I was in my mid-twenties when I finally picked up Psychonauts and gave it a go. The Playstation 2 was an aging system at that point, and the only copy that I was able to procure came from a third hand mom and pop game reseller that also sold old dvd's, consoles, and posters.
Stroking my PS2 softly to coax it to life (at that point it needed a little convincing to warm up), I plopped in the disc from the game box (in surprisingly good condition despite it's age), and started up what would be one of the final riveting adventures that I would have on the console before finally retiring it.
Psychonauts was made in 2005, but I wouldn't get around to playing it until 2009. Made by then small publisher Double Fine Studios, it was a romp into the the fantastical world of students training to be Psychonauts, agents for a secret organization of telekinetics that delved into people's minds.
The unique artistic style of the world and characters, as well as the games distinct (but slightly dark) sense of humor drew me in immediately and mercilessly held on until I finished the game less than two weeks later. I was incredibly busy at the time with work, school, and theater, but every moment spent in my lonely one bedroom apartment in what was not the greatest area of town was spent in front of my small television working through the story and levels.
I didn't regret it.
Basically, the game is a platformer. Now... in a post I haven't written yet I will describe to you why playing any platform is a very huge deal for me, but suffice to say that I had (and still have, with only the very occasional exception), sworn them off.
But this game was so perfectly made, so beautifully perfect in it's level design, story, style and, maybe most importantly of all, gameplay, that it quickly proved to be the exception to what for me had been a rule. The compliment of powers: ranging from telekinesis to pyrokinesis, felt like a varied toolkit with which to explore the world in new and meaningful ways.
And without spoiling, the levels feature some of the most interesting worlds I've seen in any game to date. This one's a keeper folks. Now, for 9 bucks you can play it yourself if you own a PS4. It's also available for PC through Steam. I highly recommend it, as it is most certainly one of the best games ever made.
Author's Note:
Also, for those of you who aren't aware, Psychonauts had a successful round of crowdfunding and is getting the sequel treatment!
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