Psychonauts -PS2

Mind if I summarise?

So what have we got for Psychonauts then? A big thumbs up or a nasty migraine and a lie down in a dark room?

Well taken as a pure platform game, Psychonauts does absolutely nothing different from any other run and jump game on the market. The controls are crisp and precise and the camera is never a problem but the gameplay is lacking in any originality… But this isn’t just a pure platformer, so we need to look again.

To start of with, you’ve got the environments you’re running around in which can only be described as ‘weird as hell and then some’. Given the free reign tat having a mind as a setting gives you, the designers have had a field day bringing completely unique and utterly abstract creations to our screens. The fifties style suburbia turned warped fun house level sticks with me the most.

There’s a slight dark humour running through the whole game that is underlined by the dialogue between characters that seems to just carry n whether you’re there or not, but it has to be said that some of the unskippable cutscenes can be a tad overlong, even though they’re funny to watch. The storyline is as contrived as you’ll ever find in any game, but actually suits the game style and presentation to a tee, giving a rounded and entertaining game. If you like your platformers off the wall with a darkly comic twist, then Psychonauts is most certainly one to bend your mind to.

Pros
Unique graphical style
Genuinely funny dialogue
Engaging and original levels
Original psychic power gameplay

Cons
Some overlong cutscenes
Simplistic puzzles

Psychonauts: a mind-bogglingly good platformer with bags of originality.

HEXUS Awards

Psychonauts – PS2

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