Camp Dazed and Confused, Let's Play Psychonauts! [Finished]

[Cullen]

The Game

Released in 2005, Psychonauts is a 3D platformer with secondary collection elements for the Xbox, PC and (in a less playable but still existent port) PS2. While the game has picked up a fair amount of prestige over the years, back in ye olde days of the internet you had likely heard of this game through one of two avenues: either you saw it on the PS2/Xbox rack at a video rental store and thought it looked neat, or you were clued into its existence due to it being the subject of one of the earliest episodes of Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw's Zero Punctuation review series. (It's also one of the extremely rare unambiguously positive ZP reviews in existence) I rented the PS2 version from a Family Video in 2008, if you were curious. Psychonauts puts us in the role of Razputin, or Raz, a bright eyed young Psychic hoping to become a camper at the Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp as his first step towards becoming a psychic operative, a Psychonaut. Naturally, the game features a number of psychic abilities that pair well with Raz's natural acrobatic abilities to create a fun and unique adventure platformer. Where the game really shines is its highly offbeat levels, featuring us delving into the minds of camp counselors, giant fish and a cadre of loons that have intricate and elaborate mindscapes highly molded by their perception of the world around them. Psychonauts also features an impressive level of detail, with both its hub and individual levels changing in small ways as you'd advance through the game. For those who love unimportant secondary details you can only find by exploring every nook and cranny every time something changes in a game, Psychonauts is for you. In addition to the standard fare of returning to old levels or further exploring the hub with newly obtained powers, the campers of Whispering Rock Summer Camp have their own little plot threads and beats that progress along with you as you journey through the game. It can be very fun to just run around the camp after finishing a level just to see what everyone is up to. Or just attempt to light everyone on fire when you get pyrokinesis just to see how they react to it. Likewise, there's a host of environmental details to observe if you like learning about the history of the world you're playing in. Due to a combination of all these things, Psychonauts firmly cemented itself as a cult classic when it was new and was highly praised by nearly all who played it when it was first released. With the advent of digital store fronts and a solid Steam version of the game, good word of mouth has allowed the game to reach a much wider audience and now it's built up a reputation as one of the greats for the platformer genre as a whole. If you haven't seen the game before, then I'm hoping to share it with you and show why I think it's pretty great. If you have, then I hope you'll like to go back through your own Memory Vault of this game along with me!

The Let's Play

This will be a 100% playthrough of the game, collecting all Psi Cards, Challenge Markers, Emotional Baggage, Memory Vaults, Mental Cobwebs, the infamous Figments and anything else required to get the coveted Rank 101. Additionally we'll be taking a look at some of the ongoing storylines and dramas of the residents of Whispering Rock as we progress through the game. For first clears of levels, I'll be going through them in what I feel is the most optimal way to keep the playthrough from dragging too much. Figments are by far the most disliked aspect of 100%'ing this game, and they can really slow down level progression if you try to collect them all as you make your way through the levels. As such, we'll just be grabbing the ones that are in the direct path the first go around, as well as ones I feel are notably difficult to get. It won't be until we get a specific power at the mid point of the game that I'll be returning to scoop up the ones I missed, and once I do commit to grabbing them all I'll be using sped up footage at the end of the videos for my collection drives. Without wasting anymore time,

The Videos

Part 1, Summer Camp Daze
Part 2, Braining Day
Part 3, The Search For Sasha
Part 4, Tax Dollars At Work
Part 5, Victory For Good Taste
Part 6, Dead of Brain
Part 7, Can We Get Much Higher?
Part 8, Brain Buster
Part 9, Hydrophobia
Part 10, Think Big
Part 11, The Milkman Conspiracy
Part 12, Rising Star
Part 13, The Phantom Pain
Part 14, War Games
Part 15, House of Cards
Part 16, Load of Bull
Part 17, Turtle Tower
Part 18 (Finale), Daddy Issues

Full LP Playlist

Enjoy platformers? Then you may also like my LP's of Donkey Kong Country or SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle For Bikini Bottom.

[Cullen]

As you'd expect from a decently story driven game, Part 1 mostly has us watching cutscenes for the purpose of establishing the game world. Our first playable area, the Cabins, does a bang up job of establishing the game though. The layout allows us to explore the basics of Psychonauts' platforming and the abilities Raz at his disposal, as well as having collectables all over the place to reward exploration. Psychonauts isn't really a collect-a-thon in the traditional sense, you only need about 30% of the collectables available to actually finish it, but what's an LP without getting that sweet 100% completion? Beyond that, we also see the abundance of easily missed little details that are all over the place in this game. You don't need to talk to any of the campers and can head straight for Basic Braining, but there's so much dialogue that can be missed if you do that. I doubt I'll see every little conversation this game has, but I'll make an effort to show off as many interactions with the other campers as I can.

