It’s been a long time coming.  I have already sung praises to anyone I come into contact with, and I am about to do so again.  This particular rambling involves a relatively new entry to the platformer scene which, while not reinventing the genre, nevertheless has succeeded in doing everything perfectly and become one of my favorite games.

I’m talking, of course, about Psychonauts.

I won’t deny that I wasn’t interested when I first heard of the game, and that is my own fault and loss.  I knew nothing of the genre, the style, or the involvement of Tim Schafer.  I heard the name “Psychonauts,” assumed it was a survival horror game because those are the games that put “psycho” in the title, and went on my way.  Those of you who know about the game can stop laughing now.

Later I saw screenshots of a charmingly cartoony game, one that appeared to be artful in its execution - each stylized level unique and colorful.  Imagine my surprise when I learned the game was Psychonauts.  I was properly intrigued.  The premise behind the game involves penetrating the minds of crazy people and fighting their nightmares.  I would never have matched it with the images I saw, which were entirely too bright to be suitable for such a grim subject.

I looked for the game everywhere, determined to have it on Xbox (it’s a platformer, I want it on a console), and couldn’t find it.  It seems many others had the same idea I did, because the shelves were barren.  Luckily for me, Katscratch had it and agreed to lend it to me when I tackled her.  I took it home with me and threw it in that night, against my better judgement.

There’s not much to tell about the next two days.  I didn’t do much.  I neglected cooking in favor of instant meals like macaroni and cheese.  I rationalized my way out of every errand.  The only time I left the TV was to sleep, and even then I had disturbingly colorful and stylized dreams.

I consider it a point of honor that I should be receiving a hefty electricity bill at the end of the month.

I finished the game, only ever frustrated by the last level’s steep challenges.  I sat there for a while trying to determine my favorite mind, wondering if there might be a sequel and whether I might ever have the chance to shake Tim Schafer’s hand.  Over the next week or so you might have recognized the slightly glazed look in my eyes and the slackness of my jaw.  It takes a while to recover from such an imaginative, colorful, immersive experience.  I highly recommend it.

It’s been several weeks now, since I finished.  I’m sure Katscratch wants her game back.  I think I might need to give it another go before I let her tug it from my vicelike grip.  I’ll only be able to console myself (oh, that was clever) by finding a copy of my own.  I hear there’s something extra if you get to level 100.

- jinx

take a chance cause you might grow