Ohh man! It’s been a while since I cracked open the old laptop and wrote a blog post! I know you guys must have been worried sick of where I’ve been or maybe you didn’t care or notice I was gone...Either way! I’m back and I got another game review for you guys to sink your teeth into! And this one’s a special one because today I’ll be reviewing my first VR title! Gotta shake it up a little right?
Not too long ago, PlayStation released its second Play at Home Campaign. The company started this last year during the early stages of the COVID pandemic where they gave PlayStation owners free access to games like Journey and the Uncharted Collection to encourage people to stay at home to reduce exposure to the virus.
Well, people must've really liked that campaign because nearly a year later PlayStation has done it again and are offering 10 free games that players can download and keep 100% free for a limited time.
Included, in this bundle of sweet freebies were a handful of PlayStation VR games. One game, in particular, really grabbed my attention. Astro Bot Rescue Mission. I’ve always wanted to play this game because it’s looked like a crazy fun time, but with the limited exposure the PlayStation VR has on the gaming world, I never really got around to buying it.
But lo and behold, the second I realized this game was free I dug up my old VR headset from my closet, spent what felt like 5 hours hooking the contraption up to my PlayStation, and downloaded the crap of that game. And let me tell you, this game was amazing! So amazing in fact, I felt like I had to give it the old review treatment! So without further ado, let’s get into this piece!
A Rescue Mission Begins!
The game starts with you in space as you see a ship full of Astro Bots partying it up and just having a happy ol’ time. The ship has a VR headset on, similar to the PlayStation VR headset you wear.
However, soon after, an alien arrives in an UFO and sees the ship with the VR headset and decides to take it. After ripping the headset apart from the ship, the vessel begins to break down and clusters of poor Astro Bots are launched into space, stranded on different worlds across the galaxy.
Only one Astro Bot survives the attack; the captain of the ship. Together the two of you set out to rescue all your lost crewmembers to rebuild the ship and take back the stolen VR headset.
A VR Platformer?
One of the things that interests me about this game is the fact that it’s a platformer game, but it's not your typical platformer experience. Instead of crashing on the couch and playing a game like Super Mario from a fixed camera position, you are the camera.
You can see your little Astro Bot companion in front of your very eyes as he moves around and waves at you. You can look around the game world to find secrets and gain a new perspective to help you solve puzzles or defeat unique enemies.
The VR headset allows you to see the platformer experience in a way that hasn’t been done before.
One moment you’re looking to the right as you guide Astro Bot through a cave, the next you’re looking straight up as he’s balancing himself across a tightrope to rescue one of his lost crew members.
No platforming game I’ve ever played has been able to to give the player this unique kind of perspective, which makes it feel like a completely different experience instead of your typical run of the mill Mario-platformer knock-off.
A World from a New Perspective
Astro Bot Rescue Mission boasts a lovely variety of worlds to explore. From bustling cities to ominous cave ruins, the environments are constantly changing to give you a fresh new experience from level to level.
I was constantly left amazed as I entered each new world from the depth and awesome details that each level held. In the jungle levels, you had plants looking at you wherever you went. In the underwater levels, you would constantly be rushed by waves of water like you were wading in the water by a beachline. In the sky levels, you could feel the anxiousness in your body as you looked down to see the level engulfed by clouds far below.
Each world gave a different feeling and vibe that you personally could experience through the headset. While the game takes on typical platformer level tropes, such as underwater and volcanic levels, it really strives to make those familiar settings a fresh new experience for the player.
To be able to literally see the world through your eyes and not just a flat screen really does a lot to lend to the immersion factor of the game.
More Than Just a Controller
One of the really cool aspects about this game is that it takes advantage of the PlayStation hardware to make it a truly unique experience.
It doesn’t just stop at being able to see the world through VR. It also lets you interact with the world through the PlayStation controller itself!
You know that light bar on the top of your controller? Well it’s not just for show!
The PlayStation camera actually tracks that light bar in game allowing you to move your controller around in the game world.
Some VR titles have played around with this in the past, but they’d mostly just touch the surface of it. But in this game, it’s a central component to the gameplay!
Throughout the game, you can find treasure chests that hold different gadgets and tools that can transform your controller and allow you to uniquely interact with the world.
One of my favorites is the grapple hook power up where you can swipe your finger across the PlayStation controller touch screen and launch a grapple hook to tear down walls or provide a makeshift tightrope that your little Astro Bot friend can walk on.
There’s also a water hose you can use to put out fires, a flashlight you point around to guide Astro Bot through dark corridors, and even a shuriken upgrade that allows you to fling shurikens from your controller to attack enemies or even provide a makeshift platforming stairway for Astro Bot across bamboo walls.
This extra gameplay mechanic really pushes the player to be an active participant in maneuvering the world rather than a passive observer who just controls the character in front of him.
Half of the experience playing this game is through the use of these gadgets and searching for ways to make paths for Astro Bot to get across each level. It makes the gameplay of this game so much more fun and engaging and not a lot of games go that extra mile.
The Cuteness of the Details
The worlds that you explore are filled with great and beautiful level design. But, what really gets me, is the adorable details that you can find when maneuvering each level.
For instance, if you don’t move Astro Bot and look at him, he’ll turn his head to where you are and wave at you. Plants that emerge from forest levels have eyes and will squint and dance when you look at them. Every time you rescue a lost crewmember, you see them fly around and land inside your controller where the rest of the crewmembers you collected greet them and celebrate.
The developers didn’t have to put these things in the game, but I’m so glad they did because it just makes the world feel that much more alive. You never start getting attached to these things.
Astro Bot Rescue Mission is truly a gem in the platformer genre. From the immersive and cutlery crafted environments to the hands on experience and thrill of the PlayStation VR gameplay, this game is a definite must have for the PlayStation VR.
While the Play at Home promotion is over now, if you find this game on sale on the PS store I would highly recommend it. On top of Astro Bot, there’s a few other noteworthy VR games that were released for free during the Play at Home campaign that I plan to review as well, so keep an eye out for another VR review in the future!
What’s your favorite platforming game? Comment below and I’ll see you guys real soon!