[Cullen]

Part 2 is out! Basic Braining is an extremely blunt and straightforward level, designed as a formal introduction to the various aspects of Psychonauts platforming for those who didn't mess around in the Cabin area when they first got control. It also introduces us to the mental world collectibles, Figments, Baggage, Mental Cobwebs and Memory Vaults. The latter 3 are generally pretty easy to get if you just fully explore the level with some scattered exceptions, but Figments are infamous for being a pain to collect and are the biggest turn off for most people when it comes to 100% completing the game. Now 80-90% of them will be on the beaten path when progressing through a given level, and it's generally enough to give you enough Figment Points for rank ups to get through the game at the intended progression. The remaining figments on the other hand either tend to be moving Figments that are tricky to grab, small figments that blend into the background and are hard to even see, or hidden Figments that are tucked in the most random spots of levels that almost require a guide to find. For right now, we'll just be getting the ones on the beaten path and the scattered few that don't take me too far out of my way. Once we gain the ability to revisit levels, we'll also have a power that makes getting Figments much faster and much easier. It's also worth noting that you can't full clear most levels on your first go around until the mid game anyway, so some backtracking will end up being necessary. That aside, there's not too much to say about this level except for the fact that I'd wager most people playing this didn't realize you could continue to play the whack-a-mole game to get an additional rank up. I know I certainly missed that first time I played the game.

[Cullen]

Part 3 is out! A pretty long entry this time as we explore the bulk of Whispering Rock and spend some quality time with the other campers. This video is a good testament to just how much little detail there is in Psychonauts, as you can easily reach Sasha's lab in about 5 minutes, and instead I end up spending 50 talking to people and interacting with the environment. And there's even more we could be doing at this point! I'm electing to spread some of this out though, since it'll be more efficient to do it later, particularly item collection. It's also worth noting that the other campers have a tendency to move around and kick off new interactions and sub-stories whenever you complete a major level, so I'll be doing my best throughout the LP to make the rounds of the camp and see what antics everyone is getting up to. And light them on fire when we have the option to. Since I won't really get a chance to mention this elsewhere, Psychonauts was one of the earlier games to experiment with the idea of integrating social media into the game's background to expand on the characters. Specifically, DoubleFine has a still archived fictional platform called Campster that contains profiles for all the campers save for Raz, as well as extensive comment chains on said profiles from the campers. Apparently this site is a parody of an old platform called Friendster, which I have never heard of. In addition to developing the characters beyond the scope of the game, there's some relatively amusing interactions if you dig through the testimonials.

[Cullen]

Part 4 is out! With Sasha located, he quickly sends Raz into uncertain and dangerous mindscape territory, only to realize in short order this might be a little too much for an untrained 10 year old to handle. Fortunately, given Raz's prodigy status, a quick bit of training from an established Psychonaut is sure to resolve this problem... so long as Sasha can secure a code CYA from Psychomaster Ford Cruller. Beyond that, Raz gets to explore his pyromania, Lili firmly establishes herself as the resident Tsundere, we discover that animal cruelty is endorsed by the game, and Raz gets to begin his career as a treasure hunter. It's worth noting that you can visit Ford before this point and pre-complete a whole load of exposition, but I felt it fit better in the narrative if we did it now rather than at the first opportunity.

[Cullen]

Part 5 is out! We begin Sasha's training on a high note with probably the most memorable scene in the game with the Psi Blast demonstration. There's a reason Sasha is most people's favorite character. Naturally once things start going to hell due to Raz's impatience, we are thrust into a real level. It's worth noting that several of the figments in Sasha's Shooting Gallery are out of reach currently. It is possible to have the Cob Web Duster before entering this level, but since we have to return eventually anyway I figured I'd just take care of that after. Past that, we have completed half the scavenger hunt and got a cool +4 ranks for our efforts! Now there is one more scavenger item I know offhand we can get with a power from Ford if we rank up to 30, but otherwise the remaining scavenger items require story related powers to obtain. One in particular is outright not inside the Summer Camp, so you'll be wasting a ton of time if you try to find it. I'll be doing my best to collect the remaining items as we gain the ability to do so, but do note it'll be awhile before we get the second 4 rank jump. The campers are still in their previous locations, but completing the next portion of the Brain Tumbler Experiment will change that, so be mindful of that if you want to get the Steam Achievement for seeing the scene with Maloof in the parking lot.

