Being a big fan of Laika films, I can't help but feel Psychonauts may have influenced alot of them. For instance watch Paranorman and then look up the characters in this game. Can you see it now?
Regardless Psychonauts is the type of cult classic still worth playing today if you haven't. May squirrels invade my mind for not having played this sooner. This is an adventure game chucked up with more original content and characters than most modern games of this type.

Whispering Rock is where the game starts and ends its story. For a hubworld from the ps2 era, this feels like a lived in and familiar local. Campgrounds, offbeat councilors, animals and children practicing their psychic powers. All this wack and so much more! Filled to the brim with good 90s cartoon show writing complete with innuendos. The unapologetic humor adds to this very psychadelic plot.
Without spoiling too much of its imagination, you're a 10 year old dude named Razputin being trained in the art of sneaking into minds cleaning mental cobwebs and clearing emotional baggage( The puns are real). Ultimately become a Psychonaut, the ultimate mental spy.

Like I mentioned before this is a classic adventure game, so expect alot of collecting and some puzzle solving. This was a ps2 game, so you'll be going through alot of menus that can be bit clunky and hard to maneuvre through at times when looking for an item you want to use. The same goes for its powers which you can map 3 different ones to certain keys like in a Zelda game.

Now this game is 70 percent exploration and 30 percent battle of the minds. The combat is serviceable but often times you'll probably want to get over with it. Luckily the bosses in this game are visually and mechanically creative, so you'll enjoy fighting them, I know I did. Exploration however is rewarding. See each person's mind you literally walk into has its own surreal themed world. The variety throughout is commendable. Each world has its own quirks and sometimes its own gameplay twists. You'll go from simple platforming to directing your own play, and even disguise yourself as a suburban. I want to tell you more, really. But its best for you to experience it for yourself. Each world is a delightful insight about a character, and with some of the powers you unlock, can decipher more about their personalities if you keep digging.

I dug it. And was pleased.

Cons:
-Meat Circus needs nerfing
-menus can take away from playing
-Had to redo a stage 3 times because of it freezing at the same exact spot(got around it by doing the quest in a different order)
-Repeating dialogue, an absurd amount in Meat Circus.
-One level, although very visually appealing, was very hard to navigate.
-no sequel despite sequel baiting

Psychonuats is a 8/10. If you like Tim Burton, old Nickelodean, Paranorman and Coraline, you'll love this game and probably ignore all of its cons. It's that type of game.

Being a big fan of Laika films, I can't help but feel Psychonauts may have influenced alot of them. For instance watch Paranorman and then look up the characters in this game. Can you see it now? Regardless Psychonauts is the type of cult classic still worth playing today if you haven't. May squirrels invade my mind for not having played this sooner. This is an adventure game chucked up with more original content and characters than most modern games of this type. Whispering Rock is where the game starts and ends its story. For a hubworld from the ps2 era, this feels like a lived in and familiar local. Campgrounds, offbeat councilors, animals and children practicing their psychic powers. All this wack and so much more! Filled to the brim with good 90s cartoon show writing complete with innuendos. The unapologetic humor adds to this very psychadelic plot. Without spoiling too much of its imagination, you're a 10 year old dude named Razputin being trained in the art of sneaking into minds cleaning mental cobwebs and clearing emotional baggage( The puns are real). Ultimately become a Psychonaut, the ultimate mental spy. Like I mentioned before this is a classic adventure game, so expect alot of collecting and some puzzle solving. This was a ps2 game, so you'll be going through alot of menus that can be bit clunky and hard to maneuvre through at times when looking for an item you want to use. The same goes for its powers which you can map 3 different ones to certain keys like in a Zelda game. Now this game is 70 percent exploration and 30 percent battle of the minds. The combat is serviceable but often times you'll probably want to get over with it. Luckily the bosses in this game are visually and mechanically creative, so you'll enjoy fighting them, I know I did. Exploration however is rewarding. See each person's mind you literally walk into has its own surreal themed world. The variety throughout is commendable. Each world has its own quirks and sometimes its own gameplay twists. You'll go from simple platforming to directing your own play, and even disguise yourself as a suburban. I want to tell you more, really. But its best for you to experience it for yourself. Each world is a delightful insight about a character, and with some of the powers you unlock, can decipher more about their personalities if you keep digging. I dug it. And was pleased. Cons: -Meat Circus needs nerfing -menus can take away from playing -Had to redo a stage 3 times because of it freezing at the same exact spot(got around it by doing the quest in a different order) -Repeating dialogue, an absurd amount in Meat Circus. -One level, although very visually appealing, was very hard to navigate. -no sequel despite sequel baiting Psychonuats is a 8/10. If you like Tim Burton, old Nickelodean, Paranorman and Coraline, you'll love this game and probably ignore all of its cons. It's that type of game.