It took me 16 years to play Psychonauts

For some reason there’s particular games that come along that I intend to play, but I end up putting off for a long time. The Tim Burton-esque Psychonauts is one of these games, and it actually took me 16 years to play it, having missed it during its original 2005 release on Xbox, PS2 and PC. With the sequel very recently released, I thought now would be a very good time to play the original game for the very first time.

I knew that Psychonauts was bizarre and I also understood that the game had quite the reputation for being very good at what it does, and now I can actually say that I’ve played it. With all of that said, I can also understand its appeal as well as to why it gained the following that it did over the years.

Psychonauts is a platforming game from the creative team that is Double Fine productions, and was the developer’s very first game, and many consider it to be one of their finest creations. In spite of all of this, Psychonauts suffered both a troubled development as well as disappointing sales upon its release, leading to publisher Majesco’s exit from the games industry. Luckily, the game fared better when Double Fine regained the rights to it, allowing them to release it on further platforms over the years.

Despite visuals that are pleasing but only passable, controls that feel unresponsive at times, and a camera that frequently frustrates, playing Psychonauts in 2021 still reveals a very charismatic and odd game. Tim Schafer and Erik Woolpaw’s characterful comedy writing adds a lot of life to Psychonauts’ twisted, cartoon world. There’s also a bunch of crazy characters that all have an equally crazy story to tell and their own psychological issues that you need to help them to work through. The sound design is also impeccable, with memorable music and enthusiastic voice work. With everything said in this paragraph, Psychonauts is definitely the kind of game that deserves a TV series or a film to keep it fresh and relevant between games and to perhaps assist in growing the fanbase of the franchise further.

Taking control of Razputin (or Raz for short), a runaway circus performer, his objective is to become a Psychonaut. Psychonauts are people with psychic abilities who are used by the government, and Raz heads to a training facility (slyly disguised as a summer camp) to attempt to fulfil his ambition. It’s here where Raz discovers that the brains of children are being extracted for evil means. It’s a bit dark in tone but nowhere near as dark as one might expect with a very playful vibe leading the way.

Playing Psychonauts isn’t exactly a revelation, as this is definitely a traditional platformer (plenty of collectibles included) , although Raz’s abilities as well as the level design makes sure that there’s never a dull moment.

Raz is able to use powers such as blasting enemies, telekinesis, pyrokinesis, levitation and more. Some abilities can be used against foes as well as for puzzles in the environments, and they also have their uses against bosses (which the game has a fair number of). Others can be used when platforming, with the levitation allowing Raz to bounce and float around, and he can also roll around the levels. Invisibility also becomes an option, a shield can be employed, you can toss grenades to confuse enemies, and Raz can also use a Clairvoyance ability to view the world from another character or object. Thanks to his goggles, he can also jump into the minds of others, which leads me onto the level design.

Level design is creatively excellent, and each new level is completely unique from the last. Getting into the heads of other characters leads to some very imaginative level design, with the game playfully tackling mental health, and there’s also tons of variety across the game’s 12+ hour playing time. One level has you growing to the size of King Kong, another has you shrinking down and being a part of a board game, there’s one that is Mexican themed and stands out due to its neon colours, and one level is topsy turvy enough that it gave my partner motion sickness. It’s all so weird and wonderful, and definitely makes for a memorable game.

Then there’s the infamous Meat Circus level near the end of the game. Here, the frustration quickly ramps up, adding in panicky scenarios combined with some tough platforming that isn’t flattering to the controls, showing them up as rather unresponsive from time to time. Many dislike this level, and I definitely think it could have done with some tuning, as it really does spoil some of the game’s final moments. If not for its frustrations, Meat Circus could have been something special as well.

Yes, it’s not perfect and probably is even less so today, but I’m delighted that I finally have played Psychonauts, as I eventually found a funny, creative and varied platformer that is traditional in the way it plays, but imaginative in its story, world and zany level design. Despite a dated camera, unresponsive controls at times, and aged visuals, I found much to like here. It just took me 16 years to catch up and to understand why the game received such a warm reception. I really can’t wait to dive into the sequel to discover what a modern Psychonauts game plays like. I just hope that the follow-up doesn’t have a level anything like Meat Circus though.