Razputin is the protagonist of the cult-classic video game, Psychonauts. He's beloved by fans for his enthusiastic personality, quick wit, and determination. There's something endearing about Raz that pulls players in from minute one. Children can relate to wanting to be taken seriously, and adults can laugh like a kid again.
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As a psychic who grew up in the circus, it's no surprise that there's a lot to know about this ten-year-old. The developers of Psychonauts put a lot of work into each character and there's tons of incredible concept art and lore to be found online. We've collected some of the best details you may not have known about Raz in one convenient place.
He's The Amazing Five-Fingered Man
In the original Psychonauts game, Raz is four-fingered, like all other characters. However, in Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin and Psychonauts 2, he's clearly depicted with five fingers. Stranger still? None of the other characters have been altered – they all still have four.
We can assume it was the switch to VR that forced the team to add extra fingers to Raz's character model. In Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin for VR, you play as Raz. It would have been a little unsettling to look down at your hand and see only four fingers where there used to be five. Psychonauts 2 has probably continued the trend simply to avoid any further continuity errors.
He Was Supposed To Be Named D'artagnan
Not only was the protagonist of the first Psychonauts supposed to be named D'artagnan, but he was also going to be an entirely different character. D'artagnan was a cynical boy whose voice lines have him criticizing the other campers for spending their time on crafts.
He was scrapped mid-production because they had trouble animating his long, knit cap and ultimately felt he looked out of place among the other children they designed. However, he does have one reference and one small cameo in-game. In Psychonauts' first cutscene, Coach Oleander tries to read Raz's mind and says that Raz's name starts with "D" – a nod to D'artagnan. Then, during the last cutscene, D'artagnan peaks his head out of the outhouse.
His Model has The Most Textures
Razputin's appearance has become iconic over the years, as Psychonauts slowly accrued more and more fans. As it turns out, Raz actually has more texture on his character model than any other character in the first game.
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We suppose that it makes sense, since no other character layers as many different items into one costume as Raz does. Many other campers, like Clem Foote, Bobby Zlich, Chlore Barge, and more are only wearing simple shirts and tops, plus maybe something in their hair.
He's A Comic-Lover
We know from Raz's inner monologue (and outer dialogue) during Psychonauts and Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin that he loves comic books. In certain situations, he'll reference parallels between his experiences and the books, or just as his inspiration for wanting to become a Psychonaut.
One series of comics that Raz has mentioned is the "Psychic Detective Tales." We assume this love of comics is what inspired him to go on to become an artist himself; to introduce Psychonauts 2, there's a cutscene in which Raz reads from a Psychic Detective Tales comic that he drew himself.
He Used To Be On MySpace
Once upon a time, Razputin had a MySpace page thatwas uncovered by Tumblr user rainbowsquirt. There's actually one available for all the young campers!
The MySpace pages give us a little insight into the campers' lives and even reveals their Zodiac signs! Razputin is a Capricorn, and his "About Me" blurb is just as long-winded and enthusiastic as his verbal speech. He notes that "they said I was too young for the flying trapeze. Man, were they wrong. They said I was too young to leave home, but I did it. In the middle of the night no less. And now they're saying I'm too young to become a Psychonaut. But I'll show them. They'll see."
His Only Memory Bank In Psychonauts
Raz is the only character not to have multiple memory banks to discover in Psychonauts gameplay. There's only one, which can be found during the Brain Tumbler Experiment and depicts how Razputin learned about the Psychonauts camp and ran away from home to attend it.
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Several members of Razputin's family are depicted in the vault, including his siblings and his mother. Some of these characters are going to appear in Psychonauts 2 and, from what we can tell, their depiction in 3D is pretty faithful to their depiction in the vault.
His Last Name Is Aquato
We know the last name for most characters in Psychonauts, through one source or another. There's Fred Cruller, Raz's eccentric mentor. Or there's Milla Vodello, a camp counsellor and psychonaut. However, we're never really told what Raz's last name is during the course of the game.
The only hint that players had to go on was during the Meat Circus, where a poster can be found of a family of acrobats reading "Aquato." That last name was eventually confirmed by multiple sources, such as Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin and the Steam Trading Card that featured the character.
He's Creating The Hand of Galachio
During the game, it's explained that Razputin's family was cursed by psychics, long ago, to die in water. Anytime a member of the Aquato family stood in water that was more than a few inches deep, they'd be pulled in by a mysterious hand that no one else could see. In-game, this is the explanation used for why you can't enter the water. A hand will come out and grab you to pull you under the waves. This hand is named after Galachio, the family of psychics that put the curse on the Aquatos.
However, it was revealed in a developer showcase for Psychonauts 2 that the curse isn't exactly what Razputin thinks it is. The hand that pulls Raz into the water (indeed, which is seen in-game) is actually just Razputin's own psychic abilities. He believes so deeply in the curse that he's making it come true, subconsciously.
His Cameos
As a beloved – albeit slightly lesser-known – video game protagonist, Razputin has had a number of cameos in other franchises.
- Alice: Madness Returns – one of the game's caves has Razputin's bones sitting in an armchair
- Brütal Legend – the guitar player for Kabbage Boy, a heavy metal band, does Raz's signature victory dance
- Brütal Legend – one of the characters, Jack the Lift-Op, is wearing Raz's signature goggles
- Brütal Legend: Hammer of Infinite Fate map pack – you can choose to chisel Raz's face into Mount "Rockmore"
- A Hat In Time – appears as a drawing in Vanessa's Manor's attic
- Bit Trip Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien – Raz is a playable character in the Good Friends Character Bundle DLC
He Is Capable Of Zoolingualism
This is a little fact that you wouldn't know about Raz unless you had played Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin, a VR game that took place right where the original Psychonauts left off. In it, Raz and Lili fight to rescue Lili's dad, who's been kidnapped.
During the course of the game, Raz shows off a psychic ability he never revealed before: Zoolingualism (the psychic ability to talk to animals). He talks to Harold, Lili's pet rat, during the game. One can only wonder what those squirrels who befriended Dogen in the first Psychonauts were thinking…
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