Psychic World (サイキック・ワールド?) is an action platform video game that was originally released in Japan for the MSX as Psycho World (サイコ・ワールド?) in 1988. It was later released as Psychic World on the Sega Master System and Game Gear worldwide in 1991. Most titles released only on the Sega Game Gear have long been forgotten, but Psychic World turned out to be one of the best games I’ve played in a while. It’s certainly underrated to say the least.
When discussing retro console games, there is often the dismissive opinion that those games were all kind of the same. There was Mario and then there were a hundred-or-so middling platformers who wish they could be Mario. Gesturing at the kind of titles that were included with releases like the infamous Action 52. When, in truth, even in these early days there were developers trying to innovate on earlier successes. Trying to set themselves apart and see what the genre could do.
This was a wonderful surprise. Psychic World makes me sad that I didn't give the Game Gear a serious shake back when it was pertinent. For a handheld game of this era it has a whole lot going for it.
Story and Characters
Taking place at a remote laboratory in the year 19XX, a three-staff research team consisting of Dr. Knavik and his assistants the sisters Cecile and Lucia is studying the exploration and usage of ESP. The game begins with quite a bit of story exposition. In the introductory sequence we learn that twin sisters Lucia and Cecile are working with doctor Knavik on a deserted island. What are they doing research on? Well, ESP of course!
One day while Lucia was getting ready for work, an explosion burst from the lab. By the time Lucia got there, Dr. Knavik was all right, but Cecile had disappeared. One day there’s an explosion at the lab and monsters stored there escape but they take Cecile with them. Dr. Knavik explains that part of his experiments involved running tests on a variety of monsters, but eventually the subjects rebelled and took Cecile with them. Lucia sets out to save her with the help of an ESP booster device. As Lucia follows the monster's track, Dr. Knavik gives her the ESP Booster, a device he created that will enable the user to wield psychic powers. It’s corny, but pretty detailed for what you’d expect with a Game Gear title. The anime aesthetic is kind of interesting here, but it’s clear who Psychic World was marketed to.
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Gameplay Mechanics
Psychic World is a platform game wherein the player's character Lucía runs from one stage to the other using her "ESP Booster" to blast monstrous enemies while obtaining item power-ups through them or by jumping on various ledges and platforms. The Booster has a gauge of how often certain items and abilities can be used, but that, as with her health, can be replenished by power-ups. All her weapons are upgradeable by merely picking up the same item for that particular weapon and new weapons are obtained through mini-bosses and end-level bosses. The player has to use Lucia's psionic weapons strategically in levels using different elements to their advantage.
At first glance the game looks like a pretty generic side scrolling platformer. Most titles from this time were, right? At first that’s what it appears to be. You move left/right and can jump and even shoot a projectile. The latter is your only means of defeating enemies. You run and gun through a variety of differently themed stages using psychic abilities just like you’d suspect. By default you start with just a small neutral burst that fires a few inches in front of your character. As you defeat boss characters you gain new abilities, but they’re functionally similar when it comes to dispatching foes.
So why is this one good, then? Well there are a few reasons. Let’s start with the level design. You don’t simply move left to right; the stages have upward and downward progression as well. Some screens have multiple exits on them, and you can take advantage of this to reach power-ups or easier paths. It’s pretty cool, and the levels are thoughtfully designed with a lot of interesting ideas thrown in. What’s really interesting in this game is the ESP power.
You change the ability you’re using by pressing the jump button while holding down on the directional pad. It sounds annoying, but it’s actually nice and functional. In my opinion it’s a decent workaround for the system’s limited inputs. All of your attacks are projectiles. You begin with just a simple sonic boom (think Guile from Street Fighter II) but as you progress new ones are opened up. This includes an ice shot as well as a fire one. They’re useful against particular enemies, but they have other uses as well. For example, fire can be used to melt ice or break particular blocks. The ice shot can freeze water to create new platforms. These can even be powered up.
That’s not the extent of the ESP powers however, but those are the most important ones. Lucia can also heal herself as well as becoming invincible for a short period of time. These drain the ESP bar however, but this can be refilled with power-ups. There’s one more attack, the sonic wake, but it isn’t as important as the fire or ice. I’m really impressed with Psychic World’s complexity with these abilities. There’s a whole lot going on for a portable game. Yes, I do realize this is a remake of a Master System title, but that sentiment still holds.