[Cullen]

Part 6 is out! With Raz now being something resembling properly trained, we can return to the Brain Tumbler Experiment where it's more of an actual level now. We're able to scoop up the Emotional Baggage and most of the figments before getting booted from the level again, but we will need to return here one more time in the story before we're able to properly finish it off. I'll show off the Primal Memories for this level once we return to it for the last time and fully complete it. After getting kicked from the experiment again, most of the campers have moved to new locations and have different dialogue, so we do a quick run through the camp before we get to the location of our next level. Next up we have Milla Vodello's Levitation training, which is when the game really opens up and we're able to make actual headway on 100% completion. It's also where the movement and platforming in Psychonauts actually becomes something unique and interesting, so I'm excited to have finally made it to this point of the game.

[Cullen]

Part 7 is out! Milla's Dance Party is the final level we need to clear before getting the power that lets us do the bulk of collecting in the game easily, Levitation! This power is what makes platforming and exploration of Psychonauts fun in my opinion, and we'll dedicate sections of the next video to rounding up everything we can now that we have this power. As for the Dance Party itself, the level is easy to complete in a standard run through while 100%'ing it is another thing entirely. This level features everything that can possibly make Figments annoying to collect, and the infamous race section requires you to run the course a minimum of 3 times to get all the figments and more than likely you'll end up going through it 6 or 7 times. While we can do this on the first visit of the level, it would bog the video done a ton so we'll just treat this like one that needs to be revisited for simplicities sake. At least I was able to get every other collectible in it with no issue.

[Cullen]

Part 8 is out! Now that we have Levitation, it's time for a serious clean up of all the collectibles scattered around Whispering Rock. Aside from the docks and a scavenger hunt item in the GPC area we don't have the power for yet, we have everything there is to get in the camp at this point. I'll likely pick up some Psy Cores in the next video so we can put those cards we've been getting to work. After picking up some extra conversations around the camp, we return to the Brain Tumbler Experiment one last time, grabbing everything there along the way and getting into our second boss fight that comes with a major plot reveal! The story at this point wants us to meet up with Lili, but forget that because we have unrestricted access to the Brain Tumbler and the Collective Unconsciousness. At this stage of the game, we can now return to any level we've gained access to or have cleared via the Collective Unconsciousness. Additionally, we will no longer come across any levels we cannot 100% clear before being done with them, so I will be more diligent about picking things up before we're done with our business in the future levels. I take the opportunity to scoop up anything we've passed over up until this point. Milla's Dance Party is absolutely mind numbing for this. Big shout out goes to Synonyx, a GameFAQS user who wrote a comprehensive guide way back in 2008 that painstakingly recorded the location of every figment in every level and organized it as best he could. I wouldn't really recommend consulting this guide as you go, but it's extremely helpful for the handful of figments you're almost certainly going to miss.

[Cullen]

Part 9 is out! A slightly shorter than normal video due to the awkward pacing of this section of the game in the context of an LP, but not without it's notable points. Aside from the story beats, we have officially obtained all but one of the collectibles available in Whispering Rock, we have made the Levitation power even better, and we get the next boss fight of the game taken care of. As far as the actual levels go, we've entered a bit of a highlights reel for Psychonauts as we've had the casually fun Milla's Dance Party in a previous video and we'll have two of the most iconic levels in the game coming up in the next two videos. I'd wager they're the parts of Psychonauts that anyone who has heard of it but has never actually played it knows about, so I hope everyone is looking forward to them!

[Cullen]

Part 10 is out! We find ourselves as a jumbo-sized Raz in Lungfishopolis attempting to dismantle the mental regime Coach Oleander has established. There's actually remarkably little to say about this level beyond the fact that like Milla's Dance Party it's fun if you're playing non-completionist but a bit frustrating if you're trying to grab everything. Nowhere near as bad as the Dance Party at least. Apologies if the commentary for this level is a bit weak, this level doesn't give me much chance to get a word in and the minute-to-minute gameplay can be a little dull on account of how limited your mobility is in this level. On the plus side, we can now clear levels on the first go for the rest of the game, so no need to return here beyond seeing the cutscene that plays when you do. Other points of note is that now with the Shield power, we can obtain the final Scavenger Hunt item in Whispering Rock. Next up we have the most famous level in the game by a mile and easily the most talked about part of it. Get hyped.

[Cullen]

Part 11 is out! Quite a lot going on here, so it's fitting this ended up being a fairly lengthy video. The Milkman Conspiracy is probably the most surreal level in the game, centering around the paranoid delusions of a not terribly bright conspiracy theorist. There's not much in the way of platforming in this level but it is probably the most exploration heavy level in the game in terms of 100%'ing it. Nothing too tricky to get through here, but you can pretty easily find yourself lost on what to do if you aren't making proper use of the Clairvoyance power. Speaking of that, it's our next to last power and it goes almost unused for the remainder of the game, mostly there for fun than anything else. Beyond that, we're rapidly climbing up the ranks and are beginning to obtain some of the more busted upgrades in the game. We're also reaching the point where we need to make use of powers from Ford as well as needing the Cobweb Duster, so if you are lacking any of these things you're forced to get them now. It's unlikely you'll reach this point without being Rank 30 already and extra unlikely you wouldn't have collected to powers from Ford, but it is worth noting. The Cobweb Duster on the other hand can be a serious pain if you didn't expect it to be something you needed to buy. Once the level is cleared, we're able to finish the Scavenger Hunt and gain access to the final collectible set of the game. There's not much left to do in Whispering Rock at this point, but we will check in on the campers periodically to see if anything is going.

