Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin

Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin
N/A
Metacritic
88
Steam
78.632
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$19.99
Release date
19 April 2018
Steam reviews score
Total
88 (444 votes)

Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin is an all-new Virtual Reality adventure that takes players back into the mysterious and paranormal world of the Psychonauts for the first time in over ten years!

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Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin system requirements

Minimum:

  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows 7 SP1 or greater
  • Processor: Intel i5-4590 processor equivalent or greater
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 970 / AMD 290 equivalent or greater
  • Storage: 8 GB available space
  • Additional Notes: Gamepad required, Touch as Gamepad optional
Updated
App type
Steam APP ID
788690
Platforms
Windows PC
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MGlBlaze
MGlBlaze

I did manage to complete the game, but then it broke and no longer recognises my Index controller inputs, so I am no longer able to do anything. Can't even select things in the menu. This is a big problem.

Dr. Qyurryus
Dr. Qyurryus

Story:

Although it's a short experience, it does give some insight into what happened between Psychonauts 1 and 2 and some important backstory and character developments.

Gameplay:

It obviously doesn't play like the other two games, but it does give a VR twist to Raz's main psycho abilities, which was fun. Also, The gimmick of a VR experience and being inside the world of Psychonauts, was quite enjoyable.

Technicality:

As I played on Valve Index, they did not update the control scheme for the system even though it is officially supported as stated on the store page. It's playable but not quite intuitive and the image for the button layout of the game is not for the index so you will be testing each button to see what it does.

KingGamerLive14
KingGamerLive14

It's a very short game that I beat in less than 2 hours. it was still fun, and the puzzles were very inventive (especially the one with the cow fusion.) Altogether, I would only recommend it when it's on sale, because as it stands $20 is not worth it for a game that can be beaten so quickly.

Stingrat the Chunkalunk
Stingrat the C…

Really made me feel like Richard Horvitz

7/10

Xanderg
Xanderg

It was like playing an interactive movie. That said, I didn't feel like taking off my HMD to eat any popcorn. Save for some confusion early on in the game, I actually had a blast the whole way through.

jangowolf
jangowolf

This was a small adventure. Not worth it unless you really enjoy the characters. THere isnt much in the way of story or puzzles. They at the very least do utilize the VR controls but not really worth it at the end of the day.

Buy this on a discount.

ThatOneCrossover
ThatOneCrossover

An entertaining VR title to bridge the gap between Psychonauts 1 and 2. It's got the humor, look, and characters/ story that made Psychonauts such a classic (among many other things) but with a point and click kind of gameplay style. If you're a fan of the original game already and just so happen to own a VR headset, then go ahead and get this game ON SALE.

If you're not a fan of the original already, there is nothing for you here. The gameplay is nothing you have have never seen before, VR or otherwise. And the controls are clunky at best. The game does introduce some fun puzzles, but it never goes beyond what it could be with the whole psychic concept.

Bottom line, if you're a fan of the original Psychonauts already, have a VR headset already, AND see this game on deep sale, then go ahead and get it since I really did enjoy myself here even with all the game's shortcomings. If you don't belong to anything I just said, don't bother. There ain't much for you here.

Dusty
Dusty

Not a difficult game by any means, and far from being the most unique VR game out there, but if you're a fan of the original Psychonauts this is a MUST play. Seeing these updated models and gorgeous animations for the first time is indescribable, and the same wit and humor from the original game is still alive and well.
Overall this game is charming, funny, and an absolute joy to look at

Ganak
Ganak

What a great little adventure with excellent production value.
If you like Psychonauts and you have VR pick this up!

Geldon
Geldon

A great two hour experience, rich with prime Double Fine content including lovely environments. The story is a great romp with some of my favorite Psychonauts characters. The Rhombus of Ruin plays a bit like a VR-perspective point and click adventure most of the time, but they did a great job on it.

I played it using an Oculus Quest 2 over Air Link and it worked just fine, though it was necessary for me to switch to an external battery partway in because my HMD's headset was getting low and game does not mention saving anywhere.

Erebos
Erebos

An enjoyable bridge to Psychonauts 2 with all of the fun and charm of the main game.

This is essentially a point-and-click adventure which could have quite comfortably existed as a 2D title for those who don't have the money for a VR headset; all actions are performed by pointing your head at objects and interacting with buttons on the controllers. Whilst VR certainly brings the game to life (as it tends to with everything) it's a shame that a lot of people will miss out on this short but enjoyable experience. The visuals are nonetheless crisp, full of colour, detail and spectacle. Dr Loboto is considerably creepier when he's looming over you in full 3D!

I finished the game in just under two hours, and whilst enjoyable, there's nothing more to see that would inspire a second trip any time soon. At the discounted price it was still very much value for money, but don't expect much more than an 'interactive experience'.

Dirty Dan
Dirty Dan

The pacing is weird and it definitely feels like 2018 VR game, but it was a fun 2 hours. That being said, I got it on sale for $2 and I wouldn't DARE pay the full $20 for it tho, idc how big of a Psychonauts fan you are.

