This was a very interesting game. In the beginning, I wasn't really that interested in the game, because I didn't like the animation or level design that much. But something made me continue, and in hindsight I think that something must have been the charm of the game. Psychonauts has some pretty mature themes handled in a very dark comedic way. I realized this after finding a secret surrounding one of the characters in their level, which changed everything about how I viewed that character from that point. This game reminds me a lot of self-aware cartoon movies such as Terkel i knibe [Terkel in Trouble], and the twist in the end that was completely uncalled for really cemented that similarity in my opinion. I didn't care much in the beginning, but I was hooked towards the end, because the level design finally stepped up, delivering some very good final stages. The music was pretty solid too, though it actually bugged out from time to time unfortunately. I thought the game handled mental illness as a topic very well too, presenting a world where mental problems can be fixed by someone jumping into your brain and fixing your bad thoughts. It is a very interesting premise, and raises further discussion about the morality of scrambling other people's brains, which feels like something the next game can elaborate further on. But for now, this game is good enough as it is for a discussion about mental illness.

Reviewed on Aug 26, 2020


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