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Level design is where this one excels. There’s a lot of different environmental obstacles to deal with, and although it’s not particularly puzzling I did have to stop and experiment several times to progress. Enemy placement and attack patterns are on point as well. Much better than in something like Sonic the Hedgehog as you’ll often have to pause and figure out the best way to progress. Psychic World is a pretty challenging game, and it requires a little progress to defeat some of the tougher boss characters. I must admit that I did really like the fact that you get new weapons from enemies, but then again, I’m just a really big Mega Man fan.
In this game, you play as a young woman called Lucia. You are employed by the brilliant (albeit eccentric) Dr. Knavik, who was running possibly-unethical experiments on all sorts of monsters. When one day those creatures broke free and made off with your twin sister Cecile. With the help of the professor’s ESP Booster, you must now chase these monsters through a series of stages. A fun enough story, but as always the proof is in the gameplay. Which doesn’t seem like much initially. You move Lucia around and can fire simple projectiles at monsters. It all feels very imprecise. Movement has a strange, floaty momentum to it and the hitboxes for everything are way oversized. Taking damage also kind of pushes Lucia around in a way that feels awkward. It’s not like other games where you have a predictable knockback animation. Here you just kind of shuffle aside however far the enemy feels like pushing you. Usually that would be the sign of another disaster. Another would-be Mario competitor to toss in the bin.
Yet Psychic World quickly picks itself up as you begin working through the levels. As you grab power-ups, your attacks steadily more more and more impressive. Like your basic projectile attack goes from a single, small projectile to eventually firing 3 large ones per shot. Making it much easier to hit enemies and inflict much more damage. You also gain 8 different psychic abilities alongside it that you can switch between on the fly. By pressing down and 1 of the face buttons, you can pick whatever one you want to use. Psychic World is not just another 2D platformer where you race for the exit at the end of a mostly-linear stage, you see. This is more of a puzzle platformer. As later levels have you use your powers to navigate through puzzles that enable you to keep moving forward. Puzzles that are quite simple in their implementation, yet undeniably clever. You may need to use your ice power to freeze platforms in place that you can then use to get over a gap. Or device a way to destroy some blocks that are in your way, but can’t just be hit with your regular powers. Or you may need to use your levitation to fly through obstacle courses. There are a lot of creative challenges like these and they were certainly fun to solve.
I was also fond of the many optional moments where you can use your powers. Several can work as alternative projectiles or have fun effects on the monsters you fight. Or it allows you to get very reckless. You can’t heal with ESP, but you can make yourself temporarily invulnerable. Why do a complex platforming segment if you can use brain magic for a bit and just walk through lava. Or get right up into a boss fight’s face, tanking all its attacks like they’re nothing.
The below-par controls do make Psychic World somewhat tough to recommend. It definitely falls short of its contemporaries in that regard, even when you exclude the NES library. Yet what is lacks in controls, it makes up for with an imaginative set of powers and a radically different approach to designing 2D platformer stages. Finding a nice balance between fast-paced platforming and light puzzle-solving. Such that these two coexist without ever feeling like they’re holding each other back at any point. A real shame they never iterated on this game.
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Sega Game Gear Psychic World Game Review! *See Description
Graphics and Sound
Psychic World gets a big graphical overhaul here from its release on the Master System. It’s significantly more detailed now, and the colors just seem to pop more. It’s pretty interesting considering the fact that they’re on what is basically the same hardware at heart. Normally I’m not a big fan of any kind of anime aesthetic but here it’s put to good use. The graphic artists were really good at conveying it to simple sprites. The main character definitely looks like your typical female anime protagonist, and I say that in a good way. Enemies also look great. The backgrounds are a little dull, but that’s to be expected. The soundtrack is very limited with just a few different tracks. I like it all, but more diversity would obviously have been welcome.
References
^ "Game Reviews: Psychic World". Games-X. No. 7. Europress. 7 June 1991. p. 19.^ "RAZE - Issue 10 (1991-08)(Newsfield Publishing)(GB)". August 1991.^ "Kultpower Archiv: Komplettscan Videogames 2/1991". Kultpower.de.^ "Le site des anciennes revues informatiques". www.abandonware-magazines.org.