Gazglum
Gazglum

Played on the discount sale for the launch of Psychonauts 2. As an experience it is a short, cute, refresher on the world of Pyschonauts, but the gameplay is very shallow. More of a tech demo than a full game, it lacks the interactivity and the clever humour of classic puzzle games. The short sequences mostly reminded me of how much more fun the Psychonauts 1 dreamworlds were, but it did get me excited to play the sequel, so in that regard it succeeded.

conradniel
conradniel

First and formost this game is LINIAR.
That out of the way this 100% feels like psyhconauts

Jerid Messa
Jerid Messa

I think the only problem is I feel like it didn't have to be VR only, which severely limits who can play it since VR is still so pricey, though the VR stuff was pretty fun.

Go for it if you actually do have VR and played the first Psychonauts. Watch it on Youtube if you don't have VR.

Rickkity-T
Rickkity-T

All things considered, this game is pretty neat. Psychonauts inherently lends itself well to a first-person virtual reality experience, and most all of the classic psychic abilities work pretty well within the setting. The writing is as good as I had hoped, and it's a real delight to see all my favorite characters animated and up-close.

As an early VR game, you can tell locomotion and motion sickness were still primitively understood- You play seated, only your head is tracked, you only teleport between fixed points within each level. As a result, the game ends up playing more like a point-and-click puzzle, which still works out in Double Fine's favor.

The game is definitely short, but considering I picked it up for $2, I don't think there's much to complain about. My only other gripe might be that the pacing isn't too tight- I frequently found myself waiting for some protracted conversation to end or a fish to eventually float into frame so I could continue with the game.

It's short, it's funny, it's clever, and it also surprisingly looks really good! Absolutely worth picking up on the cheap.

yigalzr
yigalzr

This is far from the best VR puzzle games out there, but it is a fun experience for itself, especially if you love the first game.

DocZ
DocZ

For $2 it's a pretty fun game.
My only complaint was that it requires a lot of neck movement so I had to take breaks multiple times.

Otherwise I highly recommend it even if you already played Psychonauts 2!

TheOrangeGush
TheOrangeGush

I remember when i paid 1 dollar for Sly Cooper, the future is crazy.

newbsauce
newbsauce

Short but sweet! The voice acting and music is top notch. Wish Psychonauts 2 was in VR.....

Mac Hine
Mac Hine

A light hearted linear story with puzzle elements. Playtime is about 2 hours. Controls are weird at first, but not that hard to get used to.
Overall a nice seated VR experience and a great buy during a sale.

Killo
Killo

Pretty alright for the 2 dollars I paid for it. Links the first and the second game with a point and click adventure. If you don't have VR, just watch a PT of it.

slick
slick

What a fun little adventure!...You jump right into psychonauts world and it feels perfect, you cant move you just jump around through telekinesis into different characters seeing through their perspective and solve puzzles....great little story thats good gateway into P2....5h playtime with getting all the acheivements...for right sale price its instant buy if you psychonauts fan...played perfectly with samsung ody plus!

ho
ho

Psychonauts Rhombus of ruin is a game that no one expected its doublefine's first VR game and very surprisingly they did a fantastic job with it especially since this is their first time venturing into VR territory, the story serves to bridge a gap between Psychonauts 1 and 2 it’s as important to the story of Psychonauts 2 as 1 was so if you are a fan I highly recommend you to Atleast watch it on YouTube.

What I love about the game

-Great writing while it’s not necessarily as good as the original the writing still manages to impress with its worldbuilding, humor, dialogues and story, the story leaves you in the dark for a while and once things starts to reveal you will be impressed at the end by how the story unfolds.

-great use of VR technology, Psychonauts has some of my favorite worlds and artstyle in any game so it’s really cool to see how you can interact with the environments and having the ability to use the psychonauts abilities feels surprisingly natural.

-Great puzzle design probably some of the best if not the best puzzles i have ever seen in a VR game.

-Traversal done right, most VR games that have teleportation as traversal feel very awkward and out of place, in this game however you are traversing by jumping from one mind to the other making the teleportation movements feel natural.

What I didnt like about the game

-the length ok so let’s address the big elephant in the room here, yes the game is extremely short even for a VR game and it does not help that it lacks the replay value because of its puzzle solving gameplay, I think 3-5 hours more gameplay would have made it more 20$ worthy but 20$ for a 2-3 hour game is asking for too much.

-dialogue being cut it happens so often that it sometimes can feel chaotic and annoying.

-No sitting option I do not recommend you to play this game while standing AT ALL and I’m quite baffled that there is no sitting option you can still recalibrate it from the Vr menu but i find it quite baffling that the game does not offer any accessibility for this.

Tl;dr

Psychonauts rhombus of ruin is an excellent VR game but sadly it’s very short and lacks the replay value if it’s ever on sale then it’s a must buy especially if you are a fan of the original game.

