Psychonauts
Psychonauts is one of my favorite games. Produced by Double Fine Productions, lead by the adventure game visionary Tim Schafer, creator of such games as Grim Fandango and The Secret of Monkey Island. Psychonauts follow the adventures of Razputin, an aspiring psychic at the Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp. Most of the main levels take place in the minds of others, so they reflect the “true inner being” of the person you are psychonauting in. In Shafer's offbeat style, the entire game is very unique, fun, and worth your time.
Gameplay
Psychonauts is a 3D platformer for PC, Xbox, and PS2. It is also available on the Xbox Live Marketplace as an “Xbox Original.” It consists of jumping about, as most platformers do, and playing with Raz's psychic powers. The platforming manages to be unique and entertaining, while still being familiar. The controls on PC are definitely flawed, as keyboards are definitely not the most ideal control method for a platformer game. They still managed to adapt it fairly well, and has support for gamepads. Raz gains new psychic powers throughout the game, from telekineses, to invisibility, to clairvoyance, and the ability to set things alight with his mind. These are often incorporated in puzzles scattered about the game. Each level creates a unique art style and gameplay mechanic, such as a level where you play a gigantic monster from a corny Japanese monster movie, or you shrink down to manipulate pieces on a board game. My favorite level was definitely the Milkman Conspiracy. It is a combination of Dr. Seuss and offbeat noir humor. There are some issues with uneven difficulty, as well as minor problems with the collision detection, the combat can be spotty in places, but all in all, the game is amazing despite some technical problems, especially on PC.
Sound
The sound in this game is pretty nice. The orchestral score is quite unique, memorable, and fits each level perfectly. The little quips spouted by the characters in an attempt to be humorous sometimes fall flat, but some are quite funny, and I frequently fell into fits of laughter, often causing a death in-game. The sound effects during combat can get a bit annoying with Raz constantly shouting and grunting, as there are about 4 samples during combat, but luckily, combat is rather infrequent.
Graphics
Being an early 2005 game, the graphics are rather par for the era. I encountered a couple glitches of jaggies and broken textures, but perhaps that was just my download from Steam. Overall, the unique art style of each level is memorable and outstanding in my mind. They may not be technically amazing, but artistically, the game is beautiful and amazing.
Replayability
This is one of the few platformers I go back to play regularly. There are numerous collectables to find, from Figments of the imagination, emotional baggage, mental cobwebs, and the like. The game is unique enough that playing through, even when you know the plot, is always enjoyable. You can enjoy several playthroughs. Replayability is not an issue.
Value
Being cheapest in “new” form on XBLM for 1200 Microsoft Points ($15), and $20 on Steam, Psychonauts is a wonderful use of your space bucks. For the 15 or so hours you will invest in the game, the money is well worth it. The experience of playing through the game is totally worth the money by itself. The uniqueness of the game makes it stand out, and be of quite a high value.
Overall, Psychonauts is better than the sum of its parts. Reviewing part by part, the game doesn't seem like this would be a very good game. The experience of playing through the game, with the unique art, unique story, and unique writing, the game is a wonderful game, by a wonderful producer. I whole heartedly recommend you go purchase this game, especially because it is so cheap on the used market.