Note: Not to be confused with Mental Projection.
–Coach Oleander, after Elton Fir is kicked out of his mind in Basic Braining
Astral Projection is a psychic power that enables a psychic to enter the mind of another person and explore their mental world. An individual's astral projection resembles their physical body, being their vessel for interacting with the mental realm, though their appearance may slightly differ depending on the mental world they visit (for example, in Black Velvetopia, Raz's colour scheme changed to suit the world's style). Psychics are able to use astral projection through the use of a Psycho-Portal, a Brain Tumbler, from their own brain interfacing with the target brain itself,[1] or purely through natural ability.[2]
Gameplay[]
Razputin Aquato's Mental Health and Projection Layer display. He currently has 16 out of 18 brains left and 11 projection layers left.
The projection layers are the "life system" used in Psychonauts and Psychonauts 2.
Psychonauts[]
Projection layers are a series of protective barriers that protect the subconscious entity while within a person's mind. Should the entity lose all their Mental Health while within the mind, one projection layer will be lost in order to preserve the safety of the mind dweller.
Should Razputin Aquato lose all his projection layers, he will be kicked out of the level automatically, and sent to a zone in the real world. If all projection layers are lost while in the real world, he will be taken to the nearest hub world, despite being in the real world (where technically he does not need to be protected with Projection layers).
Razputin can restore a layer of his astral projection by collecting Astral Layers. He can also permanently increase the maximum amount of projection layers he can have by collecting Golden Helmets which increase the amount of layers by one. Initially, he only can have up to five Projection Layers, but he can have up to eleven layers by collecting all six Golden Helmets.
Psychonauts 2[]
The projection layers mechanic is excluded from Psychonauts 2, meaning Raz has effectively infinite lives. If Raz runs out of Mental Health in the real world or a mental world without any Dream Fluffs, he will be returned to his most recent "mental checkpoint". This change to the health/lives system also means that falling into abysses no longer instantly defeats Raz, instead returning him to his last stable ground and removing some Mental Health.
Story[]
Psychonauts[]
At Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp, the camp counselors use Psycho-Portals to draw their students' astral projections into their minds in order to practice their psychic powers in a controlled and relatively-safe environment. Coach Oleander uses a portal to draw his students' projections into his mind for Basic Braining, while Milla Vodello does the same for her Levitation class. Sasha Nein uses a portal to train Raz in the use of Marksmanship in his shooting gallery. Whenever Raz reaches a new PSI Cadet Rank and acquires a new psychic power, Ford Cruller projects himself into Raz's mind to train him to use it.
Curiously enough, Raz gets astrally projected into his own mind using the Brain Tumbler. This permits him an extra degree of control and awareness of his mental world, albeit a mental world wherein his mind was entangled with that of Coach Oleander.
When Raz goes on his solo mission to stop Coach Oleander's plan to take over the world, he takes Sasha Nein's psycho-portal that the Psychonaut left behind in his lab. He used it to enter the minds of Boyd Cooper, Gloria Von Gouton, Fred Bonaparte, Edgar Teglee, and Linda, freeing them from their mental prisons, though the latter in the form of the control chip implanted into her by Coach Oleander.
After Raz sneezes out his brain due to contact with Dr. Loboto's super sneezing powder, he manages to astrally project into Coach Oleander's mind by using telekinesis to place his brain in physical proximity to the coach's within the Brain Tank. This projected him down into the fully-entagled mental realm shared by himself and the coach, the Meat Circus, there to be tormented by the mental image of their fathers. Fortunately, Augustus Aquato uses astral projection to enter Raz's mind and give him the power to defeat the mental images, separating the two minds so they could be re-cranialized.
Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin[]
After helping save Lili and his teachers, Raz uses Coach Oleander's Psycho-Portal to enter the mind of Dr. Loboto, uncovering his past and rendering him semi-sane.
Psychonauts 2[]
Raz, along with the other Psychonaut interns, use astral projection to enter the minds of agents to receive additional training as well as the minds of suspects and witnesses to gather information.
Gallery[]
Psychonauts[]
Art Assets[]
Screenshots[]
Psychonauts 2[]
Screenshots[]
References/Notes[]
- ↑ Raz is able to enter Coach Oleander's mind by touching his brain as a brain in Psychonauts.
- ↑ Ford Cruller and Augustus Aquato showed the ability to enter Raz's mind without a portal, though the latter only with tremendous difficulty.