Overall score 7.5/10 (with the 20$ price)
8.5/10 (with discount)

Varcova
Varcova

I have to recommend this game to anyone who loved Psychonauts and has a headset. Seeing this art-style in VR is wonderful. The presentation, writing, pacing, and music doesn't miss a beat, despite the 13 years between the games. I laughed frequently at the writing, and enjoyed the game.

While the game doesn't have motion controls, playing with a game-pad is effective. Moving is done by hopping between characters with the Clairvoyance ability, while other abilities are used for some light puzzle solving. The characters are reactive to player input more so than most VR games I've played, lending a sense of presence and weight to their freaky design.

Dayne Dastardly
Dayne Dastardly

+ Point-and-Click adventure in VR, game is best approached as an interactive movie
+ Put yourself behind Razputin's goggles and have psychic powers like TK, Pyrokensis, Clairvoyance, and PsyBlast
+ Picks up right where Psychonauts 1 left off
+ Good writing, VR adds immersion
+ Can be played totally as a Seated VR experience (works best with a swivel chair)

- Linear, not much room for exploration
- You won't always have access to your psychic powers, only the ones that are given at the moment
- Puzzles may be too easy (don't expect Monkey Island levels of adventure puzzling)
- $20 tag might be too expensive for some given the game's estimated length of 2-3 hours. (I picked it up for $2 while on sale.)

Adult Gamer
Adult Gamer

If you like Psychonauts, make sure not to overlook this underrated title. It doesn't have the extravagance of a full Psychonauts game, and it's linear enough to be nearly as fun to watch as to play, but for a two hour stationary VR Psychonauts experience made in 2017, it's hard to imagine it being any better. I wouldn't say no to another VR Psychonauts in 2033, if they want to make one.

This game starts almost immediately after the events of Psychonauts 1. As Raz, you're jetting off to save the head of the Psychonauts, but an unfortunate turn of events endangers the rest of your team, too. This opens the door for some more opportunities to nose around in your new friends' heads. The game's not long enough for you to explore any fully-fledged mental worlds, but via a hallucination-inducing psychic field, you do get more insight into some of your new colleagues. Raz's circus skills won't appear here - this is a stationary VR experience so the writers come up with good reasons for him to be stuck in a chair in-game - but what card-carrying Psychonaut would let that stop them? Some psi-powers from the first game re-appear, and are surprisingly fluid to use, though
the gameplay departs from that of the mainline games. The core gameplay is about looking around in each scene for interactable objects and figuring out which power to use on them, in order to break each character out of their hallucination, making it more like a VR point-and-click adventure. The best players of these kinds of games are endlessly curious, and though level design is much more limited than usual, there are a couple of secret interactions you can look for in each scene. The Steam achievements can guide you towards them but you know you're a true Psychonaut if you can get them all in one playthrough without ever looking.

If you're worried the 2005 graphics are returning there's nothing to fear. Thanks to Unreal Engine lighting and updated models (shown off in the staple VR way of having characters talk right into your face), this game looks great for 2017. The developers once again let loose with uniquely bizarre environments. There's even a shift into stop-motion animation for one moving sequence; I'd love to see things like that in future titles. The game isn't shy about playing with scale for maximum spectacle either. Basically, Psychonauts once again brings you sights quite unlike anything else in video games. The great sound quality in today's headsets hammers home the strength of Psychonauts' sound and music too. This and nearly everything else I compliment in this review is exemplified by a brilliant Bond-style title sequence in VR - if you see that and like it, you'll probably enjoy the rest of the game too.

Another signature aspect of Psychonauts is its comedy. Rhombus of Ruin has its fair share of funny moments, but in VR it can trip itself up. As is tradition in Tim Schafer's games, interacting with objects rewards the player with funny voice lines. However, between the narrative voice lines in your mind, the speech of characters outside your mind, voice lines triggered by interacting with an object AND voice lines triggered by accident, such as by looking at something, the voice lines often talk over each other and you're not clear what anyone's said. Enabling subtitles is recommended if you don't want to miss anything and don't mind a slight loss of immersion.

The game ends with a full-length performance of the hilarious title theme - maybe the best I've heard in a video game. After that is the most thrilling sentence possible for those who loved Psychonauts since playing it in 2005: "Raz will return in Psychonauts 2". I would recommend playing or at least watching this as a fun interlude between the two games, rather than the teasing non-sequel it used to be. Clever simile coming up to tie things together: much like Raz escaping the confines of his chairs, Double Fine have shown that the constraints of VR can't stop them delivering a quality experience worthy of their other games. I hope to one day see their bottomless creativity applied to the increasingly bold VR medium again.

Laps
Laps

Great fun!
A real lovely VR jaunt of Psychonaughts goodness. Wonderfull up-ressing of the original art style, and beautiful.
Game play was quite fun, and very entertaining. Plenty of nice little puzzle zones.

