It's easy to forget that gaming has a vast library. It's a hit-driven industry, and gamers have short-term memory. Once we finish the latest and greatest, we look forward to the next big thing. When you live from release to release like that, it's easy to criticize the industry for being too uniform, too safe, and too conservative. Genres have condensed, others have evaporated, and it just feels like we're playing the same damn thing over and over. But when you dig into gaming's enormous library, you can dig up an absolute gem that feels fresher and more innovative than any game that's come out in years.
From the excellent minds at Double Fine, Psychonauts is a platforming adventure for the PS2, Xbox, and PC. You play as Raz, a boy who goes to psychic summer camp in order to become a Psychonaut—a kind of psychic secret agent.
I confess, the art style turned me off at first, but it definitely grew on me. Perhaps being inundated by bald space marines, colorless military grunts, and Japanesy anime characters has left me more receptive to anything that doesn't resemble the aforementioned styles. The art is charming, unique, and completely appropriate.
Psychonauts successfully merges the gameplay with narrative. The level design is artistically and mechanically demented. Rooms turn topsy-turvy, disorienting your perspective, and provides unique navigational challenges. New abilities are gained under the guise of "Merit Badges," tying into the game's setting of summer camp. Each stage is trip through a different character's mind, and gives the designers an excuse to throw you through a variety of gameplay types, from light puzzle solving to straight-up combat. Rest assured, all your psychic powers will come handy at some point, whether to solve a puzzle or defeat a boss, the game doesn't leave any power unused.
Platformers are fundamentally about collecting stuff, and Psychonauts doesn't lack in that department. Each stage is filled with collectibles that help raise your rank (the max rank is 100). Advancing in rank grants new abilities and upgrades existing powers. Trying to nab every last figment will test your ingenuity and willingness to explore the levels.
The game is rife with unusual characters, accented voices, and clever lines. The story's an enjoyable romp that feels like an animated movie or Saturday morning cartoon, but it’s punchy and clever. The main adventure lasts about ten hours, but you can tack on a few more extra if you're a completionist.
If you’re a fan of fun, clever, and devilish platformers, you owe it to yourself to play Psychonauts. You won't be disappointed.
