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Psychonauts PC
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Metascore
87 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 29 Critics What's this?

User Score
9.4 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 211 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Summary: Psychonauts is a wildly surreal action adventure game where personal paranormal powers are unlocked in order to plunge into the minds of bizarre characters. Journey deep into these crazy worlds of infinite possibility to thwart the secret plan of an evil madman and realize the ultimate dream of joining an elite force of psychic superheroes, the Psychonauts. Delve into people's minds as Raz, a powerful young cadet at psychic summer camp. While working on his levitation merit badge, Raz discovers that someone is kidnapping psychic children and stealing their brains. In order to foil this evil plot and earn the title of Psychonaut, Raz must project himself into the minds of one bizarre character after another to battle their nightmares and mental demons. He does all this while continuing to earn his psychic merit badges in Telekinesis, Clairvoyance, Pyrokinesis and more.… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 29
  3. Negative: 0 out of 29
  1. GameBiz
    100
    It's one of the most original, creative and inspired titles out there and even better--it's one of those rare videogames that can actually make you laugh out loud.
  2. Xequted
    96
    If you're a fan of sharp humor, great stories, stellar gameplay, or Invader Zim, you simply can't go wrong with this gem.
  3. CPUGamer
    72
    Psychonauts may be an excellent concept and creatively realized, but it is translated into an average game.

See all 29 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 77 out of 81
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 81
  3. Negative: 2 out of 81
  1. JasonMiller
    10
    Very original and fun game. I know some complained about the controls, but I used a standard keyboard+mouse setup and it played great, so I�39;m not really sure what the issue was. The design came off with a nice balance between weird and realism, and has a maturity to it that most games I've played, especially more recent ones, simply lack. This game has now got me interested in the other things the designer (Tim Schafer) has made as well, and I'm impressed.… Expand
    • 7 of 7 users said yes
  2. kingzardoz
    6
    If you have played Day of the Tentacle, Grim Fadingo, or Full Throttle you will be overcome with feelings of nostalgia when playing Psychonauts. The story, how the characters are presented, and puzzles in the game all share similarities to these other games developed by Tim Schafer. I loved those games so I wanted to love Psychonauts but I just couldn't. There are so many creative environments and interesting level ideas woven into the story but almost every chapter of the game overstays its welcome or leans on one gameplay mechanic too much. Take for example the awesome idea of the Milkman Conspiracy chapter where you have to find and free this mysterious Milkman under the surveillance of these lemming-like CIA characters. By wearing disguises you find in CIA cars you progress through the spooky and silly neighborhood that appears to be warping and folding in on itself. The disguise part is fun but it goes on for the whole chapter with no other gameplay mechanics introduced until you get to the boss battle, which has to be the most boring boss in the game. This chapter is just another example of one cool idea stretched too thin. The disguise thing just gets old quickly and there is nothing else to take its place except the usual collecting things and exploring the level. What this game really seems to be is a 2d game designer who is having trouble adapting to the requirements of 3d platforming. The platforming suffers at the hand of person who only cares about presenting weird ideas, levels, and characters. If you played Brutal Legend you will also recognize the stiff and awkward controls in this game. The challenge of Psychonauts doesn't rest in combating enemies but rather in combating the stiff controls. If I had to sum this game up in one broken sentence it would be, boring and stiff combat with creative level and character design. All negative things aside this game is creative and its impossible to not notice the unique vision the Pyschonauts universe provides. Sometimes the use of items in the game can be fun for example in the Matador level you use paintings you collect like ladders, vines, guitars, doors, and windows to more easily move around the level. The characters are fun and the writing is decent but the tedium that sets at some point in every chapter really kills this game.… Expand
    • 5 of 11 users said yes
  3. lolzernator
    2
    Positives: It's certainly original, which is nice to see these days (+3) It runs fine on my PC with no noticeable defects (+1) It's good to see more titles from independent developers (+1) As far as I can tell, the game is quite expensive, and power-ups are awarded in due course (+2) POSITIVE TOTAL: +7 Neutral: The Art style isn't to my liking, but it isn't bad. It's kind of cheesy, but that's not a good or bad thing. Negatives: Bad Camera Control, which is a very bad thing for a 3D platformer (-3) Annoying amount of foreseeable backtracking, though I've only managed to play 94 minutes before giving up (-2) The powerups are given out too slowly (-1) The 'humor' is absolutely awful (-2) EXTREMELY REPETITIVE, which is another major flaw for a platformer (-3) Character voices are very grating (-1) I'd like to go on, but I fear I've generated enough infamy by now. NEGATIVE SCORE: -12 TOTAL SCORE: < -5 Having a total score of less than -5 puts it quite a bit below average, but it does have its good points, so it doesn't deserve a 0. Since I didn't pay full price (sales) i can deign to give it a lowly 2. How anyone can find this game entertaining is beyond me, and if anyone wishes to provide me with a counter-argument, be my guest. It is currently the only game in my steam library (of over 110 games) that I have uninstalled.… Expand
    • 1 of 4 users said yes

See all 81 User Reviews