Matakage
Matakage

Really good game! It is 2 hours, like they say, and worth every bit of $10 at this point in its life. (Too bad it's $20. Get it on sale.)

Kasst0nic.ttv
Kasst0nic.ttv

Simple, short and sweet. You can beat the game in two hours. The dialog is full of jokes and is great introduction to psychonauts series. The game is clearly designed for ps4 VR and this is simply a port. There are no motion/touch controls. You can just use a controller and beat just fine.

That said, this game is NOT WORTH the asking price of 19.99. I brought this game on sale for 1 dollar. Which is a bargain for any VR user. IMO this is a great 5 dollar title. So wait for the game to go on sale. I repeat, do not buy this game for 20 dollars. You will be disappointed.

Also, also. This game does make some minor VR related mistakes. I don't like having to look up. I have 8 pound device attached to my forehead and arching my neck to look up is truly, a pain in the.... neck.

Slartibartfast
Slartibartfast

Surprisingly cool VR experience and very funny as well!

Ocelot
Ocelot

perfect way to get ready for psychonauts 2! solid writing and comedy, but of course you will need a vr headset :/

dolce.ardore
dolce.ardore

If you are a fan of Psychonauts and have VR, you really need to play this.

As with the other two Psychonauts games, the characters, voice acting, story, creativity, humour, art design are absolutely top notch. The environments and graphics in Rhombus of Ruin are stunning and highly immersive. Keep in mind that the gameplay is totally different from the mainline Psychonauts games in that it's more like a point and click story with puzzle elements and not at all a platforming, adventure or action game. Some might regard this as a deficiency, but consider that this design allows you to experience the gorgeous environments at a leisurely pace and won't give sensitive people any issues with motion sickness -- it's all very accessible. I haven't completed the game yet but other reviews put it at around 2 hours, which is on the short side, and there isn't going to be a lot of replayability, so keep that in mind.

All in all, I'm really glad that I got this game and I hope to see other VR games from Double Fine in the future.... maybe when XBox Series gets VR.

LesserRat
LesserRat

As VR experiences go, this one is... Okay.

The pacing is a bit sluggish. The puzzles are often a little obtuse in ways that don't amplify any satisfying "A-ha!" at the end. The plot is nothing to get amped about but might scratch the itch for desperate Psychonauts fans who can't afford the recently-released sequel (which is... fair enough. Oof). Aaand on a scale from "Singular 'Heh'" to "Lung-Busting Joy-Wheeze", the laughs are... "Modest Chuckle" (but maybe that's subjective and I'm just getting old).

The reason I can't exactly say I 'recommend' Rhombus of Ruin largely hinges on how there are simply better things to do with your shiny technology and, y'know, the hour or two it'll take to play this - I jumped into Valve's "The Lab" immediately after finishing this and it wasn't long before I wondered if the time it took me to finish Rhombus could have been better spent elsewhere.

TL;DR: It's not bad, it just isn't up to scratch.

mediarulestheworld
mediarulestheworld

Pretty buggy with newer VR sets. Had it crash a couple of times. Not super recommended unless you're willing to put up with the headache. Just watch it on YouTube before playing Psychonauts 2.

Alok813
Alok813

Play this before Psychonauts 2!

Tybot
Tybot

Fantastic little jaunt into the Psychonauts universe, and one of the smartest implementations of VR I've played. Turns some of the weaknesses of VR into strengths. (Some of these other reviewers have some odd expectations.) Story and design absolutely scream Tim Schafer. I only wish it were a bit longer, but a lot of quality crafting got packed into those few hours.

Efolimac
Efolimac

Why is this special und you should play it?
Because of the love, the care and the high production value that was put into it. I love indie-VR games, but this is clearly made by a professional team, which does understand its work of creating unique world with a certain charme.
Seeing the Psychonauts universe in 3D and VR with all its characters, the great artstyle and the humour is a blast. I've played the first game in 3D and will play the second one in my VR-Headset as well (VorpX).
This one is the perfect sidequest and preparation for P2. Thanks Double Fine :)

BλnanaZen314159
BλnanaZen314159

For an earlier VR game, and despite not using motion controls, it's really well-polished! But at the end of the day, it's Psychonauts, so what's not to love about it?

Nuss
Nuss

Its pretty good, the graphics are amazing but the controls took me a while to get used to, its quite short, and the puzzles are just alright, the best part is Tim Schafer's writing, which is great as always, I'd only recommend this game if youre a Psychonauts fan and/or the game is on sale, otherwise, just watch a playthrough of the game.

Mr. Raz
Mr. Raz

A fun, albeit short, VR experience taking place between Psychonauts 1 and 2.

While it's limited by early VR design philosophy (first released on PSVR in early 2017), it's still great to drop back into the world of Psychonauts, and in VR.

I got it for $2 on sale commemorating the release of Psychonauts 2, so the two hours of enjoyment was easily worth it, however the base retail price really doesn't seem to justify what you get. If you can get it for a low price and you already like Psychonauts, give it a try.

