This game is just a massive bundle of joy. You can feel the devs' passion for this medium in every inch of it. It's a bite-sized collectathon with smooth controls and occasional vehicle sections to spice things up. All of the DualSense's features are put to good use here. Sections that use the adaptive triggers, motion controls, or touchpad control like a dream and don't feel gimmicky or obtrusive at all. The haptic feedback in particular feels like magic the first time you get your hands on it. The game is bursting with charm (Astro waving to you in his idle animation will never not warm my heart) and callbacks to other games or PlayStation hardware. It's an ad, sure, but it's done with enough reverence to not come off that way while playing. The soundtrack is a treat as well, with plenty of catchy tunes and others that make me feel all fuzzy inside. Astro's Playroom is one of those games that reminds me just how much I love gaming. If you have a PS5, make a beeline for this one.

Reviewed on Oct 20, 2021


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