When it comes to the platforming genre, Nintendo has always been the leader of the genre. Be it for Mario or Kirby, and the numerous other spinoffs, the Japanese gaming giant has always delivered a great experience. However, following the success of the beloved Astro Bot, former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé gave it high praise as a title that could beat Nintendo’s own.
Presenting at the New York Game Awards, Fils-Aimé joked that Astro Bot “almost outdid Nintendo at its own game.” The PlayStation platformer took home several awards, including Game of the Year, Best Music, and Best Kids’ Game, and it can now add the plaudits from Fils-Aimé to the list.
It makes perfect sense, as Astro Bot took plenty of inspiration from Nintendo’s 3D platformers, such as Super Mario Odyssey, before wrapping everything in a nostalgia-filled journey through the history of PlayStation. At The Game Awards 2024, game director Nicolas Doucet said as much.
“I remember I was a kid in 1989, Christmas, and I got a grey box, there was a game packed in, it was called Super Mario Bros. and it was really, really great – so we are in Japan, we are in Tokyo, they are in Kyoto, but I want to pay tribute to the company who really put like platformers and showed us innovation and quality consistently, and inspired us to actually make the game that we made… And I’ve managed not to mention them, have you noticed? But you all know who they are,” said Doucet.
Although Fils-Aimé’s comment may have been a lighthearted joke, many media outlets and gamers share the same sentiment. The hard work of Team Asobi and the trust Sony has placed in Astro Bot have indeed paid off handsomely. Should the developers and studio look at a sequel, they might just have what it takes to truly trump Nintendo in the genre.
