On a recent episode of the Stone Age Gamer podcast, Kris and I talked about Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. More specifically we talked about the psychic powers that Nintendo showed off in the trailer. And it got me thinking, there have been a lot of games that have had psychic characters or psychic abilities, psynergy (to steal from a game on the list), but what games have done it the best? What games feature abilities or characters that showcase psynergy in cool, interesting ways? It doesn't necessarily have to be something that your character does in combat or an ability that your character has, though that naturally features heavily on the list, rather something in the game itself. Submitted for your approval, this is Stone Age Countdown: Psynergy. 

5. Metal Gear Solid - Psycho Mantis

Look, if you've listened to the podcast at all, you knew that Metal Gear Solid was going to make this list. And honestly, it earns its spot. The interaction between Snake and 
Psycho Mantis in Metal Gear Solid is one of the most incredible moments in gaming history. Right before you enter the room to fight Psycho Mantis, Meryl starts acting strangely. Psycho Mantis has taken over and is up to some shenanigans. Walking into the room we then see Meryl start putting the moves on Snake with the image of an unsettlingly skinny, gas mask clad maniac floating in the air behind her. And then he starts talking to us, seemingly able to read our minds! If you had any Konami games on your memory card, Psycho Mantis would talk to you and say, "You like Castlevania don’t you?" or “So you like Suikoden?” He then tells you to put the controller on the floor so he can “move” it with his mind. (a clever use of the vibration) During the fight the screen would even turn black with the word HIDEO in the upper right hand corner mimicking old TV sets that would display the word video in the same way. (I see you Kojima) Add all of that to the fact that you can't actually beat Psycho Mantis until you switch your controller to the second controller port so that he can no longer predict your movements and you have one of the most memorable uses of psynergy ever displayed in a video game.

4. Golden Sun series

Golden Sun, in my opinion, is one of Nintendo's most underrated properties. In particular the original Golden Sun is an excellent example of how to integrate the use of psychic powers into gameplay without them becoming overwhelming. The use of these abilities, which they call psynergy, in the Golden Sun series replaces the traditional magic systems found in most role-playing games. What's so cool about the Golden Sun series though is that the psynergy is used both in and out of combat. During combat players can use psynergy to attack in traditional, expected ways using things like fire, wind, ice, or healing spells. Outside of combat players can use psynergy to do things like move boulders to access a new area or levitate statues to help solve puzzles. It's an intricate system that the developers Camelot spent a lot of time on and it shows. It's very clever in how it is integrated into the gameplay. As you progress through the game and get more powerful your abilities naturally get more powerful as well. It's an incredibly satisfying system of progression that makes sense in the story quite well, unlike other games where the magical aspects feel tacked on because RPG, and makes the entire experience extremely rewarding. 

3. Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy

Every now and again a game comes along that is just unobjectively, unabashedly, cool. Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy is one of those games. Developed and published by Midway in 2004 Psi-Ops hit the market at a time when there was stagnation in the third person shooter genre. Blending elements of stealth and third person run and gun with horror and Lovecraftian themes, Psi-Ops set itself apart from the pack before even factoring in the psynergy elements of its gameplay. But it was those elements that really made Psi-Ops stand out and transformed it into a cult classic. The abilities gained throughout the game, telekinesis, remote viewing, mind drain, mind control, pyrokinesis, and aura view allowed players to interact with and manipulate the world around them in ways that had never really been done before in video games. Much of the game is open-ended which allowed players the freedom to choose how they wanted to tackle the obstacles. This resulted in a game that was decidedly different and decidedly fun. Unfortunately, even with critical praise, the game did not do very well. Five years after the release of Psi-Ops, Midway went out of business selling most of their assets to Warner Bros. Psi-Ops was rereleased in 2008 as a free download and is now abandonware.

2. Control

A spiritual successor, to me at least, to Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy is Remedy’s Control. Combining deeply atmospheric storytelling, I believe the kids call it vibes, with a suite of psynergy focused abilities, Control is the closest I've ever felt to being a Jedi, and that includes all of the Star Wars games I've played! The telekinesis power in Control is some of the most fun you can have playing a video game. It's more than just a simple, pick this up and throw it ability. You can rip chunks off of walls, throw furniture like a baseball, and even use things in the environment to protect yourself in combat. As you progress through the game you gain the mind control ability which allows you to turn enemies into friends which adds a layer of strategy to the gunfights found throughout the game. And even though you don't gain it until late in the game, the levitation ability is just amazing. It makes traversing levels easier sure, but also makes the fighting that much more entertaining. There's something inherently cool about floating around a room of enemies, ripping off chunks of wall, throwing said chunks into said enemies, all while shooting them with your pistol. Of all the games on this list control might feel the best to play. Remedy absolutely nailed the use of psynergy for both movement and combat.

1. Psychonauts series

When I first heard that Tim Schafer was making a 3D action platformer based on psynergy abilities I was excited. Tim had, after all, been directly involved in some of my favorite games up until that point. Games like The Secret of Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle, and Grim Fandango showed that the storytelling was there. How that storytelling would translate though, from the point-and-click adventures of his past to this new 3D platformer, was the big question. I expected something pretty great. What I did not expect however, was something this impactful. The Synergy abilities gained throughout the game allow the player to interact with the world in fun, interesting ways. These abilities also help with combat. Over the course of the game players will unlock the psi blast, levitation, pyrokinesis, telekinesis, invisibility, shield, clairvoyance, and confusion. And while all these abilities are fun, gameplay is not really Psychonauts strong suit. There is a certain level of jank in the game that is entirely covered up by the world and the characters that inhabit that world. The main gameplay loop in Psychonauts is focused on entering different characters' minds. And in each of these minds, players are presented with a stage that is representative of the mind it belongs to. Perhaps its most famous level is “The Milkman Conspiracy”, a level set Inside the mind of a Milkman who also happens to be a conspiracy theorist. The level plays out as you would imagine the mind of a conspiracy theorist to be, lots of twists, lots of turns, a vertical and horizontal maze where gravity doesn’t always act the way one might expect. It's honestly brilliant. Psychonauts tackled the idea of Mental Health way before it was a common topic. It is quite frankly an unconventional masterpiece.

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So there it is, the top five games focused on psynergy. I hope you enjoyed reading this list. If you haven’t played some of the games featured here I highly recommend you do. The older titles on the list look stunning with aftermarket products and breathe new life into these classics. But I want to know what you think. Join the Stone Age Gamer discord, or you can find me on Bluesky to let me know your thoughts. See you in two weeks.