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It can be difficult to buy players for players. Even if you know the type of games they usually play, there is no guarantee that they will like a specific title. But I have no qualms about recommending Astrobot to anyone on your list who has a PS5.
I don’t have much time to play, so I’m careful which ones I choose (I mostly play Engadget reviews), so when Jess called Astrobot “One of the best games Sony has ever created.” I thought it was a safe bet. That was an understatement on my part. It’s a delight: inventive but completely intuitive, adorable but not cheesy. You play as Astro, who is tasked with finding his robot friends on different fantasy planets. Some of those friends are dressed as characters from other video games. The novelty is not only gratifying for the players: in my house it also gave rise to debates about the history of video games. For example, my husband and son looked up ico after seeing robots dressed as the game’s two main characters.
The controller itself plays an important role, both in the display and in the new ways to use it. The gameplay is challenging, but easy enough to learn that my seven-year-old son has gotten pretty into it. In fact, that’s my only complaint. Among all the people in my house who want to play it, I rarely get the chance. But that only attests to the universal appeal: a great quality in any gift. —Amy Skorheim, reporter
