
The player takes control of Raz, a young psychic who has been recruited into the Psychonauts, a secret organization that trains psychics to use their abilities for good. Psychonauts 2 is a platform game played from a third-person perspective. The player takes control of Razputin Aquato, a young boy with psychic powers, who enters the minds of others to battle their inner demons. Psychonauts 2 is a platform game that uses 3D graphics. The game was designed and developed by Double Fine Productions.
PSYCHONAUTS 2 NEW GAME PLUS SERIES
The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S on August 25, 2021. I may not be able to change your mind, but there’s no doubt in mine that Psychonauts 2 is 2021’s Game of the Year.Psychonauts 2 is a sequel to the 2005 video game Psychonauts, developed and published by Double Fine Productions. Psychonauts 2 is a game that, much like the first, will be embedded in my psyche for years. The transparent way it discusses and presents mental health by forgoing social taboo to talk plainly moves from striking into empowering, creating a cerebral safe space where it’s okay to care about each other. The story isn’t a long awaited cash grab by some burnout game devs, it strives to be told through every humorous beat in its seemingly endless dialogue trees and beautifully high concept level design. The gameplay is tight and designed around every curve of the environment.

In an effort not to simply repeat what I’ve said in my review, and with the generous gift of hindsight and afterthought, I can easily say that Psychonauts 2 isn’t only the best game I’ve played in 2021 - it’s the best game I’ve played in years. Levels aren’t just mind-bendingly designed, they’re absolutely stunning, filled with fantastic material work, beautiful CGI-level lighting, and an artstyle that calls back to the first game while making confident strides all on its own. When the expansive hub world isn’t drawing you away with its bevy of irresistible collectibles and mild puzzle solving, you’re breaking down mental trauma and sorting emotional baggage through the best “linear” 3D platforming stages this side of Super Mario Galaxy 2. Drawing inspiration from LucasArts adventure games of old and of course the 2005 original, he’s simultaneously created a soundtrack that both pulls on some nostalgic strings and hammers on some fresh ones to make some of the best music you could ever ask to jump around to.Īnd jump around you do. Psychonauts 2, in many ways, has some of McConnell’s best work featured, and in just as many ways, the work featured is McConnell’s best. Having been with Double Fine and Tim Schafer for years, they’ve established quite a repertoire when it comes to setting the tone for their various adventure games over the years. I’d be remiss not to mention composer Peter McConnell amongst those artists. Or it would be a miracle if we weren’t talking about some of the finest artists in the business.

His weight and animations make controlling him a dream, and in a game where there’s a fresh line of dialogue nearly every minute, it’s a miracle that none of Psychonauts 2’s script gets boring by the time the credits roll. Raz is still the headstrong smart aleck he’s always been, clever and witty, while also being engrossed in the curiosities of the world around him. The new Mental Connection feature acting as both a movement system and a way to delve into the thoughts of the characters’ brains you inhabit was a genius way for the writers to present even more dialogue for each of the game’s profound personalities peppered throughout. Themes such as isolation, addiction, and schizophrenia are openly and safely displayed and discussed through the guise of game design. Psychonauts 2 makes it a point, even jokingly, to remind the player that even though this game takes place less than a week after the original 2005 game, this is an entirely new contemporary affair seeping with originality.

With personality and charm seeping from every pore of its characters, levels, sound design, and even loading screens, a series of fantastically designed 3D platforming gauntlets succeed in shining a light on mental health through captivating writing, stellar platforming, and theming unlike anything seen since the first Psychonauts. Psychonauts 2 proves they never lost that inspired edge. By constantly pushing the envelope through expansive writing, deep characterization, and some of the most off-the-wall video game worlds put to screen, Tim Schafer and his entourage of wizards have made a name for themselves by being creative masterminds with a penchant for meticulous detail. Next up: Psychonauts 2.ĭouble Fine have never ever been ones to play it safe. To celebrate this collection of sun rotations, we’re looking at the best games of 2021.
