The little bot that could…did. Astro Bot has won Destructoid’s Overall Game of the Year award for 2024, and as someone who has 100%-ed the game, I get it.
Astro Bot has had a contentious awards run, culminating in multiple overall GOTY wins, including the recent TGA ceremonies. While it’s easy to write off an unassuming platformer, anyone who has played it understands, at the very least, why it was nominated.
Astro Bot is what I like to call a “clean” platformer. It’s easy to pick up and play and doesn’t inundate you with menus, distractions, and nonsense. You grab the controller, move your avatar around, and…navigate platforms. It’s that simple, but developer Team Asobi managed to keep things fresh constantly while providing a visual feast brimming with personality.
As a close observer of Astro Bot since the mascot debuted in 2013’s Playroom, he has earned his keep. He caught the eye of the general public in 2020 with Astro’s Playroom, a smaller game cleverly bundled with every PS5. It took Team Asobi four years to deliver a fully-fledged retail game, but they made it happen!
How does Astro Bot stack up to previous Game of the Year winners?
If you want some data, this is one of the few raw platformers that has won Destructoid’s Overall Game of the Year since the site’s inception. Several action-adventure titles with platforming elements have won the big prize, but Super Mario Galaxy (2010) is the sole direct analog to Astro Bot.
This is Team Asobi’s first win at Destructoid and Sony’s fifth win as a publisher (after Uncharted 2, The Last of Us, Bloodborne, and 2018’s God of War). Sony rules the roost with those five wins, with Nintendo in second place with four overall trophies (Mario Galaxy 2, Bayonetta 2, Breath of the Wild, and Tears of the Kingdom).
What will 2025 bring? Well, hopefully, good things for the industry after this ruinous run of 2024 that has impacted countless jobs and studios.
Destructoid’s previous Game of the Year winners:
2023 – The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
2022 – Elden Ring
2021 – Chicory: A Colorful Tale
2020 – Hades
2019 – The Outer Worlds
2018 – God of War
2017 – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
2016 – Overwatch
2015 – Bloodborne
2014 – Bayonetta 2
2013 – The Last of Us
2012 – Telltale’s The Walking Dead
2011 – Portal 2
2010 – Super Mario Galaxy 2
2009 – Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
2008 – Left 4 Dead
2007 – BioShock
Published: Dec 20, 2024 02:00 pm