Tim Schafer is pretty well known in the gaming community as he would end up being the creator of the well-loved, if initially financially failed upon release game, known as Psychonauts. The idea emerged from Schafer when working at Lucas Arts. Eventually, Schafer would go on to found his own company called Double Fine Productions; the rest is history. This game was released originally on the Original Xbox and later the PS2 in 2005. I was too young to play this game then, but my interest in it became more significant when I heard many people online call it impressive and one of the best 3D platformers ever made. The version we will be looking at is the ported PS4 version, and I have to say that I was impressed to find a video game that is full of personality and creativity despite some minimal flaws.
After escaping from the circus, Rasputin or Raz (Richard Horvitz) sneaks his way into a camp where they train kids to be psychonauts and can infiltrate people’s minds to do all sorts of physic stuff. However, Raz soon discovers that something is up as a secret plot involves a mad scientist taking the camper's brains out for unknown diabolical purposes. It's up to Raz to uncover the mystery by going into many minds of many spectators and helping with their traumas to hopefully get closer to what or who is causing the big mess.
The story is almost like the worlds of Tim Burton, and Invader Zim are merging together. The storytelling reflects that with its twisted sense of humor and over-the-top weird moments but done with enjoyable charcters and exciting traumatic subtexts. The player will meet some interesting characters with personal issues along the way. This game narrative stands out because you most likely won’t see this kind of humor and warped moments in most 3D platformers. Raz as a character is fascinating because he’s the only one to feel level-headed compared to the other weird campers. However, he still has enough of an edge to make him more than just stereotypically friendly. Raz is played by Richard Horvitz, who is best known for playing Zim on Invader Zim, and he clearly proves that he's capable of playing soft-spoken characters and ones with more prominent-than-life personalities. The rest of the characters are fun to see, with standouts such as old mentor Ford Cruller, Raz’s girlfriend Lilly, and that crazy milkman with unusual objectives. The game’s writing does its most challenging job to leave an impact on the gamer, and it manages to do all previously said and then some.
The gameplay plays just like any average 3D platformer with a few twists. Raz starts out with the little but practical abilities he picked up when in the circus, but as the game continues, Raz will learn special mental powerups that will help him solve puzzles, defeat enemies in combat and get across tricky platforming. These powerups include telekinesis, levitation, and even invisibility. The player will come across many different collectibles in the real-world summer camp and inside the characters' minds that Raz encounters. In the camp, there will be many collectibles such as Psi ranks and arrowheads, which can be used to buy things or traded to unlock special rewards. In the subconscious mind’s of certain characters, there are many things to collect and complete, such as finding figments of imagination or returning bag tags to literal emotional baggage. The style of gameplay in the subconscious minds is way different from the one in the camp as each mind Raz visits will require a different kind of gameplay which breaks up the usual status quo and creates excellent variety, so the player does not get bored. One moment you’ll be shrunk into a game board, and the next, you’ll be a giant stomping through a land full of fish people. Like the storytelling, the gameplay is endlessly creative with its many uses of how this game can be played, but those aspects are just the beginning when looking at the graphics.
The graphics are PS2-era graphics that may not look as polished as today's modern games. Still, the creativity of the character designs and the environments more than makeup for the limited technology the creators had back then. Like the game’s tone, the graphics look like a mesh of styles from Tim Burton and Invader Zim. The character designs look weird, making them even more intriguing because they feel unique to any other cartoony-looking game that may have come out the same year. The game also has a dark sense of humor as some twisted visual momments are repulsive but in a fun and entertaining way that is just endlessly enjoyable. The campgrounds are seemingly nostalgically crafted, but the real showstopper is seeing the visual styles inside the minds that Raz visits. Each world is designed with the character's traumas in mind, and the creators did not hold back in making each mind feel warped and unique from the other. The level design is much more unpredictable and expertly crafted to make for an unforgettable experience that will stay on your mind long after you play the game. The only complaint I would give to the graphics is that the cutscenes are blurry and choppy, but that is somewhat excusable, as this version of the game is a port.
The Music is interesting because it is done by the same person who had a hand in scoring the music for the Sly Cooper Games, Thrillville, and Lego Indiana Jones, Peter McConnell. McConnell’s score brings on the weirdness and is just as warped and over the top as everything else in this game.
Creator Tim Schafer and a dedicated team of artists and animators all came together to create a piece of work that is diverse from anything gamers have ever experienced. What transpires is a game that, while not all the way perfect, is true artistry at its finest and takes advantage of its premise in all the best ways possible. When the game came out, it wasn’t met with the same love and attention as it gets today. Today this game is considered a cult classic and for great reasons because even I enjoyed the weirdness and creative designs that this game had to offer. This game would get so much love that there would be a sequel almost a decade and a half later on modern platformers. Regardless of how that turns out, I can leave this review saying that Psychonauhts is absolutely worth playing for gamers looking for a weird but super fun trip into worlds unknown.
(Final Grade: A-)