A Censor as seen in Sasha's mind.
–Sasha Nein, explaining their purpose to Raz.
Censors are the most common type of enemy encountered in mental worlds in the Psychonauts series. They resemble tiny men wearing business suits and glasses.
Censors function like a mental immune system for a person. Their prime objective is to keep order in the mind, and get rid of intrusive thoughts that don't belong by stamping them out. A healthy number of Censors is a key factor in dictating whether or not someone is sane. Since Razputin is a foreign entity when entering another person's mind, he is considered an unwanted intrusion and the Censors will thus attack him.
Promotional art for Psychonauts 2 shows that censors are able to go on strike, which will apparently result in a total loss of inhibitions.
Varieties of Censors
There are four types of Censors, Stamping Censors, Little Censors, Shouting Censors, and Strongarm Censors. A Mega Censor boss is fought in Sasha Nein's mind in Psychonauts.
Stamping Censors
The most common variety of Censor. They will chase after Razputin, attempting to stamp him out from up close. Having only a basic stamping attack, they can be easily disposed of, and are fun enemies to practice psychic powers on.
Little Censors
These Censors are much smaller than the ordinary ones, but will usually appear in larger numbers, and will try to surround Raz. The Palm Bomb is an effective method of dispatching them.
Shouting Censors
Larger Censors who carry clipboards covered in X's. They shout a deadly "No" blast at Raz, and take more hits to defeat. Simply hitting them with a PSI Blast can finish them off, but you can use Invisibility to get up close while avoiding their shouts.
Strongarm Censors
Large, muscular Censors that have "NONO" tattooed on their knuckles. They hit hard and can take it hard, but they're quite slow and they don't have a whole lot of range. You can use Pyrokinesis on them to sap away their health, and finish them off with Marksmanship. Alternatively, you can make them use that strength against their fellow Censors with Confusion.
Mega Censor
An enormous (-ly fat) Censor, accidentally fused from the many Censors in Sasha Nein's mind due to blocking off all Censor outlets. Fought only in Sasha's Shooting Gallery in Psychonauts.
Trivia
- "No" is the only word the Censors are capable of speaking.
- However, the sound that normal Censors make while jumping sounds like they are saying "yep" or "yup", suggesting that they can also say forms of "yes".
- Some minds don't have Censors. The levels that don't have them often mean that person is insane and/or their minds just lack the ability to remove unwanted thoughts.
- In certain minds, the Censors wear hats that fit in with the theme of their mental world. For example, in Waterloo World, they wear Napoleonic hats. And in Gloria's Theater, they wear costumes such as peacock headdresses.
- In Black Velvetopia, the Censors are altered to look like fluorescent colors on black velvet.
- The Strongarm Censors don't appear in Sasha's Shooting Gallery. Instead, they first appear in the minds of the asylum patients.
- Using Clairvoyance on any Censor shows them seeing Raz as a virus to eradicate.
Gallery
