Thank you @Eggsandwhich for recommending I play this after my month of NieR. Also a shoutout to @ptcremisi cuz he loves this game too. I'm happy to say, despite some issues I had that do hold it back from me rating it higher, I really enjoyed this game a lot.

Though tbh, at first I wasn't really enjoying it all too much. The beginning cutscene really got me interested but by the time I got to the first level in the game, I started noticing issues I had. First off, I don't think the first level is that great of an introduction. I found the level design to be too simple and it's definitely my least favorite stage in the game. That plus some other issues I had while playing, really didn't help my engagement. I found the combat just okay, it got the job done but it wasn't great. The platforming too could be a little wonky. I found the ledge grab really inconsistent (tho I got used to it later on). The figments were hard to see a lot of the time and they seemed like they'd be quite annoying. It also didn't help that I played this on my PS2 and it ran poorly a lot of the time and even rarely slowed to a crawl. That combination of things, plus the poor intro level, it just wasn't doing it for me. Also later on, you start to fight bosses. While it's cool to find out how to beat them, they're often not that fun mechanically because of the clunky combat and are usually too easy on top of that.

As I played on tho, a lot of these issues were lessened a bunch cuz I blew them out of proportion. Because of this, I learned to really love the fantastic things in this game. Probably my absolutely favorite aspect would be just the game concept as a whole. Going into people's minds is just so awesome, and they really utilize it to it's fullest. Your collectibles are absolutely brilliant. Figments of your imagination, emotional baggage, cobwebs (in your head). It's just all so good and really makes the world feel so well thought out. Like the health pickups are literally called mental health, that's amazing!

The other best thing this game has going for it are the quirky/funny moments and it's memorable cast. I couldn't even count just how many times this game made me chuckle, it's so weird and I love it. It really felt like a Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon show from the early 2000's which is great because that's the era I grew up with. Feels like the love child of Billy and Mandy and Invader Zim if I'm being real. As for the cast of characters, most of kids were whatever (tho I did like Dogen and Lili) but the main cast of Psychonauts were all great. I do wish they had more screen time, because in the 2nd half due to certain events they're mostly absent, but what we do get is great. Also, a shoutout to Raz himself, what a great protagonist. He's so quirky and sassy yet likeable.

At first I was a bit iffy on the camp setting but once I explored the overworld, I really enjoyed it. It feels a bit nostalgic for some reason, and I never even went to camp as a kid. I also think the overworld had overall better level design than the actual levels. The levels are cooler and more out there than the camp setting but the level design is more linear, while the camp is more open and explorable which is fun.

Another thing I enjoyed were the Psi badges. While I wouldn't say most of them were super fun to actually use, a lot of them were used on puzzles throughout the game and are just cool conceptually. I will say though, levitation is an absolute blast and is easily the best badge in the game. Glad you get it early on because from then on, I used it all the time.

Idk why I thought this was a kids game all this time (I probably would've loved this as a teenager) but it definitely isn't considering they cuss throughout the game and the game can get pretty dark. Seriously, some of the mental illness stuff can get pretty realistic even if there is a goofy undertone, but it's still handled with tact. The vaults are another collectable in the game and they hold some of the darkest shit I swear. Milla's hidden vault 😢. But I really love how they flesh out each character even more.

I said the figments were annoying because they're hard to see, and while that is still a criticism of mine, they weren't annoying enough to the extent I didn't want to get them all. So I went and 100%ed the game and that was mostly hassle free. Some stray figments here and there and some of the milkman's conspiracy gave me trouble but that's about it.

So overall, while the actual gameplay is usually just acceptable to subpar, the charm this game has with it's cast of characters, it's quirky humor and just the awesome concept of going into people's minds won me over. This game is flawed but really enjoyable. I'm giving this a 7.5 rn only because the sequel seems to fix the gameplay issues I had. From what I've heard, 2 starts off right where 1 ended and that's just so cool I can't wait. Anyways, on to my Secret Santa game next...Metroid Prime 2!

7.5/10

A very memorable experience that is sort of a mix between platforming and adventure games. Great art, story, dialogue and level design. My only complaint is that the platforming can be frustrating due to wonky collision detection like on ledges and ropes.