[Cullen]

Part 12 is out! This part is half dedicated to exploring our new hub area and familiarizing ourselves with its tenants, and half starting the newest level. Also Raz continues to be the embodiment of the "my hungry ass couldn't be a brain surgeon" meme. Gloria's Theatre is by far the most cutscene heavy level in the game, and the platforming challenges it does pose are fairly rudimentary, so don't expect anything too exciting if satirical bad community theatre isn't your thing. At least this is one of the easiest levels in the game to 100%.

[Cullen]

Part 13 is out! Resuming in Gloria's Theatre, we spend quite a bit of time literally just watching Theatre until we've seen the required plays to actually get into the point where it turns into an actual level. The Catwalks portion of the level is fairly straightforward with no out of the way secrets or high speed sections that are difficult to grab Figments in. I'd say Gloria's Theatre is the easiest level to 100% in the game, though this does go hand in hand with the actual gameplay of it being a bit dull. Regardless, we finish with it and get the first portion of our Doctor Loboto disguise. Next we move onto a couple levels that are decidedly more difficult to fully clear.

[Cullen]

Part 14 is out! Waterloo World was one of my favorite worlds when I first played this game as a teenager, but these days I think it's just kind of okay. The idea of mixing a strategy board game with a standard level is pretty cool, but the actual execution mostly just revolves around fetch quests and then moving the pieces to their designated spots. It certainly makes an impression though and casually it's a breezy and relaxing level to go through. 100% complicates it a fair amount but I actually handled it fairly well here and managed to get almost every figment organically, only needing to backtrack for a grand total of 4 of them. Given how there's 243 altogether in this level, I'd say that's an accomplishment. I swear the figments you're meant to float for are busted in some capacity, I have never been able to get the height or proper descent speed to grab them in a clear arc like the game seems to be indicating you should be able to. Luckily scuffed back up strats save the day there, and this is one of the few stages to lack moving figments, which is always appreciated. The next level we visit is one of the most visually distinct in the game, and also the last time I'm going to be leaving a level uncompleted and returning afterwards to grab the remaining items. There's a very particular reason for that.

[Cullen]

Part 15 is out! Starting up the second to last Mental World of the game and third to last level, it's time for the visually stunning but frustratingly laid out Black Velvetopia! There's quite a lot of cutscenes in this level so we'll take it in two videos as to keep it from being a marathon, we've already had that with the Milkman Conspiracy. This level features the visibility of figments at their absolute worst as the unique color palette does wonders in obscuring them and we have the ever obnoxious moving figments back in the mix. It's best to wait until you properly finish the level before you attempt to collect everything, as it is substantially less annoying to grab things on return visits. Not much else to say here, though this level is unique in having the one permanently missable collectible item in the game. We'll go over that when we get to it in the next video.

[Cullen]

Part 16 is out! Finishing up Black Velvetopia with our final psychic power obtained, all collectibles gotten, and capping off with a boss that is much buggier and less interesting than the mini-bosses that led up to it. I'm surprised how much of the collection for this level I was able to do organically, I ended up only missing one Figment along the paths we took for the first trip into the level. Goes to show the power of memorization. After wrapping up Edgar's issue and a brief return trip to the levels we've cleared since night fell (with the exception of Gloria's Theatre which I forgot like a dolt), we fully clear out Black Velvetopia and are primed for the final areas of the game. I suspect we'll be done within the next 2 videos.

[Cullen]

Part 17 is out! After picking up some loose ends at the start of the video, we begin the ascent of Thorny Towers and it's an absolute collect-a-palooza. In the process, we're able to re-brain all the de-brained children and see what they are up to (Spoiler: it's not helping us). We also make it past rank 95, the last rank that actually has an impact on gameplay. With Mr. Pokeylope secured, we're ready to enter the final level of the game.

[Cullen]

The final part is out! Fittingly it ends with a mental battle in every sense of the word, and a victory lap of collectibles for the final 3 ranks. Rank 101 has no benefit other than the satisfaction of getting everything that matters in the game, so pat yourself on the back if you manage it. With all that taken care of, we defeat the final bosses of the game, secure our spot as a Psychonaut, mend Raz's paternal relationship, and view our ending. I thank everyone who has watched, and I hope to see you in the next thing I make!