When it comes to video game sequels, most do not live up to their predecessor’s reputation; in the last 50 years, about one hundred games have managed to do so with less than 50 enhancing the franchise because of it. Titles such as Halo 2, Portal 2, Assassin’s Creed 2, Batman Arkham City, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Borderlands 2, God of War 2, Diablo 2, and Kingdom Hearts 2 are just a few sequels that enhanced their franchises. Now, a new title looks to join the ranks of those renowned titles. Later this week, Microsoft and Double Fine Productions are set to release Psychonauts 2. How does the second mainline title hold up compared to its predecessor? Find out in our Psychonauts 2 review.
Psychonauts 2 is a title we have been closely following since 2012. In 2012, Markus Persson, the former owner of Mojang, tweeted at Tim Schafer that he would be willing to fund a sequel. A year later, Persson would go on to retract his offer. Despite this, Psychonauts 2 was not dead in the water. In 2015 during The Game Awards, Schafer announced a crowdfunding campaign seeking 3.3 million to create Psychonauts 2. After a month, the game had been funded and development was underway. The game was expected to be released in 2018 but was pushed back until 2019. Before Microsoft purchased Double Fine Productions in 2019, Double Fine was prepared to cut the boss fights out of the game.
So why the quick backstory? Because the wait for Psychonauts 2 is finally over and let’s just say, the boss fights were worth the wait. So let’s dive into what you need to know before Psychonauts 2 releases on August 25th and the rest of the Psychonauts 2 review.
Campaign
Psychonauts 2 picks up following the events of Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin. After rescuing Truman Zanotto from Dr. Loboto, the Psychonauts depart to return to their headquarters. While traveling, Agent Nein, Vodello, Oleander, Raz, and Lili enter Dr. Loboto’s mind to uncover who hired him to kidnap Truman Zanotto. The first level of the game is to catch up with returning players with the story while teaching new players the basics of the game and establishing the game’s story. Why is Dr. Lobato so scared of this shadowy figure?
Upon arrival at the base, Raz expects to be initiated as a full-fledged member of the Psychonauts but is thrown a curveball when Hollis Forsythe directs him to the Intern program. As a new intern, Raz is assigned a mentor in Psychonauts HQ, Nick the Postmaster. While looking for his mentor in the mailroom, Raz discovers a large package addressed to Zanotto. While attempting to deliver the package to the head of the Psychonauts, a body is discovered. With Zanotto incapacitated still, Forsythe recalls all interns to the classroom for instruction while preparing Agents Nein and Vodello to investigate a mysterious casino. This mission sets up the beginning premises of the overarching narrative of the game. Who has stolen the brain from the body? Who is the spy in the Psychonauts? and Who wants to resurrect Meligula (water shadow)?
Changes and Accessibility
Most of the features introduced in the first game return in Psychonauts 2. Some of the abilities have been reworked while others have been eliminated completely; Invisibility, Shield, and Confusion have been taken out of the game. Replacing those three are Time Bubble, Mental Connection, and Projection. Unlike the first game’s three abilities, the new abilities are used interchangeably during combat to defeat foes. Some abilities are more useful against different enemies. Luckily, the game hints at what each enemy is weak to in order to assist the player.
Speaking of assisting the player. Psychonauts 2 features three gameplay alterations. Players can choose to enable No Fall Damage, Invincibility, or Narrative Combat; Narrative Combat makes Raz deal significantly more damage to enemies during combat. This feature allows the player to focus on the story. The game also features colorblind compensation, camera shake alteration, increased font, larger subtitles, and a hints option. Players can also choose to turn off motion blur effects and subtitles. In terms of accessibility, Psychonauts 2 has something to assist most players.
Itemization and Customization
Psychonauts 2 does a great job at paying homage to the first Psychonauts. On various occasions, the game references the events of the first game and at a later point takes Raz back to where it all began. Items return to Psychonauts 2, but you will not have to gather brains for a side quest or clear out cobwebs to obtain items. Instead, two halves of a brain can be gathered to increase Raz’s overall health. The game’s store has three menus: Combine, Items, and Pins. Players can increase their rank by combining Psi Cards with cores. Ranking up grants Raz Intern credits that can be used to upgrade Raz’s abilities. The player can choose between nine cards of Raz’s abilities to upgrade; each card has four levels to upgrade. Additionally, players can rank up by gathering figments, opening trunks, and collecting brains.
In the Otto Matic (store), players can use Psitanium to purchase Otto-Shot Filters, consumables, and Psi Pouches. Psi pops can be used to heal Raz during combat while Dream Fluff will revive Raz if the player’s health reaches zero. Pouches increase Raz’s storage space for Psi Pops, Dream Fluffs, and Psitanium. Finally, Raz can purchase pins to upgrade or alter his abilities. Pins unlock for purchase once Raz reaches a certain rank. These pins alter Raz’s abilities making some stronger or have side effects. Sadly, only three pins can be equipped at one time despite there being 32 pins available for purchase.
