dude Raiding
An Uncharted Level
InDude Raiding,we have Nathan Drake’s gun, which allows you to shoot anyone, similar to Aloy’s bow. However, you don’t need to aim. Instead, you’ll shoot the closest enemy automatically, and you can shoot six times before needing to reload.
At first, the lack of aiming (and, thus, choosing your target) might feel like a hindrance, but this allows the level to be extremely fast-paced, as you’re able to run and jump around while killing everyone who stands in your way.
This gives room for Dude Raiding to be not just the best cameo level, but one of the best levels in the game. The final boss isn’t a lot of fun, sadly, being essentially a more advanced and subtle QTE, but the rest of the level is so fun that it makes up for it. Things are also well-hidden here, and exploring the area to find your treasure certainly fits the Uncharted vibe.
