Psychonauts 2 Review – Get Psyched!

Not a game that I was intending to review or even play – Double Fine’s Psychonauts 2 seems to have left a lasting impression on me… so why is that?

Coming from the brilliantly strange brain of Tim Schafer, Psychonauts 2 was originally revealed back in the glorious year of 2015, before then releasing six years later during the global shutdown. I personally picked the game up on PlayStation Plus Essential, and I’m so glad that I gave it a chance.

Having played both Grim Fandango and Brütal Legend (I’m clearly a fan of their work, why haven’t I played this game before now!?), Psychonauts is always something that has seemed to elude me. I think it’s mainly due to me not having played the previous games in the series and being worried that I wouldn’t know what’s going on (though the first game came out in 2005 on PS2 and the second was a virtual reality game). Though after 100 percent-ing Psychonauts 2 I may just need to go back and play the first… and buy a VR headset.

Welcome to my mind

Upon starting the game you instantly get a refresher on previous events – so you get caught up pretty quickly which is nice, even if the world seems like a lot to get your head around. You play as Raz, a ten year old psychic from a family of cursed acrobats, who has just recently joined the secret psychic spy organistation known as the Psychonauts. After you return from a mission to headquarters – The Motherlobe, you can start your journey as the newest intern. Told you it seems daunting, but rest assured it’s not. What follows is a hilarious, heart-warming, and genuinely fun action platformer with a unique style that seems to permeate all of Double Fine’s work. As a newly instated member of the Psychonauts, it’s up to you to dive into the minds of those in need of help (some more willing than others), all while trying to flush out a mole within your ranks and prevent an old nemesis from returning to wreak havoc once more.

Gameplay is quite simple and consists of the aforementioned platforming, along with ranking up your mental abilities and purchasing special game-changing pins from the Otto-Matic which boost Raz’s powers. You also unlock new powers as the game progresses, 4 of which can be assigned to your bumper buttons. These include the likes of psi-blast, levitation & telekinesis – with some of the later levels requiring you to swap them out on the fly. Some places also have special areas only accessible via newly discovered powers/upgrades, so it makes backtracking to unlock everything in previously explored brains quite satisfying.

Psychonauts 2 is generally easy, as I didn’t really need any health items at all during my playthrough, though you can purchase them if you are struggling in-game. The difficulty comes from exploration, and having to swap out abilities during platforming and combat. Some bosses and enemies (such as Bad Ideas, Regrets and Judges for example) require specific moves like telekinesis in order to defeat them effectively.

There are 13 levels set throughout multiple different brains, and the game shines through the way in which they are designed more than anything else. Each person’s personality at the point of entering the doorway to their mind is reflected throughout the level and in what Raz has to ultimately resolve. It’s truly addicting to 100% these levels as the collectables are a key part of the experience. The way that the characters are written and interact within this carefully crafted world, and the more grown-up tone of the story is something which I also really enjoyed.

Final thoughts

Even after writing this article I’ve had to upgrade it from a Quick Looks to a full review, because I’ve simply had more to talk about then I originally thought; I can’t help but sing it’s praises and I wish I had discovered it sooner. Psychonauts 2 is a lovely little gem of a game, one which I tried on a whim and have no trouble recommending to others. If you like charming platformers with a heavy dose of weird and a good sense of humour, then this is for you.