Something fresh in my mind and dear to my MMO-playing heart is that Psychonauts has the worst escort quest I have ever seen. Besides who you are escorting on the last level, the escort NPC:
- is incarnated as a screaming child
- walks slowly, as escort NPCs do, but teleports away through several phases once you manage to save him, forcing you to catch up
- leaves you to figure out how to get to him after he teleports somewhere above you.
The escort chase also introduces a new, invulnerable enemy that you figure out then use while finding the NPC. It is a four-stage escort, which blessedly refills the escort NPC’s hit points as each stage, but requires you to start over if you fail any; you can save mid-escort, but it will still start you back at the start of the zone. There are also lots of things around to collect if you want your 100% completion, and if there is a way to come back for them after the escort is done, I have not found it yet (go back before following the NPC to the next part of the level). You do not lose lives for failing the escort quest, despite what the characters imply, which is necessary considering the combination of “teleport away, find the path, figure out the mechanics, and the child is already screaming about being under attack.” Oh, and there is some sobbing (literal) emotional baggage along the way to provide a counterpoint to the wailing child. So, yeah, not the most pleasant part of the game, even before the imagery that surrounds it.
: Zubon
Ah, the horror that is the Meat Circus. Fond memories of endured pain and eventual victory.
I can’t remember the meat circus. But damn, it’s a circus of meat! I love both circuses and meat, so I choose to pretend it rocked. I’m starting to think I need to replay Psychonauts.