Over the past two years, the video game Astro Bot, by Japanese studio Team Asobi, has become a true gem of the PlayStation universe. The franchise began as a demonstration of the potential of PSVR technology through the title Astro Bot: Rescue Mission (2018), but the lovable robot Astro gained global popularity only in 2020, when Astro's Playroom arrived pre-installed on every PlayStation 5 console. This mini-title served as an homage to the history of PlayStation and at the same time as a demonstration of the new capabilities of the DualSense controller. It was just an introduction to what was to come.
The new Astro Bot, which was released in late 2024, represents a true adventure and the crowning achievement of the studio's work to date. The game was exclusively designed for PlayStation 5 and makes the most of all its technical advantages - from haptic feedback, to adaptive triggers, to 3D sound. With its humorous and playful approach, rich graphics and ingenious level design, the game quickly became one of the most complete experiences in the world of modern video games. Critics praised it for its "crazy" design solutions, as well as for its ability to create an emotional connection with players.
Astro Bot is not just a video game for children, although it is visually bright and colorful, its complexity, depth and referential humor make it equally attractive to older players. Each level is thematically different, designed with a lot of creativity and full of secret passages, mini-games and challenges. There are also homages to iconic PlayStation franchises, which further delights older fans. The player guides a cute robot through a variety of environments ranging from space stations to underwater worlds, using innovative mechanics of jumping, flying and interacting with the environment.
Unlike a number of other games that focus on hyper-realism and serious themes, Astro Bot is one of those games with no violence, no dark plots, just the pure joy of exploration and discovery.
Thanks to this approach, Astro Bot has outdone itself at almost every major awards ceremony in the past year. It all started at The Game Awards 2024, where it won four awards, including Game of the Year, and then followed that up with an impressive five at the DICE Awards in Las Vegas. In mid-April 2025, at the BAFTA Games Awards, the most prestigious British awards in the world of gaming, it won no fewer than five awards: for Best Game, Game Design, Animation, Audio Achievement and Family Game - making it the most awarded title of the evening.
Game director, Nikolas Douset, in an emotional acceptance speech, emphasized that they made the game "with a lot of love and dedication, without thinking about the prizes," in a desire to "make people's lives a little brighter." This approach has clearly paid off.
In addition to Astro Bot, other titles also had notable success at the BAFTAs, but to a lesser extent. Helldivers 2 won three awards, for best music, best British game and best multiplayer, while Still Wakes The Deep took home two awards for acting and one for new intellectual property. Indie hit Balatro won the award for best debut title. On the other hand, despite high expectations, Black Myth: Wukong did not win a single award, although it was nominated in as many as six categories, which proved to be the biggest disappointment of the evening in the eyes of many.
In a time when games are increasingly resorting to shocking narratives, violent plots, or overly monetized mechanics, Astro Bot is a reminder that it's still possible to create something pure, charming, and genuinely fun. And not only can it be created, but it can dominate the fastest-growing industry. In that sense, Astro is more than just a robot. He's now a symbol of a new generation of games.
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