I'll start with what is already known, the music is amazing and the design/art direction plays beautifully with the music to create an amazing experience, it could have been a point and click adventure game and with those perfectly executed two elements it would have been a good game, the gameplay is solid(even if a little frustrating if you're a casual but I managed to finish the game and I'm certainly not good at parrying which I abandoned completly for dodging :)) ) being a turn based RPG with real time attack parrying and dodging mechanics, the story is also good, all of the above being enough to warrant a buy. Regarding downsides the UI could use a little work, had no idea how to use pictos/what they specifically do until act 2 and it felt a little clunky until I caught on on what was equipped or not and the cost, the outside of combat platforming isn't that good either but isn't the focus of the game, apart from that I saw complaints about the map, for me the map was fine but a journal would help as I did slightly forget some quests/things seen so don't forget to have notepad open/pen&paper to write things in to not forget. I also heard about crashes/optimizations issues, I played&finished this game on a potato laptop with a 4GB RTX 3050 and I didn't have any crashes(the performance wasn't the greatest but the game worked and even in the lowest of settings the game looked amazing due to the world design). So definitelly worth a buy if you like turn based combat with a twist, pretty tough difficulty(I couldn't parry to save my life but thankfully I had dodging which was slightly more successfull) made for people who enjoyed the old rpgs like Chrono Trigger, amazing soundtrack&world art&design, story that will keep you hooked until at least near the end when it might be a hit or a miss depending on what you're looking for, for me I'm an older feller that got a glimpse in this game of the good old days when RPGs didn't bombard you with a milion "quality of life" "enhancements" that just require you to open the game and it plays itself and you actually need to learn and to do stuff(even if I know I complained above I still liked what they were going for) so I really liked the game, if you're unsure give it at least a shot when it gets a bigger discount as even if you won't like the gameplay/game there are still some absolute music bangers. PS: I liked the game and for me it was a 5 star game, might not be for everyone's tastes and it isn't perfect but for me overall it was a great buy and I enjoyed it, wishing only that they'd release the digital OST for the soundtrack and I would be a happy man. PPS: This is a turn based game so if you don't like turn based games you might not like it, just like I wouldn't like playing a game like Elden Ring as I wouldn't have the patience and skill so don't expect if you don't like a specific type of gameplay for miracles to happen, go first have a look on Youtube and see if it fits you.
I had Psychonauts in the library for some time but I just installed it recently and it was a blast from the start, great&unique design which makes the graphics still look good, fun gameplay that isn't too hard, great pacing that doesn't overstay its welcome, for not even 10 bucks it's a steal, buy it and you won't regret it as since I started playing it I didn't stop until I finished it, it just became one of my all time favourites with how quirky, unique and most importantly fun it was!
Overall an experience that was well worth the money, played on PC for the first time and I couldn't stop and finished it 2 weeks ago, I gave it four stars for the reasons below: - Stability wise the game was ok for me, crashed only around 2-3 times and I played it intensivelly, I did everything that was available in the game, all NCPD stuff, reached max level so it is fine on that regard(over 200-300 hours I think if not more) - Side quests were amazing, I have three favorites that are easily in my top most memorable moments in all of my gaming experience that actually made me think, feel and care for what's happening, the only small thing I have to say as a downside is the fact that there weren't enough of them, but regarding the ones that were kudos to everyone involved in making them - Soundtrack&design amazing have even a bunch of tracks that I listen regularly(give Samurai/Refused-Black dog a listen if you don't believe me)and don't even get me talking about the catchy combat music; regarding the design&art of the game I spent quite some time in my Glen apartment just chilling and looking through the window, admiring the city from one of the surrounding hills or parkouring on the rooftops of building, amazing stuff all around - Regarding bugs the one that I remember and was noticeable and annoying was a bug that kept playing in a infinite loop a charging sound after using an ability(the one that made you invisible) and reloading(mentioned it because I encountered it a lot, reloading the game each time fixed it but it was annoying as I had to do it after every combat hence the - 1 star review) As a summary if you're unsure but it when it's on discount or simply go full price you won't go wrong with this game and while some bugs exist, they're hardly noticeable overall with some minor exceptions but the way this game makes you feel, think and care when you least expect it makes it definitelly worth it.
The game is amazing, however you can only play this game online which is extremely dissapointing as I used to play the game with my brother on LAN so it was deliberatelly removed which is sad. No mention anywhere that you only have online multiplayer which is bad practice.
First of all, if you've played Risen 2 this game greatly improves on the combat system be it magic or melee and I actually had fun fighting monsters, also, it reintroduces the factions system. Another improvement from Risen 2 is the fact that now skills such as picklocking and pickpocketing can give some pretty good loot and feel more rewarding. I played on Ultimate(I think that was the name) difficulty and this is how I recommend playing for any old school Gothic fans, as this way you get to feel a little bit of the old school progression(not as well implemented as in the Gothic series but way better than in Risen 2). Another improvement in my eyes is represented by the world building and general design&feel of each island, now they truly feel different an they look pretty good. The storyline isn't memorable but it's ok, however there are a couple of characters that are quite unique and that you won't forget soon and the companions are pretty well made and give their input in quite a few situations. All in all it's a great Piranha Bytes title that I really enjoyed and spent over 40 hours in(first playthrough), definitelly worthy of a higher rating and a good buy.
