In a decision that set me apart from most 90's kids, I picked the 3DO for my 11th birthday present as they were being liquidated from Best Buy. For better or is for worse - Psychic Detective, plus the dozen or so other games in the discount bin, became many of my formative gaming experiences.
Psychic Detective follows Eric Fox, a sleazy 90's bro with the gift of psychically sensing the history and emotional aura of objects he touches. While capitalizing on his abilities in a lounge act magic show, Lana, a mysterious and beautiful woman, approaches Eric with a job offer to assist in recent and untimely death. Lana trains Eric in a psychic technique to "mind hop", to see through the eyes and ears of other people.
This newfound ability serves as the core gameplay mechanic, where Eric unravels the mystery while jumping from perspective to perspective over the course the game.
What initially might feel like a "choose your own adventure" through branching "hops", the guard rails of "we can only film so much and stuff it on a CD-Rom" are never too distant. Working within those boundaries, the game centers "finding the dirt", a sort of narrative easter egg hunt that has the players charting paths within the ~15 minute linear chapter segments to unbury key character or plot details.
Spanning around 45 minutes, the details you gleam while playing become ammunition in a psychic battle with the story's antagonist, played out through a "my trauma vs your trauma" board game named Black Diamond. Win or lose, you're rewarded with a dozen or so ending scenarios triggered by your unique trip through the story as well as your endgame performance.
Psychic Detective is simultaneously a romp though a high concept 90's B-Movie, and a surprisingly complex and realized maze of branching paths to explore over repeated play throughs. I hope GoG can someday give a new lease on life for this oddity that perhaps represents both a pinnacle and conclusion to the 90's FMV game fascination.