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Psychonauts pc Game Reviews
Psychonauts
Critic Score
Metascore: 87 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
9.6 out of 10
based on 29 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 89 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game

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.

PUBLISHER: Majesco Sales Inc.
DEVELOPER: Double Fine Productions
GENRE(S): Action, Adventure, Platform
PLAYERS: 1
ESRB RATING: RP (Rating Pending)
RELEASE DATE: April 19, 2005

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100
GameBiz
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.
Read Full Review
96
Xequted
If you’re a fan of sharp humor, great stories, stellar gameplay, or Invader Zim, you simply can’t go wrong with this gem.
Read Full Review
95
Play Magazine
Arguably the best epic platformer since the Rare/Miyamoto days of N64. [May 2005, p.65]
94
Inside Gamer Online
No title is likely to exhibit this much magnetic appeal for some time to come, and as an outspoken resident of Lungfishopolis once remarked, if you don't buy Psychonauts, you "are against children—and against love.”
Read Full Review
94
eToychest
Psychonauts may not be particularly innovative in any of its undertakings, but it breathes new life into a stale genre by virtue of its humor and creativity alone.
Read Full Review
92
Jolt Online Gaming UK
The fact that Psychonauts isn’t on the radar as one of this year’s big releases is a major shame, as it is, quite simply, superb.
Read Full Review
92
Game Chronicles
The production values are top notch in every department. If you're the kind of gamer who craves the weird and unusual, look no further; this is your game.
Read Full Review
91
PC Format
Utterly mental, but quite, quite brilliant. One of the best experiences of the year. [July 2005, p.92]
91
ActionTrip
What truly makes this game so enjoyable is the fact that it is incredibly clever and witty, with a gallery of fantastic (as well as bizarre) characters and some intelligently conceived details.
Read Full Review
90
Yahoo! Games
Weird, funny, immensely playable, and has that nigh-unclassifiable thing we can only call charm.
Read Full Review
90
PC Gamer
It's so goofilfy hilarious, you may just find yourself a wisecrack away from peeing in your Jockeys. [June 2005, p.76]
90
1UP
It's a brilliant debut for Double Fine, and here's hoping it's just the start of what we can expect to see from them.
Read Full Review
90
Computer Gaming World
A triumph of art direction, a prime example of exquisite aesthetics and of how well an imaginary world can be beautifully conceived.
Read Full Review
90
GameSpy
In a world where one of the most common gamer laments is there's no originality in gaming anymore, Psychonauts is an incredibly enjoyable breath of fresh air.
Read Full Review
90
GamerFeed
A breath of fresh air that has restored faith in platforming adventure titles. Within the first three minutes of gameplay, one realizes just how funnily bizarre this title is.
Read Full Review
89
Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)
Inspired, delightful and at times bordering on the insane. Psychonauts is mind-blowing, however it's tricky at times and definitely not for kids. [PC Gamer UK]
Read Full Review
87
Pelit (Finland)
A wildly imaginative platform adventure. Framerate and visibility issues are a bit of a letdown, though. [Mar 2006]
87
IGN
The first half of this game is easily one of the most enjoyable I've had in the past year. But as is the case with many humorous games, the laughs begin to fade in the home stretch and in the end Psychonauts started to wear on me.
Read Full Review
84
GameSpot
Psychonauts doesn't reinvent the platformer, but it still delivers an experience that feels wholly original in every aspect of its execution.
Read Full Review
83
Just Adventure
Creative mayhem, and is at times crazy fun to play.
Read Full Review
82
Game Over Online
I’d rather spend my nights playing Psychonauts than a "Myst" or "Resident Evil" title, barring perhaps "Resident Evil 4." It’s livelier, funnier, and more original, in an age when sequels are the only safe bets for publishers.
Read Full Review
80
Edge Magazine
It isn’t any kind of reinvention, but a revitalisation, with a style so rich that it becomes an integral part of the game’s substance; Psychonauts breathes imagination and individuality as effortlessly as most games steal from one another. [July 2005, p.84]
80
The New York Times
Insanity is what makes Psychonauts entertaining and unusual, so it is a shame you have to spend several hours in the mildly eccentric minds of instructors before getting to the cool part of the game.
Read Full Review
80
G4 TV
The levels are fun, the gameplay is solid, and the puzzles and bosses require more than a bit of brain matter to figure out, resulting in a nice sense of accomplishment every time you reach a new milestone in Raz's adventure.
Read Full Review
80
Computer Games Magazine
As it gets progressively weirder, it also gets significantly better, making it one head-trip definitely worth taking. [July 2005, p.56]
80
EuroGamer
What's unavoidable is the fact that almost all of the problems that weigh Psychonauts down are borne out of the legacy that the platform genre itself has, and Double Fine - like so many other developers - has largely been unable to avoid falling into the same pitfalls of inconsistent level design and unwise difficulty spikes. Dammit.
Read Full Review
80
AceGamez
The uniquely quirky presentation, brilliantly conceived storyline, excellent cut scenes and tremendously varied gameplay all combine for a totally refreshing and fun game experience.
Read Full Review
72
2404.org
Psychonauts may be an excellent concept and creatively realized, but it is translated into an average game.
Read Full Review
70
games(TM)
It’s not revolutionary by any means, nor is it particularly long, but thanks to some clever creative control the game delivers a funny, engrossing and downright weird experience unlike most other platform adventures. [July 2005, p.104]

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 9.6 (out of 10) based on 89 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Eric E. gave it a7:
Fun little game if you enjoy old school adventure games. However I found the controls to be VERY annoying. I fought the controls of the game a lot. Definately was a conversion of a console game and it didn't convert that well.

Mister DK gave it a10:
Superb game, very refreshing and strange. Would recommend to anyone out there.

Colby A. gave it a10:
Another one of the best games I've played - from some of the people who brought us the Monkey Island series, too! You can tell, even. Great sophisticated humor (no bathroom jokes), many laughs, and really fun and original combat/gameplay system. Definitely recommended story of a carnie at a psychic summer camp unraveling a mystery.

Maurog gave it a10:
A masterpiece reminding of good old classics like Monkey Island II. The characters, the plot, the very weird humor all blended perfectly. Easily one of the best games ever made.

Josh R gave it an8:
I originally played this game way back when it was released so felt compelled to write a small review here. I've played many platform games, and while alot of the franchises out still today can be quite enjoyable I feel this game encapsulated ideas that still need to be fleshed out more to make a great platforming experience. Just as an example I really enjoy how the camp you play in (when not doing missions) is fairly free roaming and feels very alive with the ability to find other kids around to talk to and just have pointless (but very funny) conversations with as well as just listen to them talk to each other. There is hours of this stuff and it's very funny to listen to so you shouldnt pass that up. It's really a shame it took as long as it did to be released, which is what most say is why it didnt get the inception it deserved, and may feel a tiny bit old hat by now as it doesnt push any boundries in gameplay or really innovate anything worth noting, but it's one game I totally recommend to anyone who is a gamer but hasn't tried it. If nothing else you will enjoy the experience.

Richard S. gave it a10:
This is best platformer I have played (and played and played) to date. Nothing sucked me in like this since Mario64. The art and characters are brilliant, though some levels are difficult, they are more than possible with a little thinking. The story is wacky, insane and fun. And though using a keyboard and mouse it hard (find me one that isn't), it's a platformer, so I used a control pad. Anyone with even the remotest interest in Platform style games should play this, if for no other reason than to know what you should expect a great game to be.

Alex H. gave it a10:
A daring adventure, like Super Mario on LSD. Plus clever storyline, engaging characters, funny dialogue, inventive puzzles.

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