Astro Bot Rescue Mission

[DANGERMAN]

I'm surprised there isn't a thread for this as I think a few people here have played it. I'm not too far in, a couple of levels in to World 2. I get the feeling I'm going to undersell this when I describe it

 

Astro Bot is a pretty standard 3D platformer, only in VR and the VR is kind of key to it. You exist within the world, it's never really explained but I guess you're a head (I think you might be another Playroom robot, which is what gets destroyed at the start), anyway, you have a physical presence in the world and are dragged along behind Astro Bot, who you control with the controller. He has attacks, he can jump, fairly standard stuff.

 

The levels are built in such a way that you're generally heading away from the screen, however the route to get there isn't that simple. Astro Bot will have to go around blind corners, you as a floating head, can lean and turn your real head so that you can look around the corner. This is important for finding the collectable robots, they'll quite often need you to turn and look behind you.

 

It doesn't sound like much but it's a good use of the VR, particularly as it gets you to use the controller as an item within the game, to fire hookshots or a water cannon. My only gripe so far is that I don't really want the levels locked behind finding the little robots, it's not been an issue so far, but the ones I've missed I haven't seen, it's not like I need to just take another stab at working out how to get to them. The only other thing, the first time I played it I felt ill because the world moves, I've been fine since but it's meant I've only been doing a couple of levels at a time

[Sly Reflex]

I didn't like how you had to headbutt the wasps or whatever they were'. I like the idea of looking around but having to jerk forwards like that is very jarring.

 

I'd really like to play more, but dat VR cost. No thanks.

[DANGERMAN]

I'm not sure how well this will play but I captured a video. You're missing a decent amount off the top and bottom of the screen than I could see in VR, basically you can't see the controller

 

The level before this was really cool, it was an underwater level and probably made better use of the VR, but I had my capture settings set to 3 minutes for some reason. Things to look out for, you don't quite get the same effect, but with the headphones in you get a good sense of where things are based on sound, so the little robots chirping away, I knew roughly where they were, or at least that they were around. Like I said, you can't see the controller, but that's where the little robots go, plus it does a few other things but not so much in this level

 

 

 

[spatular]

yeah i played this! it's good fun. like DANGERMAN says it's mostly standard platforming stuff, but it's well done and there's some cool VR stuff in there too with the pad water gun and stuff like that. i thought the bosses were generally really good too. i finished it but didn't get all the robots, and only did a few challenge levels. it's much improved over the original for sickness too, or i'm just better at coping with it now, it still makes me feel a little sick though so could only play it for 30 to 40 mins at a time.

[DANGERMAN]

I'm not too far from the end now I think, I'm in World 5, I'm assuming that's the last one bar a final boss? The levels have all of a sudden got a lot longer too, which is kind of interesting, so far levels have been fairly short, which I took to be a limitation of the hardware and not wanting to drop people in to a long level in VR.

 

It's a very inventive game, they're using the tech well, including the controller, and building levels, and sometimes small incidental puzzles, around that. I've had a few moments of frustration, the depth isn't always clear, the control can sometimes feel a little random, as though it's correcting because they know there's an issue. It's mostly fine and enemies are simple to deal with, but there are times Astro Bot will throw a punch the wrong direction or get stuck on a wall rather than dodge which leads to him taking a spike in the face.

 

The boss battles have been great, again, they feel a bit like a proof of concept, but they're generally fun and have a bit of character

[DANGERMAN]

went back on for a little bit and now I'm up to the final showdown, I'm going to save that for tomorrow though in case there's more to it than just a boss. I've managed to get all the robots and all the chameleons on a couple of worlds so I might actually go back and collect them all. I've not looked at the challenges yet, I'm not sure I want to do them, but it is a way to wring a bit more out of the game

 

I've just done the penultimate boss

Spoiler

the shark fight. Fucking hell that's a bit full on. The final part of it made me laugh, I was disappointed the trophy wasn't aptly named though

 

[Maf]

All right, so VR might be the wave

 

I played through the first world and honestly blown away. I don’t really have anything specifically new to say, because what I just tried and experienced probably everyone who is into VR has, but for me it is the first time I have experienced it so I am blown away. I was not ready for how theme park like a VR game can be. I was not ready for how excited a video game could make me. That was incredible. What a child like delight that in 25 years of gaming I never really seen anything like it ever. 