The controls are a bit confusing at first if you're not using Vive Wands, but I got used to them after a few minutes.

mutantmindframe
mutantmindframe

bought it mainly to support double fine and the psychonauts series. it's a cute little experience.

Bilbo Laggins
Bilbo Laggins

~1 hr play time at the time of review. I left my play session feeling entertained, so it gets a thumbs up. I'll finish this game.

The VR is very "gen 1", without tracked motion controllers. Think Oculus before they had room-scale. You play with your tracked VR headset and untracked gamepad. There is also no direct locomotion, only teleporting between things with brains through your psychic power; which I guess is a clever explanation for teleport locomotion in the games fiction... that doesn't make it more fun, but it does add charm.

And that's kinda this game overall: It's not particularly fun to interact with, but it's clever and charming when you do interact with it more often than not.

AleyK.Cxl-a
AleyK.Cxl-a

A great little game set in the psychonauts universe

The VR Mechanics are a little sub-par other titles, as it's only teleporting from point to point, no way to move with joystick or in real space.

Apart from that little quirk, the story is great, as is it a direct epilogue to Psychonauts 1 and an introduction to Psychonauts 2.

Can be finished under 3 hours with all achievements.

m_graeve
m_graeve

Story-wise it's a great conclusion to the events of the first game. Mechanics-wise it is a good show of some of the strengths of virtual reality as a platform. The only problem I ever noticed while playing was the position of the menu options on the pause screen is relative to the game's universal axes, and not that of the player, so sometimes you need to look up to navigate the menu. This is only an issue for the train block puzzle though.

RafaelNinja13
RafaelNinja13

I love the Pyschonaut games and this one was just as good as the others. It was really cool to get up close and personal with all the characters, and the way the controllers are set up you feel like you are really using psychic powers yourself! I feel like it has good replay value as well because there are so many things to goof around with in each scene. I also like how this game gets you around using teleportation rather than walking around so it is more gentle on those of us prone to VR sickness.

This game takes place between Psychonauts 1 and the new sequel, so if you have the ability to play this game before playing Psychonauts 2 I would recommend it as there are some spoilers for it in the beginning of the sequel where they briefly review what happens and you may feel like you've missed out on some stuff. Basically it starts off right after Psychonauts 1 ends, and Psychonauts 2 starts off right after this game ends.

VeGas GhOst
VeGas GhOst

One of the funniest vr games ive played, my only complaint was it was far to short, a nice teaser for another vr title.

Minabe
Minabe

Not that bad of a VR experience but for the price when on sale ($1 @ 90% discount) i can't really complain. Graphics and animation are good but the gameplay relies too much on teleportation and while it does fit with the narrative it becomes a chore fast af. Other than on discount i can't really recommend it so it's a no from me.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

No es una experiencia de VR mala pero por el precio ($18 MX al 90% de descuento) realmente no me puedo quejar. Las graficas y las animaciones son buenas pero la jugabilidad se enfoca mucho en teleportearte y, mientras que si queda con la narrativa, se vuelve una molestia super rapido. Fuera de en descuento realmente no puedo recomendarlo asi que es un no para mi.

Thiccboi-Deluxe
Thiccboi-Deluxe

This game is not gonna change your life. If you are a big fan, play it, as its events are canon to the series. But you aren't missing a lot by just watching it on youtube. Its a early VR game and is only a few hours long. I'd mostly say just buy it if you want to support double fine and the psychonauts franchise.

GG
GG

If you like the first game, you will probably like this one. I played on Quest 2 with virtual machine. Controls are a bit different but definitely not breaks the play-ability. I like the atmosphere a lot. It is a short game though.

Cuddly
Cuddly

Short, sweet, still worth a play even if you've seen vods before, vr is always a distinct experiance from watching a recording.

Will provoke Raz into staying in charecter again. I know, Raz, you WOULDN'T start a pyromaniac duel with Lili- but I have to try all the powers on everyone, okay? its for the DIALOUGE, RAZPUTIN!

DaHaramu
DaHaramu

Got for $2 on sale, beat it in two hours. Very short, but a lot of fun.

HeadshotH4rry
HeadshotH4rry

That was amazing!

Now give us MORE.

_Sitzkrieg
_Sitzkrieg

Great VR game. It kind of plays like an interactive point and click adventure. This is one of the few VR games I would recommend to anyone who has VR motion sickness. There is not a whole lot of constant motion going on. To navigate throughout the game you have to point and click on things and it will adjust the camera to the angle necessary. I really enjoyed seeing the characters and all of their interactions. My only gripe with the game is that the bindings for the HP Reverb G2 controllers are not that great. It takes some fumbling around and guessing to get things situated.

