Deformed, surreal, and mind-bendingly bonkers. And that's just the reviewer…
Psychonauts is an odd one. In fact, 'odd' doesn't even cover it. Part platformer and part graphic adventure, it plays like the illegitimate lovechild of Rayman and old 3D PC puzzler Grim Fandango, with a look lifted straight from the subconscious of Salvador Dali. Odd most certainly isn't the word; try insane. To be honest, we've not seen a game like this in...well, we're not sure we've ever come across a release quite like Psychonauts. It's acutely abstract, but also imaginative, mature and a creative benchmark for the entire games industry. For that reason alone it's worthy of mainstream attention - especially in the current release-lite gaming climate.
Sadly, that's probably the one thing it won't get. Despite enormous critical acclaim from all corners of the gaming globe, the popular trend is for idiosyncratic titles such as Psychonauts to slip into obscurity. This is by no means your Generic Urban Street City Shooter 37, and that may damage what is one of the freshest concepts of recent years - but we say it shouldn't. Bizarre as Double Fine's game is, choose to overlook this character-filled, mind-bending masterpiece and it'll be you that needs your head checking.
Acutely abstract, but also imaginative, mature and a creative benchmark for the entire games industry.
Okay, so it's not the slickest looker on the block. Psychonauts is light on realism and heavy on playschool imagery. Its short, stumpy characters with disproportionately large heads populate a rainbow-bright realm, and frequently delve into the downright weirdness of other's inner psyches, where things get truly surreal. Far from childlike though, Psychonauts' angular, colourful scrawl proves the perfect depiction for its compelling platform play - wrapped in some decidedly witty scripting that makes it an experience to savour.
Of course, to those who've heard of its creator, none of this will come as a surprise. Already boasting the aforementioned Grim Fandango on his CV as well as legendary point 'n clickers Full Throttle and Day of the Tentacle, Tim Schafer has again maintained his immeasurable contribution to interactive entertainment with another flat-out bonkers tale to have you in stitches at every turn.
The player character in Schafer's latest laugh-a-minute outing is Rasputin (or Raz to his friends), a psychically gifted, goggle-wearing half-pint who sneaks into Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp at the start of the game, intent on becoming a fully-fledged member of the world's premier mental-powered mindguards, the titular Psychonauts. However, Raz has just a day until his dad arrives to retrieve the runaway rascal, and all is not well at Whispering Rock. As he hurriedly endeavours to earn his psychic badges Raz soon discovers a conspiracy to steal his fellow camper's minds, leaving them empty, TV-gorking shells of their former selves.
In his quest to safeguard his new friend's psyches, Raz must explore the entire camp and even delve into his classmate's minds; tasked with running, punching, swinging and double-jumping through a diverse ensemble of ingeniously designed platform perils, and facing a taxing set of puzzles rooted firmly in the psychology of each memorable character.
Basic Braining
For instance, the first proper mission, 'Basic Braining', happens in the mind of the drill-sergeant-styled Coach Oleander, and in one section lets you lead a projection of your dumpy buddy Dogan to safety through a mental minefield that reflects the Coach's battle-ridden past. Later in the game, in the best tradition of the graphic adventure, you'll be using inventory items to solve puzzles around the camp, and even undertaking tasks in character's minds as bizarre as battling a stampeding cartoon bull.
Complementing the game's platforming prowess are Raz's psychic powers themselves. Learned over the course of the game, all levels in the physical and mental realms offer abundant options for abilities like pyrokinesis, telekinesis, levitation and even invisibility. These allow you to solve all manner of puzzles that you couldn't with Raz's purely physical skills; setting wooden planks on fire, lifting heavy objects with your mind, wandering right past the game's (admittedly not-so-bright) array of bad guys, and finding the harder-to-reach collectables - of which there are three types, and hundreds in total. Psychonauts is definitely a game with a lot going for it, and one that completists will indulge in for hours longer than the main story - itself weighing in at a pleasingly lengthy 12 to 15 hours.
If right about now Psychonauts seems like just another pleasant platforming experience, that's completely ignoring the game's defining feature; its sheer, unremitting charm. Yes, it has your usual conventions - from Sonic's rail grinding to Rayman's gliding - and a large amount of boss battles, puzzle solving and off-the-wall minigames, but it's also so much more. An affecting audiovisual experience, its music, dialogue and visuals combine for a hilariously engrossing experience unlike anything the platform genre has ever produced.
It seems a crying shame, then, that such a genuinely innovative and entertaining title may fall by the wayside when faced with competition from better-recognised (and distinctly more soulless) gaming heavyweights. All we can do is celebrate Schafer and co.'s commendable vision, and implore you to do the same. Psychonauts shows how giddily gleeful gaming can be; it's a celebration of supreme silliness, and a brain-bogglingly delightful adventure every psychic step of the way.
You'd be mental to miss it.
GAME's Verdict
- Hilariously scripted, affectingly acted and lovingly crafted.
- An awesome array of abilities, taxing puzzles and enjoyable exploration.
- 12-15 hours of ingeniously designed pure platforming joy.
- Acutely abstract visuals and choppy framerate.
- Typically obstinate 3D camera.
- Will be unjustly passed over as a kids game by many.
Review by: Mark Scott
Version Tested: Xbox
Review Published: 02.02.06