I used the following to improve the experience on modern systems: set compatibility mode to Windows 95, ThirteenAG Widescreen Fix, 2021 HD AI Upscale and Cutscenes texture mod on Nexus.

The one technical problem that I couldn't fix was a "popping" sound that happened when playing some sounds, especially those that played in loops like the levitation ball.

i can't remember the last time a game has made me laugh this hard. even without getting into anything else, the insane humor/dialogue and the voiceover that goes along with it is nothing short of stellar - even the concept of stages like milkman conspiracy and the meat circus is insane. like, what did they have to do to come up with any of this shit? god damn i cant believe i put this game off for six years

even though most stages are pretty straightforward and i didn't see much incentive in collecting everything in each stage, i think there was only one that i outright hated. puzzles were fun (if not a bit simple sometimes), and stuff like the napoleon level is super creative.

sure, it's not perfect. i really didn't like the combat, but that's probably more of an issue with me being a dumbass than the game itself. also the perspective on some of the platforming (jumping onto trapezes in particular) is a bit borked, but there was only one real point where i was like. ok fuck this.

also this is a personal gripe and i know nobody's gonna agree with me but. i'm not a fan of the artstyle at all, just cause i've personally never been a fan of stuff that looks gross on purpose. it's iconic, it's definitely unique, but i just didn't vibe with it. definitely adds to the overall aesthetic tough.

s'good game overall, been a while since i played a 3D platformer that was this fun. fuck that bunny though

Pyschonauts holds up exceedingly well for a PS2 game. Even if graphically it shows its age, in gameplay it functions as well as any modern title should. There's very little of the jank that you sometimes find when going back to older eras of gaming.

Each level is an absolute blast and also a completely unique idea. Not just unique for the game, but unique for everything. There's nothing out there quite like the ideas present in Psychonauts. Each of the ten levels is distinct in both gameplay, visual setting and story.

The story is also a joy to experience. It's childish, yes, but with a very distinct charm that makes it appealing to almost anyone, I would say. Any story which sees you dealing into the mind of a paranoid schizophrenic milkman to solve a conspiracy drama has to receive a due amount of credit for its creativity if nothing else.

Replayed this to get into Psychonauts 2 and eventually stumbled across this. Two things were made very clear to me after this playthrough: one, before even clicking on this video and without even getting though the second all the way yet, I knew right away the bottom level in this list was going to be Meat Circus and the number one would be Milkman, and two, I agreed with him when he also noted how even when this game actively makes me say “this is some goddamn bullshit, why am I playing this” I still love the hell out of this game when I turn it off. It’s the opposite of Breath of the Wild for me, where I like that one only while it’s on.

Naturally you start Double Fine’s catalogue with a 32 episode documentary on the development of Psychonauts 2 followed by 20 episode documentary on the development of Broken Age. I really loved seeing the humans behind the games but I have a healthy level of skepticism around auteurs. Fortunately after playing Psychonauts I can say that the game is a joy and a great deal of that joy comes from Tim Schafer’s writing, so he gets a pass for now.

I really thought I was just trying to put this game behind me to enjoy the main course that will be the sequel but this was really lovely. The Platforming holds up well for its age, think Mario Sunshine where I was expecting 64. I’m playing Broken Age next as a little palette cleanser, I hope it’s as clever!

Took me ages of playing it, putting it down, forgetting about it, remembering I wanted to keep playing months later, picking it back up and repeating the process. Happy to say though, that after 2 years of that I finally finished it and it was great! The platforming was fun, the levels were imaginative, and its overall personality was pretty charming. Having each level be a character's subconscious made exploring each level gratifying as you felt like you were constantly learning more about each character. Some of the boss designs did feel unintuitive and its collectathon nature did make trying to 100% it a pain as finding 1 missing collectible in a level sometimes took me more than an hour, but the core gameplay and story were pretty fun so I can't fault it too hard. Very excited to finally try out the sequel now!

I am the Milkman. My milk is delicious.

This game is funny. It's also incredibly well put together. Controls are tight, gameplay is fun, combat works well, and is challenging in all the right ways. Incredibly imaginative level design, from disco parkour courses, a topsy-turvy neighborhood, a tabletop wargame, and even a freaking Kaiju level...where you're the Kaiju! Entertaining and engaging story and characters. Milla is an actual comfort to listen to, the inmates at the ruined asylum fascinating and compelling, and Doogan is simultaneously concerningly innocent...or innocently concerning?

