Introduction
Astro Bot Rescue Mission is a PSVR platformer developed by Team ASOBI, a subsidiary of Japan Studios. The game was published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was released in October 2018.
Video Review
Review
You and your crew of little cute robots are flying around in space, minding your own business when suddenly, a giant alien comes out of nowhere, wrecks your ship and steals its part. In the process your crew gets scattered to five distant planets and with the help of your director, it’s up to you to bring everyone back safely, and get back your spaceship parts, while dishing out revenge in the process!
Unfortunately there is no story here. I mean I’m sure you can piece one together, but it’s all very basic and already laid out for you basically at the beginning. Would I have loved for there to be a cute story associated with it all? Well of course I would, because I love stories in my games. I’m all for them. A good story, whether it’s basic or not, elevates games, and this was so close to perfection. I mean, not like the missing story would solve the other problems, but that’s besides the point.
When it comes to the gameplay, it becomes a bit harder to explain. You are the camera, with the headset strapped to your face. It is your job to physically look at your surroundings. You control the Astro Bot, and the only time his movements shift the camera is when you’re moving forward. So if you need to grab something to the right, you have to carefully move Astro Bot. At first, this was a little hard to do, and it took a while for me to get a grip on how it felt to control the game, but eventually it all fell into place, especially when you have some in-game mechanics that help with the platforming.
When you’re running over thin platforms, you don’t have to be careful, because you can’t fall off. Even with tight rope walking, you can’t fail. Unless of course you jump off intentionally. It was a blast using the features of the DualShock along with the features of the VR to get through some levels. I loved having to dodge bees by moving my head, then headbutting them to defeat them. Or using my head to bounce a soccer ball back at an enemy. Or swiping the touchpad while moving the controller to aim and throw my throwing stars to cut down bamboo trees. It was exciting and the controls were amazingly tight.
The level designs were all absolutely magnificent. In each level there were 8 other bots to find, and you had to collect a certain amount to progress in each world. In each level there was also a lizard you could find by staring at it, that opened up challenge levels. These were sometimes very well hidden. At the start of each level I’d even turn myself fully around on my couch, to see behind me, which was really hard honestly, because if the light bar of the controller wasn’t seen by the camera, it would mess up everything, including controls. So having to move myself around was a pain. Chances are when I did, I’d even lose track of Astro. Sometimes I’d get a symbol on screen to show where he was, other times I didn’t. So I’d have to just look everywhere, again, to hopefully find him. This eventually made my body hurt doing all these movements, as weird as that sounds.
My absolute favourite levels were levels that took place underwater or high in the sky. They felt so well designed, and beautiful, especially looking out over the waves of clouds. The music coupled with it all was amazingly immersive and relaxing and there really wasn’t a level I didn’t hate. Except for the last boss, but that’s because the hit boxes were just weird. The bosses were all exciting to fight, as you’re given basically three lives to defeat them, and if you mess up, it’s back to the start with you, so you had to remember their attack patterns and everything! It just couldn’t be any more perfect, honestly.
Rating
Pros:
- Amazing Levels
- Fun Gameplay
- Great Use Of VR Plus DualShock Features
Cons:
- Turning Around To See Behind You Was A Chore
Summary
This game was absolutely amazing. From the level design to the features of the VR and controller, and the exhilarating boss fights. The only downside is turning around to see behind you while keeping the controller in front of you. You’re bound to hurt yourself. But play this game if you have a PSVR! You won’t regret it.
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Game & Developer Information
Developer Website: Team ASOBI
Developer Socials: Twitter
Publisher Website: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Publisher Socials: Twitter
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