Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin is a must-play for PSVR owners. Its ability to keep the player interested in its world and characters is second to none, and the ease of its gameplay mechanics makes interacting with the world a joy. The plethora of environments and odd characters you come across, and the subsequent world-building that takes place, keeps the game from ever getting stale alongside its short runtime. In the Rhombus of Ruin is a masterclass of engaging mechanics and brilliant writing, and it’s got me excited for the future of Psychonauts.
With Psychonauts 2 currently scheduled for release in 2018, Psychonauts: In the Rhombus of Ruin is the perfect way for long-time fans to revisit old friends, and for series newcomers to meet the gang in preparation for it.
I made an account on Metacritic because it was so important thatI rate this game. This game blew me away with how amazing it felt to be sitting inside the 3D world of psychonauts. The comedy, the art, the amazing brain of Tim Shafer... Literally sitting right in it. I literally was laughing out loud from the very start and was captivated by the story, the music, the art... Just wow.
Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin is a game made specifically to appease the fans as Double Fine dips their toes in VR development and prepares the world for the second coming of Razputin Aquato, but this level of immersion is like psychically diving into the mind of Tim Schafer himself, and that alone is worth the trip.
It should of course be noted that the original cast has returned to reprise their roles and, considering how long it’s been, they all deliver great performances. The same level of quality is true for the writing and jokes throughout the game. It’s clear Double Fine still has a firm grasp of the world of Psychonauts and its characters. So, while Rhombus of Ruin isn’t the most mind-bending VR adventure out there, it’s still good to be back with these characters. I still laughed and appreciated some of the smaller details present throughout the game, it’s just hard to not want a little more out of it by the end.
Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin delivers a passable tale that manages to capture the quirky aesthetic and humour of the original game. But its high price point, pedestrian puzzles, and failure to do much of interest with VR makes it something of a letdown overall.
I was quite positively surprised by "Psychonauts in The Rhombus of Ruin", given the underwhelming reviews. As mentioned by others, it is a classical Point'n Click adventure in VR. I cannot say that I was thrilled by the story, but it was good enough to keep me interested. I would give it a 7. Environments are varied and interesting to look at. There are many great ideas. Moreover, the limits of the current VR technology are not visible. A 10 for me. I liked the sound and voices. Though, I cannot remember anything particular exciting. But, there is also nothing to complain about. So, I give it a 10. I also cannot remember any background music. There is a great title song, though. Anyway, I would not give a score for the music, given the small scope. The game mechanics are simple but work very well. You can travel by telepathy from person to person and observe the scenery from different positions. To interact with objects they are simply focused. I played seated, which is presumably the typical way to play this game, and occasionally I was missing controls to turn the camera, in particular to look backwards. Therefore I would lower the score to 9. There are a few puzzles in the game, which are a bit too simple. But with respect to the length of the title, this works well enough. At least I did not get bored. I would give a 7 for the game-play, since I see room for making this more interesting. I played through during one evening. I would say the length perfectly matches the content. No section is stretched or crammed in my opinion. Summing this all up leads to an average score of 8.6 which is dominated by the great presentation.
In summary, a very well designed short game in a wonderful package. Personally, I was not interested too much in the story and would not have minded slightly more challenging puzzles. But in total I was entertained. Thus, I would recommend the game provided the prize matches its short length.
I agree with gusman, the adventure genre works perfectly and I would like to see more like this. I usually get sick when playing VR games, but this was perfectly fine. Good puzzles, mostly - and a fun experience all the way. Highly recommended.
I was looking forward to playing this, but the gameplay wasn't that interesting or fun. The VR component was also not as good as other games. The plot seemed really random if you are not familiar with the psychonauts universe. A pretty mediocre game besides the enjoyable cartoony Psychonauts aesthetics.
SummaryPsychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin is a new Virtual Reality adventure that takes players back into the mysterious and paranormal world of the Psychonauts for the first time in more than a decade. Once again players assume the role of Raz, an intrepid young psychic and now fully fledged member of the Psychonauts — an elite group of intern...