Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin (PlayStation 4) Review

Double Fine's Tim Schafer is mostly known for his experience in the adventure game genre, specifically point and click. Usually the titles developed under the company seal are known to be quirky in their writing and with a very strong sense of character. The original Psychonauts was no exception, and during its initial release and eventual cult following, the game was best remembered for its deft writing. Pretty much all of Tim Schafer's games are remembered fondly for their writing because that is what the man does best... Not so much in the gameplay department.

This tradition continues with Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin, since it is not at all like the action-platformer that people loved, but is closer to being a very straight forward point and click game in VR. That isn't to say that it is a bad idea; in fact, it is actually pretty novel. The sad fact of the reality is that Double Fine just does not take full advantage of VR or of the point and click adventure genre.

Playing Rhombus of Ruin, one thing becomes clear about Tim Schafer: the man missed his calling in life and wasted it becoming a game developer and should have pursued a career in film and animation. This game is as passive as can be as far as point and click games go, and leaves no room for adventuring. As a psychonaut, Raz has the ability to jump between minds, almost like a possession, but without controlling the host. This is Rhombus of Ruin's core mechanic for changing the POV, which is actually pretty clever, but sadly most of the time the game will have users daisy chaining possessions with nondescript fish in a linear path.

The puzzles are also really easy, evoking memories of playing with a Fisher Price toy as a toddler. Surely Double Fine could do better than this... It is pretty surprising how the same developer was able to come up with some of the most obtuse puzzles in Grim Fandango, but in Rhombus of Ruin it is totally possible to solve some of these by accident. The few psychic abilities gained are used so sparingly and most of the time feel wasted.

Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin really does feel like being inside of a Pixar movie at times. Visually, Double Fine has made huge strides with the Unreal engine and has made an utterly gorgeous looking VR game, easily the best-looking VR game to be played with Sony's headset. The entire cast is meticulously animated and highly expressive. At times, it is truly a surreal experience to behold since it's basically rubbing shoulders with cartoon characters.

While the story is very short and tight, there are quite a few loose ends left open, which is likely a concession to keep everyone hyped for the action-platformer sequel that people want. Don't expect a story that wraps up everything, but do expect a surprising amount of character depth and even some revelations for long-time fans of the original game. For the price of $19.99, Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin is really steep and hard to recommend since it can be completed in about 90 minutes and lacks any challenge or substantial engagement. Some of the simplistic puzzles might have been great for small babies, but VR is not recommended for anyone under the age of 12, which makes this title a hard sell.