GameTavern - Preview: Psychonauts

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: Double Fine Productions Inc.
Price: TBD
Availability: TBD 2003

Preview:

Psychonauts is a wildly surreal action-adventure game in which players use paranormal powers to plunge into the minds of bizarre characters. Players journey deep into crazy worlds of infinite possibility to thwart the secret plan of an evil madman and realize the ultimate dream of joining an elite force of psychic superheroes, the Psychonauts.

Players delve into people's minds as Raz, a powerful young cadet at psychic summer camp. While working on his merit badge in levitation, Raz discovers that someone is kidnapping psychic children and stealing their brains. To foil this evil plot and earn the title of Psychonaut, Raz must project himself into the mind of one bizarre character after another to battle their nightmares and inner demons. He does all this while continuing to earn psychic merit badges in subjects such as telekinesis, clairvoyance and fire-starting.

Features:

Blast, think, dodge. Players use cunning wit, paranormal powers and logic to solve twisted puzzles inside other people's minds. Players run, bounce, float, climb, swing, sneak and scoot through this bizarre psychic journey, defeating monsters, lunatics and demons with the Psi-Blast, a mental burst of energy that will banish nightmares.
All in the mind? Psychonauts is the only game ever to take place in the minds of the insane and the world in which they live. Players will face the fears, neuroses and bizarre thoughts of villains and lunatics — and even see themselves in a new light — as they progress through a twisted, imaginative, colorful and scary yet fun journey.
Master the powers of the mind. As the game progresses, constant training will unleash in Raz new powers of teleportation, telekinesis, levitation, fire-starting, prophecy and invisibility. Players will use these in the quest to become a stronger, more dynamic hero and to fulfill Raz's lifelong dream of joining the elite force of Psychonauts.
Feature-film quality. Handcrafted animations breathe life into every character. From the sound of sneaking footsteps to the crash of a Psi-Blast, rich sound effects make the worlds come alive. The original soundtrack was recorded to match the action and mood throughout this twisted journey.

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Developer Information -
Double Fine Productions was formed in July 2000 by LucasArts veteran Tim Schafer, whose credits include the award-winning games "Grim Fandango," "Full Throttle" and "Day of the Tentacle." Based in San Francisco, Double Fine specializes in games that feature rich storylines, believable characters, amazing art and future-generation technology.