izigame.me

If I owned an original XBOX as a child, I would've been all over this

yap session incoming. also my bad, this review is so late lmao. I've been meaning to write something after finishing the game two years ago
Prologue
Before I begin, I would like to thank James Willems for introducing me to this wonderful video-game. Thoroughly, I have enjoyed the gaming/entertainment videos that Funhaus have created during their 2014-2021 era (and Machinima days) and have always had my 15y/o self echoing gut-wrenching laughs in times of comfort and from there, one of their members established an out-of-time bit that I was too young or too unfamiliar to recognise; a game called Psychonauts. This was wayyy before the sequel was announced and much like most of their fanbase, the jokes James would reference about Psychonauts would go over all our heads.
I didn't think much of it until VGAs rolled around and I saw the twitter pic of Mr Willems' face most astonished and shocked face as he reacted to the news of the upcoming sequel. Then what followed were his replays on his personal channel with his wife and his audition to become its voice actors as a talking toilet. And from there my confusion turned into intrigue. Then just months before the sequel releases, I gave it a shot and bought it discounted.
Now 20 y/o at the time, my first impression of Psychonauts before playing was...ugly. Like I thought the artstyle was ugly, the characters = ugly, the colours = garishly ugly. Back then my close-minded ass wondered "why would anyone willingly play a game so visually disturbing and gross looking . But I eventually forgave its aesthetic simply of it being an early 2000's console game. I've heard so many great and insightful things about this game from Mr Willems that I marched forward expecting his proclamations to be true, pushing myself to start this journey and entered Summer camp with an open mind (see what i did there).
Story
This is fairly non-spoiler. So as much as I would listen how much James Willems fawn over how much he love this game, I had zero idea or preconception of what this was about. Maybe I was subconsciously blocking out story details so I would play this game purely blind. I went into this game thinking I'm gonna have to constantly put up with its art-style and yucky mucky characters, that I'm gonna have to have this acidic feeling in my gut everytime I attempt to interact with the other characters...
...and then they spoke.
All this time, I had it so wrong. Why did I expect a game as visually unique function similarly to other indie games I've played. So I switched out my 'hardcore gaming brain' to my 'film major super analysis brain' and approached Psychonauts from an entirely new perspective. This game doesn't look gross... it's charming, and its fun, funny, funny-looking and doesn't take itself too seriously. The first cut-scene of Raz sneaking into Whispering Rock Summer Camp, catapulted my brain to remember all the times my kid self watched TV at home on a school day. 'Psychonauts' reminds me of those late 90's / early 2000's western serialised TV shows: Hey Arnold, Billy & Mandy, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, My Gym Partner's a Monkey, etc. I loooved watching these shows as a kid everytime they come on the American channel (I'm from Australia so there's like idk 2-3 American channels on cable at the time) and if I owned an original XBOX, I would've been all over Psychonauts, simply of how familiar its presence is and how similar the comedy is to other shows in the same era.
Then when the cutscene explains how this world consists of Psychics and Superpowers, has the child-like perception of what International Spy work is like (like Spy Kids and Spies Next Door), and there's a secret organisation teaching kids how to use their powers like X-Men and protecting themselves from other psychic animals which reminded me Gravity Falls, I was like "FUCK yeAH, I'm so on board with this concept, gimme more of thatl!"
And by the time the first mission came up, to infiltrate Coach Oleander's mind and battle his psyche and mental immune system in the form of little personified goblin guys, my jaw was floored and my mind (in-game and irl) was blown with how this game came up with the idea of Inception, years before Inception. And once my realisation set in, my eyes were GLUED to the screen for hours because of how invested I was to continue such a creative and freshly unique gaming and narrative experience (and this was only the first 10 minutes, wtfff what a way to lure me in, Double Fine).
Alright now to dive deeper into more spoiler-esque territory :)

I was enthralled with the idea of incepting into someone's mind and in the words of Agent Nein, not fix their problems but help fight their inner demons , opened up a lot of ways I perceived mental health and helped me understand that not all ways of thinking are black and white.
Also what better way to expand on the Inception concept than to have the subsequent missions take place in the minds of mental asylum patients, each so varying in personality, energy and uniqueness. My all-time favourite levels are Black Velvetopia, Waterloo World and the community standout, The Milkman Conspiracy.
Story-wise, the game did a great job executing a children's show-like mystery plot, interweaving elements of spies and superpowers to supplement a really well-written narrative. I love so many of the characters in this game, Dogen being one of my favourites as the air-headed animal abuser and each one so distinct; the wacky art-style grew on me and I found a newfound appreciation for it. I also appreciate the game for owning this whimsical art-style in the first place, which is essential in translating some of its internal mature themes of trauma, authoritative parental figures and self-image towards children, so that they understand it in a fun and interactive experience.
Calling back on Agent Nein's quote, there is no definitive bad-guy or overall antagonist, as much as the game would have me believe Dr Loboto was the main villain nor Coach Oleander; were effective villains to Razputin, I was glad that the final showdown consisted of Raz's confronting his inner demons, or his negative interpretation of his overly disapproving Father with unrealistic life expectations.
(Also I find it funny how when you want to run away from home, you join the circus and Raz ran from the circus to join the Psychonauts, thats a good one).
Prior to all events, Razputin's fear of his perception of his father coincides with the common assumption most children have with overly invasive parents with high expectations of them. Not all people are cut & dry so I was overjoyed to discover his father was also a psychic and only wanted what was best for Raz, even open minded to learning his newfound powers as a way to bond father-to-son.

Gameplay
As janky as console-ports go, this was surprisingly intuitive and became easy to get the hang of. The platforming reminds me of Ratchet & Clank which I enjoyed very much. Every Puzzle took me a while but super rewarding to complete.
Combat-wise: introduction of multiple psychic abilities allowed for multiple play-styles during battle engagements. As an avid gamer, it wasn't too challenging but I appreciate having different style enemies to force me to change up my loadout or play strategically than aggressively, which is why I loved using PsiBlast and Pyro to focus ranged attacks.
TL;DR
This game is so underappreciated and if you can overlook how it looks and how it plays for its time, trust when I say this, you will be thoroughly entertained by the world of Psychonauts. There's so many things I wanted to say but as I just found out, damn Steam reviews have a character limitation, but for now I leave a 8.5/10 for such a rich and rewarding story experience.