Psychonauts- Review

Crazed Over "Psycho's"

(Xbox, PS2; $49.99; Rated T for cartoon violence, crude humor, language; www.psychonauts.com)

(five stars)

This title comes from the brilliant mind of Tim Schafer who does to pixels, what Tim Burton does to celluloid- sweeping original stories that ooze creativity and uniqueness out of every poor. Like Burton, Schafer is a master in his field, bringing us critical successes like “Full Throttle,” “Day of the Tentacle,” and “Grim Fandango.”

Schafer’s latest work, “Psychonauts,” is a worthy addition to his past successes, and manages to combine colorful characters, an inventive storyline, and a full injection of laugh-out-loud humor. This game does everything correctly, and its amazing that it almost never got released (Microsoft dumped it as a first-party exclusive, and was homeless until Majesco picked it up.)

Players are behind the rose-colored goggles of Raz, a young boy who runs away from the circus and sneaks into Whispering Rock Summer Camp. But rather than archery, canoeing, and beaded keychain crafts, Raz learns to harness the powers of telekinesis, pyrokenesis, levitation and other psychic powers. Whispering Rock is a training ground for would-be Psychonauts- secret agents who hi-jack the minds of evil-doers everywhere.

Of course, this is still summer camp, so in addition to Raz’s newfound abilities, he’ll still have to deal with camp bullies and a summer romance, all while uncovering the mystery of who is stealing brains from the campers to further his own dastardly plan.

The creative storyline is complimented by its surreal look and feel. All of the characters in “Psychonauts” have their own distinct personality and look which make them feel like well-rounded characters in a narrative, rather than extra bodies in a video game. Eavesdropping on conversing campers or listening to the booming announcements over the camp loudspeaker provides a deliciously witty ambiance to feel as though the player has been transported to another world.

Camp is, however, only one environment Raz will explore. Each mind that Raz jumps into is its own unique landscape, reflecting the personality of the person that owns it. Sasha Nein’s logical and scientific mind appears with black and white minimalist settings, while a wannabe socialite Milla Vodello’s mind is a multileveled, psychedelic party. Each mind comes with its own figments of the imagination, mental baggage, and cobwebs which can be collected to upgrade your psychic abilities and earn new patches- this is camp, afterall.

The whacked-out landscape of characters and environments leaves the game wide open for hilarity. When Raz inhabits the mind of a lung-fish, the inhabitants see Raz as a 50 foot tall monstrosity with goggles. One of them tells Raz where he can find his “girlfriend.” Raz replies “Well I don’t know if you’d consider her my girlfriend, I mean we just met;” to which the inhabitant replies “I only meant that she is a girl, who also happens to be your friend, Goggelor.” Its wit that and humor that you can’t help but chuckle at.

Rarely is a game so rich in content and character that I desperately want to see it translated to film- “Psychonauts” fits the bill perfectly. If Tinseltown takes notice, it would only be fitting for Burton to direct, a collaboration between the Tims would be a match made in heck of a surreal heaven.

A must-have for any gamer who truly appreciates the art of game development.