Psychonauts In The Rhombus Of Ruin (PSVR) – open your mind

Double Fine’s cult classic returns in a stylish spin-off that looks completely unlike any other VR game. But is it just another tech demo?

We hope Sony has got big plans for PlayStation VR this year, because with every new game we play we somehow walk away even more impressed than before. This spin-off from cult favourite Psychonauts was announced last year, and is a very different experience from recent highlight Resident Evil 7. Not just in terms of its gameplay, but also its abstract art style. In that sense, it’s one of the most interesting VR games we’ve seen. Although that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good game.



We’re really not sure how much of an introduction Psychonauts needs. The 3D platformer was a flop when it was first released in 2005, as the first game from developer Double Fine – the studio set up by LucasArts veteran Tim Schafer. But it quickly gained a cult following for its clever script and surreal settings, and became a regular in top 10 lists of ‘games that deserve a sequel’. Nobody ever thought it would, including Schafer, and yet somehow Psychonauts 2 is currently in development and due out next year.

The Rhombus Of Ruin is technically also a sequel, as it takes place shortly after the events of the first game and is intended as a bridge to the story in the second. In terms of gameplay though it’s completely different, and is essentially a first person, virtual reality version of a point ‘n’ click adventure.


You don’t need to have played the original Psychonauts to enjoy this, as the plot itself is entirely self-contained. It could’ve put a bit more effort into explaining exactly what a psychonaut is, but then the first game was also a little vague about that – and never actually showed anyone on a proper mission. That’s how Rhombus Of Ruin starts though, with your characters acting as government agents with psychic abilities. You play as youngster Raz, who’s tagging along with possibly-maybe girlfriend Lili and a trio of more experienced adults.

Lili’s dad is the head of the organisation, and has been captured by persons unknown. And so the game begins with you aboard a secret spy jet, on the way to rescuing him. Here you’re introduced to all of Raz’s different abilities, including telekinesis, pyrokinesis, and shooting-people-with-brain-blasts-kinesis. Your most important ability though, and the one you always have even when the others are denied to you, is clairvoyance, which allows you to enter other people’s minds and see the world from their perspective.

This works very cleverly in terms of VR, because it means you never move around manually but instead jump between different people. The teleportation movement system is common in VR games, but here it’s not only given context but is a major element of most of the puzzles. Since you’re only looking out through other people’s eyes puzzles often revolve around moving them, or something in their way, in order to reveal an important object or clue.



The problem is though, that few of the puzzles are much more complicated than just looking around for the next person/thing to jump to. It’s been clear for years that Schafer is no longer really interested in traditional LucasArts style puzzles, but the ones here are so simplistic as to be almost pointless. And it’s not that it wouldn’t be possible to make them more involved in VR, that’s just how they’re designed.

Psychonauts In The Rhombus Of Ruin (PSVR) – Sasha is a strange-looking lady

After the disappointing Broken Age we didn’t really expect much else, but what is discouraging is that the script in Psychonauts is surprisingly mediocre. There’s the odd chuckle to be had, but it’s very far from Schafer’s best. Especially as many of the better jokes are sight gags. The other problem with the script is that it doesn’t work as a straight narrative, as there’s very little character work and the game just ends abruptly after little more than two hours.

With lots of sitting around looking for new locations to jump to, the overwhelming impression we had of Rhombus Of Ruin is that it’s just… a bit dull. Which is not what we expected to be saying about the first new Psychonauts game in over a decade.

The saving grace is that this is a very good demo for VR. Although plenty of VR games use cartoonish graphics the designs in Psychonauts are far stranger than usual, and having the bizarrely proportioned Sasha looming over you feels like you’re an episode of the Muppets or some other surreal children’s show. The 3D environments look equally impressive, with a dreamlike quality that makes the original art design look better than ever.


But while we continue to be impressed by the quality of experience offered by PlayStation VR, that doesn’t mean the game itself is saved by the novelty of its presentation. At £15 it’s just too expensive for that, and although that shouldn’t put off Psychonauts fans we don’t think this is the sort of game to gain the series any new ones.

Psychonauts In The Rhombus Of Ruin In Short: Another impressive PlayStation VR tech demo, but as a game, and the long-awaited return of a beloved franchise, the experience fails to satisfy. Pros: The game’s distinctive art style looks great in VR and the use of teleportation to move is inspired. The other Psi powers work very well too, even if they’re not available often. Cons: Simplistic puzzles and a plot that goes nowhere and ends suddenly. Disappointing script and frequently dull gameplay. Too short and too expensive. Score: 6/10

Formats: PlayStation VR

Price: £15.49

Publisher: Double Fine

Developer: Double Fine

Release Date: 21st February 2017

Age Rating: 7

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