 

Not only just the experience of VR but the game is fun, too. Yes a huge part of it is novelty, but it’s genuinely fun to play. The momentum to run around, the punching and the jumping, it provides great feed back and even for my first real VR game I got it immediately. 

 

There are a handful of things I did find difficult. Most of which had to do with the grapple/rope firing. Not only is it it somewhat difficult to aim but also it took me a minute to realise why it wasn’t working was because I wasn’t close enough. That leads into problem no.2 where you have to move around to get closer and see around things. From a gameplay perspective I love it. It’s fascinating, brand new, I’m thinking about the level in a way no game has ever made me think about a level before. But from the reality side of it I’m in my front room with a very expensive TV in front of me, wires on the floor, things surrounding me. It’s the equivalent to fumbling around in the dark. I worry about the safety of my stuff but also it’s taking me out of the experience because I’m trying to focus all my awareness on my surroundings I can’t see. It’s a level of consciousness that is completely antithetical to the idea of immersion. 

 

To be clear, it’s not that I don’t want it or like from a gameplay point of view, but there’s a reality to it that’s hard to reconcile.

 

Also my back is shit all this stretching is kind of tough.

 

The closest game I can really equate it too is Super Mario 3D Land. Because that has similar ideas around perspective and how to play with them. Even just jumping from platform to platform, the introduction of that new axis in both 3D Land and Astrobot makes the movement and how you manipulate the characters feel very similar. You know traditionally in 3D Platformers your cross hair for where you will Land is the shadow of the character, it’s a great way of aiming where you will end up. But in VR you can use everything. And sometimes the scope of the land mass and the size of objects can make it both easier and harder to jump, which is fascinating in itself.

 

But even though there are some similarities with 3D Land it’s just no way near on this level. I think there would be an easy argument to make that 3D Land is a better game, but it doesn’t have this novelty, fun factor, newness, and my very key context of never experiencing VR before, wow. 

 

The only other ther critism I will throw in is the graphical fidelity. I’ve heard this a lot before so nothing new but I just wish it was in a higher resolution. Honestly at first I thought the lenses were smudged or dusty because I haven’t used my headset since Christmas and I got a duster and gave them the once over. But no it just looks like that. Which is a shame for a game that is so vibrant and full of carton joy. 

 

Also the guy fucking waves at you. I couldn’t help it. I saw him looking at me when He was running along a beam and he waved. I thought it was fun and I waved back. And then he waved back again! And I don’t know if I’m an idiot or this has some dark voodoo going on but it fucking waves back when you wave at it. Just wow.

 

This is absolutely my favourite PS4 game of the generation. I’m am absolutely bowled over by it. And feel free to be like “We told you so” or whatever, I’m happy that it is this good. Now I’m going to browse the VR section of the PS store and see what other crazy shit I’ve been missing out on. 

 

Short version: Woooooooooooooooooooow

[spatular]

34 minutes ago, Maf said:

Now I’m going to browse the VR section of the PS store and see what other crazy shit I’ve been missing out on.

 

get beat saber! 

[Maf]

I checked but it looks like that is Move required? I don’t have any Move Controllers. I was looking at ZoE as it’s on sale but the reviews say it’s very disorienting.

 

I just did world 2 and found one thing I really didn’t like and a lot of stuff that just amazed me all over again. The thing I hated was there is a bee enemy and it just flies at you visor the whole time and cracks the camera you’re looking through. You’re supposed to headbutt it when it’s not attac’ing but no matter what K tried I just couldn’t get close enough to do it so instead I gave up and just played it with the screen cracking and fixing ever few seconds until the bee went away. I really just could not figure out how it wanted me to do it and that wasn’t fun.