I'm hesitant to say this is the definitive example of 2000s 3D action platformers that honor goes to Blinx the Timesweeper (/j), but it is most certainly, assuredly, and absolutely among the top 5, at least.

I believe it is more than fair to consider Psychonauts is now a definite cult classic.

Lucasfilm Games comedic veteran Tim Schafer launched his own company Double Fine back in 2000 and this game was immediately in the production pipeline, originally under the back of Microsoft out of all publishers, alas that would abruptly change amidst development.

Psychonauts is an outrageously creative platforming game that takes few inspirational cues from Rayman 2: The Great Escape, all while still being entirely it's own mindblasting specimen. You take the role of Razputin (Raz for short) who is a child circus acrobat with telekinetic powers that escapes his life on the road to be tutored further on his psychic powers in a designated summer camp for prodigious children like him, and is managed by special international secret agents. If that was not already weird enough, you are trained in the ways of the "Psychonaut", a specialist that can access the surreal and abstract mental worlds of other people to unlock their deepest secrets and reasoning for their erratic behavior.

The platforming controls are pretty solid and over time it unlocks more tools to make your journeys from point A to point B faster and more fun, and be it keyboard or controller it is a good ride to jump into.

Psychonauts may be a 3D platformer at most, but it still carries plenty of the DNA from Lucasfilm/LucasArts point-n-click adventures, the game has a lot of dialog on each character and they can give you different answers depending on the kinds of questions you make and even the actions you perform around or onto them. All this and considering the writing is nothing short of phenomenal.

Psychonauts always deserved far better attention and sales from its launch in 2005, and if anything I believe it has solidified its reputation these days especially with the starry sequel it finally got just 2 years ago.

You definitely must play this one.

Loved the whole aesthetic of the game that reminded me of old Cartoon Network shows like Kids Next Door and Ed Edd n Eddy.
The characters were all great and each had their own personality, and the voice acting for each of them was superb. I also loved the accents of Mikhail and Milla.

The story was great with some pretty dark stuff that doesn't break how funny and lighthearted the game is.
I also liked exploring the camp and see how all the characters interacted with each other and how their relationships unfold, although not all of them were interesting enough. Also, Raz and Lili are so cute together.

The levels were pretty good, and I didn't have a major issue with any of them, except maybe I felt some levels took longer than necessary, but some of them were pure genius like The Milkman Conspiracy and Waterloo World.

The collectibles were fun to collect, and none felt very obscure or truly challenging to get, but the Figments are obnoxious to 100% and I gave up on that after the halfway point in the game, especially since some segments were impossible to get all the Figments in in your first attempt.

And lastly, put your goddamn goggles back, Raz, for God's sake.

I think that the crucial relevance of Psychonauts is to be found in what it represented for the history of video gaming, at an extremely critical time for the medium when such creative courage, set in motion by a genius like Tim Schafer, was exactly what was needed.
It seems to me that even to this day the gaming world is constantly torn between the motionless monotony of big productions and the often unheard voices of the indie world that bring forth a spirit of authenticity and real interest in the creative potential of interactivity, but there were times when innovative ideas and perspectives managed to meet the interest of companies, when it was in front of everyone's eyes that something had to change: it was in one of these moments that Psychonauts came along and turned everything upside down.
Psychonauts somehow managed to establish itself with nothing less than a lunatic idea, this hallucinatory journey into a universe of psychic worlds, populated by absurd characters, an insane variety of mechanics, and painted on the screen with such a powerful identity unthinkable perhaps even nowadays on a game of this scale; it is an extremely ambitious game, but one in which there is such an underlying coherence that makes it totally crystal clear in its intent: everything is where it should have been, everything manifests the exact care that has gone into it, it is a COMPLETE game in every aspect, and that is something that, again, to this day seems to be increasingly rare.
Psychonauts is a treasure that we should all keep in our hearts, an idea carried from start to finish with passion and talent, a work of art conceived and realized with the same spirit, and that is just funny as hell