Imaginatively told with interesting characters and plenty of laugh-out-loud dialogue, how could anything else top this list but Psychonauts? Originally released in 2005, the rights to Psychonauts were reacquired by Double Fine back in 2011. Though the game initially sold poorly on Xbox, Windows and Playstation 2, it has slowly cultivated a following over the years to become one of the most cherished video games of all time. If youve played it, you probably love it, and if you havent then you should get on that right away. The game is set at Whispering Rock, a summer camp for psychically gifted individuals where they can hone their abilities and harness their psychic powers. The player assumes the role of Raz, a runaway from the circus who infiltrates the camp and begins to master the ways of the Psychonauts, taking part in classes and earning merit-badges for his achievements. Set across multiple levels that are themed around the various supporting characters, each one takes place in a new characters mind. You access each using a literal door that can be attached to a character in the game, granting Raz access to climb inside and start solving their problems, cleaning up their mental cobwebs and organising their emotional baggage. This is where a lot of the humour comes into play. Each level is designed around the personalities of the character whose brain youre currently exploring. For instance, the mind of the grizzled war-vet Coach Oleander is a warzone, and the mind of the paranoid conspiracy theorist Boyd takes the form of an eerie neighbourhood of men in trench coats who are poorly concealing themselves as housewives and grieving widows. Theres a lot to love about Psychonauts. Its a lovingly told coming-of-age story about a psychic and an evil dentist with a penchant for stealing brains. If you do nothing else today, buy Psychonauts and experience one of the greatest games of all time. You wont regret it. What's your favourite game from the minds of Schafer & co.? Let us know in the comments!
