Okay, I have not finished this game yet and after a couple of deaths and getting frustrated with all the mistakes I was making, I don’t think I have any plans of finishing PsiloSybil anytime soon. Also, just because I have a pros and cons list, I am still leaving this review as “recommended” because I really want to give people a chance to play this game and make up their own conclusions and not just take my word for it. Even though I did not like some aspects of this game very much, I want you all to try it for yourselves and see what you think.

Pros

• Even though I have not seen any of bad_vertex’s work, I can tell they are an awesome low-poly 3D artist as they have done a great job with designing the characters of the game’s world.
• The game’s music is very soothing if you are doing something or taking a break from working.
• The game runs smoothly.
• I am glad I got a chance to get this game on early access.
• PsiloSybil makes fun references to not only Crash Bandicoot, but also Lara Croft from Tomb Raider as well.
• The presentation really does a great job of not only emulating the Crash Bandicoot title screen, but also the PS1/PSX aesthetics as well.
• The levels have interesting themes and ideas, especially the boss fights.
• I love the sound Sybil makes when she lands after a jump.
• The game feels like an old 1990s cartoon.
• If you are good at this game, you have a variety of costumes to choose from. Personally, I chose the Marsupial, aka, the Crash Bandicoot style costume because Crash Bandicoot is one of my favorite game franchises.

Cons

• While the first level is pretty easy and acts like a tutorial level, once you get into the later half of the game, the difficulty spikes really start to show. If you thought the original Crash PS1 trilogy was hard, you have not seen what PsiloSybil has to offer.
• In my opinion, I don’t think the level design is a huge problem. I’d say my main gripe were the hit boxes and the game throwing everything at you at once.
• Unlike in the original Crash PS1 trilogy, Wrath of Cortex, Twinsanity, and It’s About Time (and I guess Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus but those are Sly games and not Crash games), you don’t have any safety nets or extra hits.
• If you are not used to precision platforming or tight jumps, you’re going to learn today son.
• If you are not a Crash Bandicoot fan nor a fan of nonsense difficulty spikes, you will be super frustrated.
• Let’s keep in mind that if you are going for all the mushrooms to free every single mushroom person, you are going to have a frustrating experience because there is this one level where you need to have like 25 green-looking skulls to access that level’s secret area. This game is freaking sadistic for completionists! Now I don’t think you have to get the gold skulls in the time trials but just be prepared for what you are getting yourself into.

TL: DR – Look I need to be honest. Just because I did not like this game’s difficulty, that does not mean I do not like this game. Not everything was the game's fault, some deaths felt like MY fault, and even when making simple mistakes, I was getting frustrated at myself. Also, I want to iterate that I do NOT hold any ill will towards bad_vertex. I think they are amazing artists, and I believe they have great potential. I am super glad that an indie dev managed to make a game that is inspired by Crash, especially since Activision and Microsoft aren’t going to do jack with Crash or Spyro. However, I felt that this game could have looked to the other Crash games like 2 and 3, as those games, while still hard, offer fairness and forgiving challenges to the players. If this game does get some updates in the future, I would be more than glad to come back to it. If not, then I am okay with that. I am not going to pester bad_vertex because they have their own problems to worry about, and I’d much rather have some focus on enjoying themselves and their personal lives than being forced to work on games like this.

Well, since I am learning how to make games myself, I at least know how to balance difficulty and make a game fun for everyone. If you want to play this game, by all means, please do so. Do not let this review stop you from playing it. Thank you for reading and bad_vertex, if you read this by any chance, I just want you to know that you have awesome talent, and I wish you the best of luck. Take care of yourself.