Fabian
Fabian

For all Psychonauts fans who are VR owners a must play. It captures the fun, creativity, and craziness of the Psychonauts franchise and transfers is into an underwater VR experience. A solid 2h professionally made experience. Graphics, story, atmosphere, sound, voices are impeccable. Sadly, the VR features themselves are only “ok”. You can only beam from one head to another. It is not possible to walk around freely. Also, the controls (HTC VIVE) have not been particularly well included into the riddles. However, just looking around the detailed, awe-inspiring underwater world compensates for everything. Not worth full price, definitely worth it on sale!

Rusty Shackleford
Rusty Shackleford

i bought this because it was a .99 cent VR game and it was a fun short game. Having never played a Psychonaughts game before I was taken by each characters charming personality and the bravado that came with it. The game made sure you were in the know of any lore plots you might be missing so I never asked 'whats going on"

TheawesomeQ
TheawesomeQ

This game feels like the best google cardboard game I've ever seen. However, it's a SteamVR game. It doesn't use your hands at all. You don't walk around at all. There just seems to be a lot of missed opportunity in terms of gameplay given the input capabilities of VR.
The art is fantastic, the environments are incredible, the story is cool, the mechanics are alright.
If you like psychonauts and have a VR headset, buy it on sale.

Maude
Maude

This game was super fun. I luv'd being able to help 0ut lilly after the first game it was always a question of what happened to her dad.

drew42
drew42

Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin is a truly great VR game. The ability to actually see the perspectives of other characters during the game was hilarious and ingenious. I am really enjoying playing Psychonauts on a deeper level.

fiveeyes
fiveeyes

A few good laughs from the writing, and a bunch of the scenery later in the game is cool. The controls were backwards on my Index controllers, not sure what that's about, but was a bit confusing at first. In general the controls aren't great, but it's not a big deal. The end boss fight doesn't indicate how to fight back, you need to combine the telekinesis with the psi blast and took me a while to figure out which was frustrating. Otherwise it deploys a decent little story with some good joke delivery. Kind of makes me with they would make more of this.

It's close to 2 hours, for a free game that's hard to argue with.

ThatNickGuy
ThatNickGuy

It's short, but it's absolutely delightful. If you're a fan of Psychonauts at all, and have a VR headset to play it, I highly recommend it. It's best played stationary, as there isn't any movement in the game. You jump from mind to mind, so your viewpoint changes. But the way it's set up is part of the whole gameplay, as you have to look around or through things to find the next mind to jump into. You're limited in what abilities you can use, but it all comes together in a fun, if brief, adventure. Definitely worth getting on sale.

badminton_steve
badminton_steve

It's not a full on "game" sort of game. Like many other VR titles, it's an short interactive film, which is disappointing. Most of of it is p much filler and third grade level puzzles. There isn't even controller tracking - VR helmet only, which feels kinda cheap in 2021. Saying that, it's really charming and pretty in the art department, AAA quality stuff. Last time I was so mesmerized by the environment was Alyx. Tbh it's worth playing through just for that. Just don't expect any meaningful gamplay.

Phoenix
Phoenix

Underwhelming, obtuse, and kind of boring. Definitely not worth the $20 asking price, watch this one on YouTube instead.

Bluebottle
Bluebottle

Finally digging into this and having a blast. The controls and prompts are a little opaque in the first scene, but once you get the hang of the format - it's very different than Psychonauts 1, but brilliantly constructed for a VR wolrd - things get better and better. The writing remains top-notch and the environments are spectacular. A total blast (psi blast?) for anyone with a headset... even looks great on my old Vive and Windows 7.

sunkellis
sunkellis

This was a really fun game, good graphics, engaging, puzzles were challenging but not so hard that I gave up. I hope they come out with another one.

Will T.TVR
Will T.TVR

Very short but very sweet. It makes me wish we could get a proper full-length Psychonauts VR adventure someday. The puzzles are fairly simple and are all based on look direction rather than using the controller(s) to point at anything, which can make aiming at specific targets difficult; but when they work, they are fairly engaging and varied.

The narrative bridges the gap between the first game and the second, but is recapped in the second's intro, so you aren't missing too much if you don't play this one before 2. The biggest thing you'll get exclusively from this game that isn't retold in 2's opening is a bit of insight into the character of Dr. Loboto.

If you have a VR headset, pick this one up on sale (it's too short for $20 IMO - I paid $10 and felt like I got my money's worth). If you don't have one, maybe watch a playthrough on YouTube to get the story. It's worth at least witnessing the narrative.

Lapis
Lapis

underated psychonauts vr experience. Very old fashioned vr with no hand movement. basically just press buttons and look around lol but it was a good lil story playthrough in vr. starting the setting for the 2nd game. really excited! I think everyone should play this after playing the first game :)

AbsenteeSurgeon
AbsenteeSurgeon

Fun little VR puzzle game. Great even for those who aren't familiar with Psychonauts.

Rheykynen
Rheykynen

more Psychonauts is always welcome

witcher
witcher

- Good and funny story
- Jaw dropping graphics and design (it is actually very cool how they're added much more details but kept unique style of the original game)
- Clever use of VR for point'n'click style game
Small but very nice addition to the Psychonauts series!

