Psychonauts

"What a game should be"

Psychonauts delivers exactly what it promises: a psychic odyssey through the minds of misfits, monsters, and madmen. Tim Schafer, Psychonauts creative director, is known for kooky and bizarre, yet incredibly unique titles, and this is the first Schafer title I've actually played, but I must say that it's an example of how fresh, unique, and truly fun games should be made.

Graphics: 8/10 While the graphics in Psychonauts may not be as high-res as, say, Halo2, they have their own incredibly unique, charming, and bizarre look to them that sells the whole world that the game takes place in. Each level, weather in the real world or the world of the minds is incredibly distinctive and engaging, and so full of little visual jokes you only spot if you pay attention that it's hard to do a better job, graphics wise.

Sound: 8/10 Nothing incredibly mindblowing. The sound gets the job done with inspired yet sometimes annoying music. The voice acting, however, is hilarious and the professionals that voice the characters give each one such life and vibrancy you WILL laugh at the jokes.

Controls: 7/10 The controls are overall very tight, except for some issues with aiming and controlling your Levitation ball. Mostly, it's just that some feats in-game require an annoying precision timing that's hard to master and can become aggravating when precision in needed to get where you're going without killing yourself.

Story: 9/10 The story in Psychonauts is so funny, so bat-crap insane and so well imagined it's like it was taken from an animated movie. It starts as a young boy named Rasputin escapes his repressive father and life in a traveling circus to break into a summer camp which is actually a government operated training center for kids with mental abilities who are being trained by special counselors to become psychic secret agents (Psychonauts). Raz is uninvited, but shows such promise that one counselor convinces the other two to let him stay, and soon Raz becomes aware of a vile conspiracy that threatens not only the campers but global security as well. Needless to say, Raz has to dive into the minds of some fairly dysfunctional individuals to uncover the truth, and hilarity and fun gameplay ensue. The only problem is parts of the game happen in a non-liniar format, and occasionally the story parts don't quite fit together. It's excusable, though, because it's never distracting or all that confusing, and you probably won't notice it.

Gameplay: 9/10 While there are some frustrating times where you may have trouble figuring out how to complete an objective or navigate a piece of the environment, the range of activities, puzzles, and gameplay is so fun and varied you won't notice. Each character has at least one glaring psychological problem, and going into their minds, meeting the personifications of their dementia, and curing their illness is genuinely compelling and you'll always be interested in what will happen next. For instance, you meet a cold, aloof and sterile government agent who has a mind like a big white Rubix cube, and if you search around for figments of his imagination and his old memories, you'll discover he suffered a terrible loss at a very young age which turned him into the cold fish he is today. Not all of the game is fun or funny, and one of Psychonauts' greatest strengths is the occasional moments that it does something unexpectedly serious. Design wise, it's genius.

Overall: 9/10 I recommend buying this game. The variety of mental powers you can use, fun levels you'll venture through, and overall coolness of the experience is not to be missed. I've barely scratched the surface of the game here, so go out and experience it for yourself, you'll see what I mean.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/05/05