I'm sure you've all heard of Psychonauts, a game released in 2005 for the Xbox, PS2, and PC. I want to start off by saying that if you haven't already, BUY THIS GAME. It's a crime that this game has only sold about 100,000 copies (according to Wikipedia). The original setting and mission context is worth much more attention than that.

In Psychonauts you play as a runaway child named Rasputin (nicknamed “Raz”), a former circus performer who was born with psychic powers. His parents punished him for using his powers, so he ran away from the circus (notice the irony?). He runs away to a summer camp called Whispering Rock, a secret government facility used to train “Psychonauts” (people gifted with psychic powers, like Raz). As much as I want to tell the whole story, I'll leave it to you to play the game and experience it for yourself.

Psychonauts is a true puzzle platformer with very few twists on the formula. One very important twist, however, are the game's missions and setting. Most of the missions consist of entering the minds of NPC's to sort out their mental problems. You have to do this so that they will help you progress through the game. Each character's mind has a different theme and a different style. Psychonauts's basic gameplay is pretty good, but the powers make it way better. Throughout the whole game you are constantly using each of your powers: none of them are left untouched for long. Raz's powers are clairvoyance (which lets you see through other characters' eyes), telekinesis, pyrokinesis, invisibility, levitation, shield, and marksmanship (a projectile-like blast of energy). My favorite power by far is clairvoyance. When I used it on the mission “The Milkman Conspiracy” I laughed my ass off. The little girls you use it on see you as a milk bandit, stealing their milk. The lack of innovation in the basic gameplay and the sub-par platforming keep this game from perfection.

Despite the gameplay shortcomings, the story and characters more than make up for it. There are 8 main characters: Raz, Dogen, Lili, Bobby Zilch, Agent Nien, Agent Vodello, and Coach Oleander. Lili has been going to Whispering Rock Training Academy for a few years, she has passed every exam and is convinced that nothing new ever happens at camp, her power is telekinesis. Dogen (my favorite character) is frickin' crazy. His power is exploding animals and people's heads, he also hears voices in his head. Agent Nien is a world famous super agent who is extremely organized, which is why his brain is portrayed as a cube when you enter it. Agent Vodello is a master of levitation and is also pretty funny. On one part you enter her mind and it's just a big disco party. Last but not least Coach Oleander. I don't know what to say about him except that he is a major asshole. When you enter his mind all he does is insult you! The first thing he said was, “My bowels move more than you cadet!”. Each character has at least one unforgettable line.

At first I thought that the controls would be bad for the PS2 but they were actually very good. Switching between powers was a breeze and the platforming was painless. This game is great for either system, the only real difference is the graphics (higher framerate on the Xbox version). I highly recommend Psychonauts to any gamer who is interested in platformers, interesting characters, or humorous writing in their games. You can buy it at most videogame retailers for PS2 or Xbox for 5 bucks nowadays. It's also available as an Xbox Original on the Xbox 360 marketplace for $15.
Rating: 7.75/10