There's plenty I like about Psychonauts, but I don't like it as a game.
The game is worth experiencing at least once for sure, providing a surreal, charming, and unconventional experience which could only have come from the mind of Tim Schafer. Psychonauts brings to life such entertaining characters and ingenious levels that I would recommend at least watching a playthrough to see this delightfully absurd tale you couldn't have seen anywhere else. But, this doesn't change the fact that I don't think the game is fun to play.
Item collecting in this game can be insanely-tedious, the platforming is often frustrating, and the combat is shallow and underwhelming. The countless abilities provided to you in the game feel cluttered and unhelpful. I rarely made use of them and when I did I still didn't enjoy the combat or the platforming. The ideas were brilliant for sure, but the gameplay wore me down with its repetition and lack of polish too much for a second playthrough to be appealing.
I don't love this game, but I really wish I did. I would love to say I enjoyed this game as much as Grim Fandango, but that game just provided an experience that, while certainly shorter and less varied; was much more polished, compact, and focused. To those out there who love Psychonauts to death, that's great. I honestly wish I could relate. Perhaps part 2 will provide the 3D platforming bliss I'd wanted in part 1. I'm going to start it soon, fingers crossed!
The game is worth experiencing at least once for sure, providing a surreal, charming, and unconventional experience which could only have come from the mind of Tim Schafer. Psychonauts brings to life such entertaining characters and ingenious levels that I would recommend at least watching a playthrough to see this delightfully absurd tale you couldn't have seen anywhere else. But, this doesn't change the fact that I don't think the game is fun to play.
Item collecting in this game can be insanely-tedious, the platforming is often frustrating, and the combat is shallow and underwhelming. The countless abilities provided to you in the game feel cluttered and unhelpful. I rarely made use of them and when I did I still didn't enjoy the combat or the platforming. The ideas were brilliant for sure, but the gameplay wore me down with its repetition and lack of polish too much for a second playthrough to be appealing.
I don't love this game, but I really wish I did. I would love to say I enjoyed this game as much as Grim Fandango, but that game just provided an experience that, while certainly shorter and less varied; was much more polished, compact, and focused. To those out there who love Psychonauts to death, that's great. I honestly wish I could relate. Perhaps part 2 will provide the 3D platforming bliss I'd wanted in part 1. I'm going to start it soon, fingers crossed!