Miskatonic
Miskatonic

A fun side adventure, basically a point and clock game for VR. People with chronic neck pain beware the bathtub chapter.

JoeCamelForever
JoeCamelForever

great game with great character development in regards to some unsuspecting characters

and there's no weird forced homosexual sub-narrative

grab it on a sale, i think i got it for $0.99 and it's definitely a $1-$5 game

10/10

sacreo
sacreo

Fun, simple puzzles with a fantastic cast

Werehare
Werehare

Nice puzzles, nice graphics and fun writing for people who want something between Psychonauts 1 & 2. On the down side, the VR controls are clunky and something about the VR engine gave me pretty bad motion sickness. I got through the game in a couple of hours, but that included having to take a couple of breaks. If you are a fan of the world then it's worth a look. If you don't care about the world then maybe play something else.

DickPays
DickPays

I haven't finished it, but the controls in this game are annoying. I get the whole thing of using your head and stuff but the fact I don't have hands even for just looks is kinda weird and a bit disorienting. I love the psychonauts story, and that's probably gonna be the reason I finish it, but if it wasn't for the great writing by Tim Schaffer, I probably wouldn't be finishing it. I can tell it's a very early VR title, and it shows. It's basically just an interactive movie/story. Not much to it besides going from body to body with Clairoyant.

Wookie
Wookie

I liked the game but playing with index controllers is painful. I probably should look for some proper bindings but I'd hope the game would have been updated with them by now. Maybe I should have just dusted off my old wands.Everything id there but it's not especially well laid out.

The puzzles are not too hard but there are a few times where there just seems nothing you can do. I found the hardest was working out how to free Lili. It just came down to not being able to see the object I needed to interact with. There are enough clues from the characters but sometimes to the point of annoyance "I wonder if doing X will help" repeated ever few mins, I'm trying and you repeating it is not adding anything!

Overall a well made and entertaining escape room type game with interesting mechanics and characters.

Mithen
Mithen

In love with the Psychonauts characters, worlds, writing, art style.
Teleporting between characters' minds is a great way of avoiding VR nausea.
Played this after Psychonauts 2, so got to see where Coach's fish suit came from, and what was up with Harold the Rat.
Pointing at and moving objects with the head took some getting used to. The telekinesis mechanic especially took getting used to.
Since VR is taking off now, I hope more people get to come across this game.

GR4ND33P
GR4ND33P

Double Fine Productions has done it again. Such a fantastic vr experience
Keep up the good work guys

MochiCrunch
MochiCrunch

Was a fun experience. Definitely like an early VR demo-esq game. They didn't try to do anything that made VR interesting aside from pushing perspective.

Frost
Frost

I honestly would only recommend this for the writing. Gameplay is decent but fairly limited, but they managed to keep the writing at a consistently high level a decade later, and that's extremely commendable

R@
R@

Could have been done better, not a true VR experience.

It's just an interactive 3d movie, So don't expect to be able to use your hands or to walk around.
The controls are mostly teleporting through characters by using psychic powers, and button presses to grab/attack objects.
It's also not neccessary to play to enjoy the rest of the games, you're not missing out on much lore.
But if you really want it, buy it when it's on sale.

JMJohnston
JMJohnston

This game is excellent. It can be played sitting or standing as there is no walking involved and the play area is quite small. I played with an HP Reverb G2 with the controls set to Oculus and it worked fine

sxeraserhead
sxeraserhead

short and sweet. no-brainer if you like Psychonauts and have a VR headset.

Sardonic
Sardonic

Pretty great. Worth it on deal. Controls are a bit weird on Index, but there's nothing really under time pressure so it's fine. A fun VR experience.

alenjenny
alenjenny

GAME SUMMARY REVIEW:

Category Score
Graphics 9/10. For a VR game, graphic looks really really good in the headset.
Gameplay 8/10
Story/Writing 10/10. Another excellent writing by Tim Schafer. This aspect alone is worth all the money paid.
Music 9/10
Gameplay Difficulty Easy
Total Game Length 2 - 3 hours (1 hour 30 min if you know exactly what to do at every level).
100% Achievement Difficulty? Easy
Easter eggs Yes, with reference to Brutal Legends, Psychonauts 1 & 2
Game value Worth the full price tag
Overall 9/10

VR SUMMARY REVIEW:

TESTED WITH: HP Reverb G2 (Windows Mixed Reality)

Category Score
Performance 10/10. Zero crashes from start to finish.
Graphic issues (blurry image; latency; stuttering; framerate spike; etc) 10/10
VR Legs Required? No
Movement Control Only teleport. No direct movement/locomotion
Motion Sickness 1/10 (1 being almost no motion sickness while 10 being severe motion sickness)
VR Gameplay Difficulty Simple
Settings used Graphic settings maxed out. VR graphic default resolution @ 90hz. No settings adjustments required.
Additional tweaking required? Minimal. I experience "Outside Game Area" when starting the game. Easily solved by pressing one of the gamepad button to recenter the camera.
Miscellaneous Requires a gamepad controller to play. This used to be a PS4VR exclusive game, which was later ported to PC. Thus, it retains the identity of using a gamepad to control/play the game. You may use your VR controllers, but it's not ideal and you will have to remap the buttons to get it to work. Quite a hassle. Using an Xbox or PS4 controller is highly recommended.
Overall 9/10

