Psychonauts
2005
Audio: French, German, English
- platform
- puzzle
- adventure
- action
- comedy
- single player
The story
Psychonauts is a platform-adventure game developed by Double Fine Productions and released in 2005. It follows Razputin “Raz” Aquato, a young psychic who runs away from the circus to attend a summer camp for aspiring psychonauts. Players explore imaginative levels set inside the minds of different characters, each reflecting their mental states. Gameplay combines platforming, combat, and the use of psychic abilities such as telekinesis and levitation. The game was praised for its creativity, humor, and distinctive art style.
What it’s like
Bright, painterly cartoon colour with a hand-drawn, slightly warped look: the summer camp sits in sunlit green hills and cabins, while the levels set inside characters' minds turn into surreal stage sets of tilted rooms, giant bloodshot eyeballs, watercolour sky and lurid, over-saturated fantasy palettes. The camera follows Raz closely through the platforming, and the music shifts from easy-going jaunty brass and plucked strings to eerie, theatrical scores whenever the scenery warps. Pacing is playful and exploratory, with many short detours, collectibles and absurd side characters to chat with, so it suits a relaxed weekend afternoon, a comfort replay, or sessions of a few small levels at a time. The tone is goofy and warm, with a streak of melancholy about damaged minds and a young outsider learning to trust a new family; intensity is mild, with cartoon combat, slapstick and light peril, and no gore. Its menace is more psychological than graphic, with some dark, unsettling moments about trauma. It is for players who want whimsical, inventive worlds, sharp humour and a gentle emotional core.
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