Level Design and Gameplay
Psychonauts 2 does a great job distinguishing itself from its predecessor by refining the gameplay mechanics, eliminating tedious items, and having unique-level designs. Each level feels like it can stand alone and is unique to each character’s mind. Unlike the first Psychonauts, each level offers a vibrant landscape showcasing each character’s mind helping the player to form an emotional bond with their patient. Figments, emotional baggage, and memory vaults let you learn about the character’s past while seeing what makes them tick. While searching for the original founders of the Psychonauts, Raz is able to help each founding member with the emotional trauma that their mind is currently trying to process.
Similar to the first Psychonauts, the player has the ability to explore the world around them in between most missions. Players can revisit the minds they have previously entered by utilizing the Brain Tumber to enter the Collective Unconscious. The player can quickly travel to places they have previously visited in the open world by using Otto B.O.N. Players who like to capture in-game experiences can use the Otto-Shot to take pictures.
Psychonauts 2 does a great job refining the gameplay elements from its predecessors. The game still occasionally deals with weird camera angles but they are not as inhibiting as in previous games. Climbing and jumping onto objects is easier and using Raz’s ability feels more refined and easy to use. The only annoying glitch we encountered occurred halfway through the game when a necessary item would fall through the map.
Between trying to uncover Laboto’s contracted employer, the mysterious body, and Raz’s mysterious curse, Psychonauts 2 sets up a narrative that keeps players on their toes. The refined gameplay makes combat easier for casual players. Hopefully, a harder difficulty will be released at a later date.
Controls
Psychonauts 2 makes gameplay easily accessible to casual and returning platform players. The game now gives Raz the ability to use four abilities rather than three. Changing abilities can be done while fighting to allow the player to remap the controller’s buttons. The game does not utilize combinations and every button has its own unique purpose. Healing can be done quickly by pressing down on the control pad. This makes for a fun platforming experience. This makes for an exceptional score in our Psychonauts 2 review.
Music/Sound
Unlike Samurai Warriors 5, Psychonauts 2 has a unique soundtrack with each level having its own unique feel. The voice acting in the game is outstanding with the former cast returning to reprise their roles while new characters are introduced through the game. Voice actors such as Jack Black, Yori Lowenthal, Elijah Wood, Rikki Simons, and Steve Blum create a fun and distinguished feeling for the characters that play. Does anyone else like Gir from Invader Zim? If so, Rikki Simons has you covered. Each character’s voice lines have the ability to make you laugh, cry, smile, or feel down based on the way they are delivered.
The game’s background music is a joy to listen to most of the game excluding one level late in the game. Thankfully, the developers created a way for the player to destroy gramophones to turn them off. Each ability has its own sound effect and each enemy has a variety of lines you can hear. Early in the game when there are limited enemy types their voice lines can get annoying; however, by the end of the game, you won’t be rolling your eyes at the sound effects.
Graphics
While playing through Psychonauts 2, we did not notice many graphical issues while playing through the game. Before the game was patched, there were a few visual bugs but those were quickly remedied with the early update. Camera angles were occasionally a minor inconvenience when moving under certain objects. Most objects that impaired sight would quickly become see-through to help the player move throughout the level. As we previously discussed, each level has its own unique feel that you can tie to a specific character or mission.
The minds the player enters feel fleshed out and unique. Double Fine was not afraid to alter the game’s artwork to provide a unique experience. While out in the real world, Psychonauts 2′s art style remains true to the original game. This will help fans to reconnect with the series they loved while providing an enriching experience overall.
Replay Value
When it comes to our Psychonauts 2 Review Replay Value score, the game falls a little short. Although players can revisit each level through the Collective Unconscious, it still does not provide players with a lot of variety. Yes, players can go back and collect the Figments, Emotional Baggage, Nuggets of Wisdom, Memory Vaults, and Half-a-Minds, but there are no alternate paths to take. If you are a completionist or like to play games in a variety of ways, Psychonauts 2 has a lot to offer; however, for the casual player who has a variety of games to play, it offers very little.
Conclusion
When it comes down to our Psychonauts 2 review, we are pleased with how Double Fine and Microsoft have refined the Psychonauts franchise. The game offers players a variety of ways to play Psychonauts 2 and makes it accessible for most gamers. Each level and character have their own unique feel that makes the game flow smoothly rather than feeling like a grind. At times, it was difficult to put down the controller to do everyday tasks. Psychonauts 2‘s accessibility features and customization is definitely a vast improvement compared to its predecessor. A unique reward at the end of the game could be a nice touch for those who perfect the game. At this time, we have completed the game’s main story but not collected everything or done all the side quests,
Although fans have had to wait for 16 years, the wait was well worth it. Psychonauts 2 builds on what fans loved about the first game while answering most of the questions that were left unanswered. The ending does set up an opportunity for a third Psychonauts to be released in the future; hopefully, this time it will not take sixteen more years to make. Psychonauts 2 is definitely worth picking up and is a great addition to Xbox Game Pass.
Psychonauts 2 releases for the Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PC on August 25th, 2021.
A digital copy of the game was provided by Microsoft for our Psychonauts 2 review.
