Psychonauts

"Oh my god! Let's make out!"

Psychonauts is one of the best games to ever be made. It is a very rare beauty, a smart, funny platformer. The game follows a young psychic by the name of Rasputin (or ‘Raz') who has snuck away from his home to go to Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp. There he trains to be a Psychonaut, a psychic warrior that can enter the enemy's mind and drive them insane, or enter an ally's mind and help them confront personal demons. It is Raz's dream to become a Psychonaut, and after you play this game, it will be yours too.

Gameplay: 10
This game features some of the best controls ever in a platformer. The camera is controlled by the second analogue stick, and does not have any annoying ‘recommended angle'. There are 8 abilities you can get along your journey, ranging from standard like shooting and shielding, to some truly inventive ones, like clairvoyance, which lets you see from your enemy's eyes. 3 of these powers can be set to buttons, so you won't have to access the pause menu every time you want to switch. That can really save you if you're in an intense fight. Each level takes place in the mind of someone, and each represents who they are, their hopes, their dreams, and their demons. In a market where the ‘ice world, fire world, industrial world, forest world, etc.' thing has been done to death, Psychonauts gives us a breath of fresh air.

Sound: 9
Though not perfect, the sound in Psychonauts is memorable, and suits the theme of each mind very well. In most games, the sound is a blaring synthesizer, just begging for you to get tired with it, but it Psychonauts it is very subtle. In the first mind, the one of a military man, the music is a collection of snippets from war songs, tied together with a spooky ambient noise that makes you feel like you're in a war zone. The game's enemies all have unique sounds that they make, so you instantly know who's around you, even if you can't see them. The only platformer in my opinion to have better music is the famed Banjo-Kazooie. Yep, it's that good.

Plot/Writing: 10
There's a special reason I specified writing along with the plot. The plot of the game is just okay. It's strait forward, with some nice twists, but it's no Fire Emblem. The writing, on the other hand, is in a league of its own. Every character is funny and worth talking to, and the game has an excellent sense of humor. The title of this review is one of my favorite quotes from the game, but out of respect for you, I shall give no context, so you too can laugh until day's end. There are so many funny quotes from this game it could shame any Monty Python movie, and most episodes of The Simpsons. Even if everything else about the game sucked, it would still be worth getting just for this.

Graphics: 7
Meh. Not much to get excited about. It looks pretty, but it's not stunning. The graphics are good, and get the job done, but there's not really anything unique about them. They're not good, they're not bad, they're just meh.

Overall, this is one of the best games to ever be made. It didn't sell that well, and is now only available as a used game. Still, it's not too late to get a sequel. Buy it, love it, and tell Tim Schafer to make another. If you don't, I will burn you with my mind.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/12/07