HARDWARE SPECIFICATIONS:

HP Reverb G2 (Firmware Version: 15 Rev.A, Apr 13, 2021)
PS4 Dual Shock Controllers (plugged into PC through USB port) 
Intel i9 10900KF
RTX 3080 (Driver version: 511.79; 14th February 2022)
Alienware Aurora R11
16gb RAM
Windows 11 Home (updated to the latest Windows Update)
1tb NVME SSD (Game size required: 7.7GB) 

CONCLUSION:

This is an underrated fantastic VR game and I'm glad Double Fine ported it to PC for us to enjoy. Graphic is surprisingly stunning, smooth and beautiful all around. For fans of Psychonauts who have a VR headset at their disposal, this is a must play. The story complements the Psychonauts world perfectly, and was very well thought and written. Many funny moments and I was literally startled by some of the scenes (no spoiler). For those who have never played Psychonauts before, you may pick this up on sale and give it a shot to see what Psychonauts plays and feels like. Outwardly, it may not appeal to a wide audience because of the cartoonish and a little eccentric artistic direction, but I urge you to give it a shot. Once you get into the game and the story unfolds more and more, you will be engrossed and taken away by its fantastic story, writing and humor. This is also part of the reason why Psychonauts 2 was nominated as Game of the Year 2021. Well done, Double Fine!

Ch1pzHoy
Ch1pzHoy

Some will say this game can be skipped or is not essential to the story, I beg to differ! Yes, it is a short experience for a VR game, but it does add more to the characters and leads directly to the second game. If you're unable to play, watch some game-play before heading into Psychonauts 2, you'll have some fun connecting the dots lol

Revoker
Revoker

A simple puzzle solving look to teleport comfort VR title. I would recommend this to anyone new to VR or fans of simple linear gameplay.

-Forest-
-Forest-

It was fun, but would have been more fun if worked better with the Knuckle Controllers. Really neat seeing the characters up close and lot of the scenes were great in VR. Not that long of a game though.

They came up with neat way to move around that stuck with the game parameters using clairvoyance, but if could have at least spun around in place would have really helped. Think if they had done locomation like 'Trover saves the universe' it could have been so much even more. Though still short.

Your not going to be moving around or floating or jumping so don't worry about motion sickness if that bothers you. There isn't any figments to baggage to collect either.

Valdemar
Valdemar

this game inspirerede me to become a dentist

Lazarus
Lazarus

It's a short game that was just a way to bridge the original and the official sequel; its controls are sorta awkward, and while it works on most any vr hardware it's only demonstrated on one and not able to be remapped, which is frustrating to understand and adapt too.

that being said it was still worth the money and time, if you already have a vr headset and are invested in the world of pyschonauts, anyway. it was genuine fun, the story was cute, and it hypes up the second game well. it's really nothing to write home about, it was just a nice vr game

if you have an index there's also a very innate satisfaction too squeezing the controllers and having things burst into flames

jan.hranac
jan.hranac

Well, it's good.
It's also two overpriced hours of gameplay.
Still, a must for any psychonaut fan.

Musk
Musk

"After dreaming about it all my life, I'm finally a Psychonaut on an actual mission!"
- Raz Me

Dr. Ubershadow M.D.
Dr. Ubershadow M.D.

Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin is a VR Psychonauts experience that takes place right after Psychonauts 1 and before Psychonauts 2, like literally. You still play as Raz, or more like his conscience as he body jumps through the Psychonauts team and fish. Raz and the team fly to the Rhombus of Ruin, an old underwater Psychonauts base, that someone is using to hold the head of the Psychonauts, Truman Zannotto. The game is bit on the short side, my first playthrough took 2 hours but I think it's still worth it. You get to use many of the Psychic powers from the first game. It's very fun experience, and I give this a 8/10.

Hunter
Hunter

just go right to the second game, trust me dude

BennyandtheJets
BennyandtheJets

A Psychonauts VR point-and-click game that isn't good at being any of those three things. I wouldn’t recommend this even at the $4.99 sale price. The writing is about as good as the other Psychonauts games (which I enjoyed), but the gameplay isn’t fun by either Psychonauts or point-and-click standards, and the VR implementation feels pointless and underutilized (not to mention the button mapping is backwards if you’re using Index controllers). If you're a fan of the series and want to experience the story, just watch a playthrough on YouTube instead.

Navitas
Navitas

A nice short game for those who loved Psychonauts and want more.
Wouldn't pay full price for it though. Wait for a sale.