Astro Bot Rescue Mission (2018), the VR platformer that’s still wowing PSVR users well after its October 2nd launch, took home the title of ‘Best VR/AR Game’ at last night’s Game Awards.
The category specified that the winner would be crowned this year’s “best game experience playable in virtual or augmented reality, irrespective of platform.” Other games competing in the category were Beat Saber, Firewall Zero Hour, Moss, and Tetris Effect.
Developed by Sony Interactive entertainment’s JAPAN Studio, Astro Bot is essentially a full length spin-off of a mini-game called ‘Robots Rescue’ that was part of The Playroom VR, a free collection of co-op mini-games bundled with PSVR.
The charming, well-realized platformer puts you in control of a robot named Astro, tasking you both with collecting his missing buddies with the help of an ever-growing array of unique tools that pop out of your DualShock 4 controller.
In our review, Road to VR Executive Editor Ben Lang called Astro Bot a “superb game; the promising result of tasking a group of clearly talented game designers and developers with building a game around a brand new medium like VR.”
Continuing:
The game expertly executes every idea it brings to the table. There’s charm throughout, derived from excellent animation, art direction, FX and SFX, right down to the interactive credits sequence. Astro Bot Rescue Mission claims our first 10 out of 10 because it’s full of smart VR game design, and plays to the platform’s strengths while avoiding its weaknesses. In addition to having the right amount of content to leave the player with a truly satisfying experience, it’s hard to imagine many ways in which the game could have been better made.
Check out our in-depth review of Astro Bot to see why we gave it our first [10/10] rating.