 

But then it gave fire hose weapon Mario Sunshine style which honestly is more fun than any gun I can remember shooting in a game. Then there was a beach level where I went underwater and just that alone was so exciting. I know it’s not happening, but it really feels like it’s happening and it was just super cool. Than the game did just about the most adorable thing. When I was underwater Astrobot swam up to the screen to grab coins and follow a path back down. And he lands right on your face and it’s the cutest fucking thing! I just didn’t think about it at all until it happened and I was like oh, shit. 

 

Then, fuck. There was a mine cart level and I know I say this about everything but immediately I was like “Sonic VR!” I don’t care if it’s really light on inputs and automatic I want a fucking Sonic the Hedgehog Generations game where you get to see Classic Sonic just propel himself through these levels and you just jump, slide, spin and control What rail he is on and stuff. 5 levels £15. I would play buy and play that, that would be rad.

 

But anyway, yeah, Astrobot continues to be the shit  

[spatular]

Oh yeah beat saber does require moves, oh well if you get moves get beat saber!

[Maf]

I finally finished Astro Bot and that game is awesome. I sort of want to say it’s one of my favourite games of the generation, but I also think saying that is letting the game get away with murder. Because if you stripped the VR out the game is just a very simplistic, 2 button, 3D platformer and to compare it against nearly any other 3D platformer this game would get worked. But then add the VR back in to the equation and what it does for the game is elevate it so wildly. The game part though, to be objective and reductive about it, is not special on it’s own at all.

 

I don’t know. It’s in a weird position in that way but I absolutely loved it. I’m not quite done with it yet, I need to go back in and get the Platinum, but I finished the main story mode today and it was brilliant. Best game or no it is an exceptional experience. 

[Maf]

I’ve now collected all robots and chameleons from every level and have moved on to the challenge belt. I don’t know why but I thought these would be extra, full levels that are just harder. Instead they are what they sound like which is bite sized challenges like time attack levels or no damage levels. 
 

There was one time attack level centred around the grappling hook and it was really frustrating because sometimes I would attach the rope to something, pull the controller back, and no matter how far I pulled the controller away from the screen the object wouldn’t break. Turns out I’m a fucking moron and you’re not even supposed to do it like that. You slide your thumb up the touch pad to shoot the rope, and you slide down on the touch pad to retract it. Not yank the controller back like I have been doing the entire game. 
 

The big question is how I got it to work like that in the beginning. I am very stupid.

 

Lastly I was looking at the trophy list to see what was left and there’s one for getting every capsule out of the crane game. When I looked at the guide on how to do it the guide said it would take a minimum of a 108,000 coins....

 

Muthafucka

 

After finishing the game I had 15,000!

 

It also said that the best au to grind for coins is to watch the credits over and over and shoot the names with the gun.

 

Muthafucka. 
 

I will have to see how many coins can be collected in one run of the credits but even if it’s a 1000 coins it would mean having to watch the credits 108 times. This might be the thing that stops me from getting the Platinum and it’s a shame because I love this game so much I would love to have the trophy for it.

[Maf]

100% completed and Platinum’d the game. Loved it.

 

Loved it loved it loved it loved it

 

I know I keep saying it but this is just one of the most fantastic video games I’ve ever played. Great levels, incredible boss battles, delivers sensations like no game I’ve played before. My favourite part about the whole game is when it submerses under water. As you are the camera and it’s taking you under you know that you are not going underwater but that moment where you go under is like holy shit. I don’t think I’ve ever played a game that comes as close to approximating the “kid at the theme park” experience like this does, now I want more of that but one that’s at a water world style theme park. So. Much. Fun. 
 

Also Astrobot swims up and then can land on your face like this

 

 

And it’s adorable! 
 

I really, really hope Sony continue to support VR and do a sequel to this game. It is easily one of my favourites ever. 
 

Also someone needs to make a Sonic VR game. There is a rollercoaster section in one of the levels in this game that proves it works. If Sega ever got their act together and made a Sonic Generations style VR game...I’m drooling thinking about it.

 

Anyway this game so fucking good!