Spoil-Free Nudges in the Right Directions

Exactly what it says on the tin. This is a guide that helps you focus on just those puzzle pieces and powers neccessary to proceed, without spoiling the story or just outright telling you the answer to everything.

The Basics (And Startup Glitch Fix)

This game opens with the Double Fine logo flying through a black background to music. If you do not see this but hear the sounds, your video is not displaying properly. Deleting your Rhombus of Ruins folder seems to fix this but it also deletes your save file if you already have one. The directory is: C:\Users\YOUR_WINDOWS_LOGIN\AppData\Roaming\PsychonautsInTheRhombusOfRuin
Thanks to Wescott on the forums for this fix.

If the game starts successfully you should see something like this:

If you're worried about losing your save data try the file under C:\Users\YOUR_WINDOWS_LOGIN\AppData\Roaming\PsychonautsInTheRhombusOfRuin\Saved\SaveGames\PsychonautsInTheRhombusOfRuinSettings0 Some users report limited success with this.

Proceed through the title screen with the circle button (on vive). Keep in mind this game was designed for the playstation vr. Thus your "pointer" is controlled by what you're facing, not what your pointing at. So get used to pointing with your face! Each button (grips, circle button, trigger, etc) does different things though.

The Tutorial

The game starts by having you practice your basic powers. So let's do that. (Seens through a vive lens)


Each controller has its own set of powers. For me I found the controllers sometimes swapping powers when a controller disconnects. (Possibly a bug?)

The left controller's left half of the circle button is Clarvoyance. It lets you change perspective to a nearby character's mind. Look at the character you want to hop to and press the button once they're highlighted in white.

Your right control's top half of the circle button pokes things. Give it a tap while looking at something to poke or flick it.

Right controller's trigger is telekinesis. Look at an item and hold the trigger to take control of it, from this point on it shall follow your head as you turn it. Generally it moves left right up and down, but you can also sort of move it forward and backward by leaning in closer or reeling back. It's easier to just jump to another character to get a better angle on it though. (You can also bump them into walls or other items to try to shift them).

Left controller's trigger shoots psyblasts (sort of like bullets). Good for breaking through glass and whatnot.

Hold the grips on the side of the right controller tight to set what your looking at on fire. Mainly used for removing wooden obstacles.

If your having trouble progressing, try listening to the characters. They generally hint at what they wanted you to do (either by askings outright, or hinting that they "wonder what" something is or does.)

Level 1: The Strange Room

Powers: Clarvoyance and Psypoke

Here are the quick tips if you're stuck:

1. Hop perspectives as much as you can, and psypoke anything they're near.

2. Look for drawings of fish, those sequences can be codes for the control panel guy. The second you find one, go type it in.

3. Is something in the way? Give it a psypoke! When in doubt, poke, poke, poke.

4. Don't get too hung up on how you got here, sometimes insignificant background characters hold the key.

5. Is one of the buttons glowing? Psypoke it. Look for what it changes.

Level 2: Back into the Room

Powers: Psypoke and Clarvoyance.

1. Raz is a new perspective. Is there anything near him that only he can see or poke?

2. Clarvoyance still works on animals, and through solid glass, so don't feel limited to the goonies or tied up prisoners. (This advice also applies in reverse).

3. Sometimes it takes a moment for a new perspective to come closer, keep looking around and be patient.

4. You can still use your available powers such as psypoke even in small hosts, or hosts with no hands. So keep giving things a poke.

5. Clarvoyance doesn't like fast moving things, don't waste your time trying. Look around for another way instead.

Level 3: In the school bus

Powers: Clarvoyance and Psypoke

1. Fish will obey the stop sign, even if they've moved past it. It's more like a time-freeze than a traffic rule here.

2. The bus needs electricity. What has visible electricity?

3. It needs a LOT of electricity. Don't stop after 1. (look at the gauge on the left to see how much you have).

4. Don't focus too hard on Mia or her vision. Focus on what items are around, what they can do, and what each new perspective brings

5. When you get your new power, use it before you leave. Even if it makes no sense or seems like a bad idea.

Level 4: The Bomber

Powers: Clarvoyance, Psypoke, Telekinesis (You don't seem to need psypoke here)

1. You know the drill, follow the fish.

2. If you ran out of fish and you're lost, go back in the one in the bomber and look up, there's someone you can hop into above you

3. Don't get too hung up on the "flowers" quite yet.

4. Sometimes size makes a big difference.

5. Lily just lost something very important to her, is there anyway we can fix it?

6. You can use telekinesis on living things too.

7. Talk to her again when the psylerium poisoning wears off. She'll tell you what to do.

Level 5: Through the train

Powers: Clarvoyance, psypoke, telekinesis, pyrokinesis.

1. If its made of wood. Burn it. If it looks cold. Burn it. When in doubt? Burn it!

2. If you feel stuck try jumping perspective.

3. If you feel like you don't have enough empty spaces for the sliding platform puzzle remember that Lily's on a platform. So you don't need to make a perfectly clear path, you just need to slide her platform to the end.

4. If your stuck in the caboos you need to spin the scope, lean forward and use clarvoyance.

Level 6: Above the train

Powers: Clarvoyance, telekinesis, pyrokinesis, psypoke

1. That weird yellow disk is functionally a record. What do records do? They go on spinning tables. Put it on the spinning table in the center of the room.

2. The 3 tubes will raise fluid levels when heated. If it lights up its good.

3. When in doubt play with the control panel on the circular table.

4. The weird chamber with the buttons has 2 powers. 1 button combines the two items you place inside into 1 combo-item. The other splits the item you place inside into 2 component items.

5. Keep playing with the item combo-chamber until you have something that looks like it might attach to the table.

6. If you're stuck after Sasha snaps out of it poke the record to change the channel.

Level 7: In the sunken ship

Powers: Clarvoyance, Telekinesis, Pyrokinesis, Psypoke, Psyblast

1. If you can't get in your target's mind try a nearby person instead.

2. Burn everything you can

3. Shoot everything you can.

4. Coach can't swim because of his stubby legs. What can we do about that? There's something in this room that can be telekinetically placed over his legs.

Level 8: Get Out of that Chair

Powers: Clarvoyance, telekinesis, pyrokinesis, psyblast, psypoke

1. Look in the center of the room after cutscene. See that tiny door? If you've played psychonauts one you know what to do. If you don't, just throw it on the good doctor's head.

2. When in doubt burn and shoot everything you can.

3. If something is coming towards your head use telekinesis to line it up and psyblast to turn the tables.

Level 9: The Finale

Powers: Clarvoyance, telekinesis, psypoke, pyrokinesis, psyblast.

1. Sometimes the one who needs your help the most is the smallest most seemingly insignificant one.

2. Having trouble pushing buttons? Try psypoke

3. Stuck on the external psylock? There's a big red button right outside the ship. Poke it.

[Mercury]

hey nice guide dude, just published an achievements guide myself :D
i might link it in that to help some users and maybe get this guide some more traction (not like there will probably be a ton more other guides for this game though lol)