"Live in Your World. Play in Ours"

Astro's Playroom is a new-age tech demo that memorializes the history of PlayStation. Just like the games that defined the first home video console, it is a collect-a-thon platformer with an infectiously adorable mascot and style. While it could have been a simple 20 minutes demo showcasing the ways the dual sense functions, it instead transcends that to make a full game experience. It is about as long in length as a classic PS1 title, yet basks the player in new inventive ideas like adaptive triggers and audio/visual haptic feedback. It's a charming take on a freebie bundled in-game that manages to be a marriage of everything you could ask for. It has something new, something old, and something borrowed. From the rich futuristic features in the gamepad, to hundreds of references to characters and electronics that defined the previous four generations, to the classic try and true genre that kickstarted it all. A well-rounded and realized experience is here for all players who get this new console, utterly delightful in all of its ideas and implementations. This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

We hereby award: The Silver Seal of Merit

Reviewed on May 30, 2022


1 Comment


1 year ago

Astro's Playroom was such a delight and a fantastic pack-in game on the PS5. I really hope they take this concept and expand it in a sequel at some point.