Small touches like Raz turning his head before his body and putting his arms out for balance when on uneven/sloped surfaces work wonders towards giving him weight and making the game a visual treat to watch without dampening the responsiveness of platforming and exploration, which feel better than ever. Every move Raz had in the first game returns and is organically re-taught to the player throughout the first level of the sequel.Īlthough the original game’s controls are no slouch, Psychonauts 2 spares no expense in improving every aspect of character control. As soon as you start, Psychonauts 2 feels like it hasn’t missed a beat as it effortlessly introduces you to its platforming principles. You solve environmental puzzles, exhaust dialogue lines between dozens of NPCs, explore every crevice of the game world for secrets and collectables, and, of course, jump between moving platforms of increasing variety. The original Psychonauts is unique in the fact that it’s a 3D platformer in the style of a classic LucasArts adventure game.
Though they don’t get as much screen time as the campers in the first game, they’re just as equally fleshed out and vibrant, adding a lot to the game through side quests and impactful roles in the game’s overall narrative. Like Morris, a handicapped boy in a psychic wheelchair who runs a pirate radio in secret, so secret that he’s told just about everybody and Bob Zanottto, an original member of the Psychonauts, living in isolation in the forest outside the Motherlobe after the loss of his husband. The new supporting characters are just as worthy of praise, too. While nostalgia could play a heavy role in the welcome return of these characters, hilarious writing and and superb voice acting ensure you’ll be entertained whether it’s the first time or the 100th time you’ve heard Milla call you “Daaaarliing.” Coach Oleander even returns despite being an antagonist in the last game, something the thorough and adorably presented recap will tell you, remaining as brash and untrusting as ever. Sasha Nein is still a calculating, nicotine-addicted, closeted sadist and Ford Cruller is still a broken kooky old man living inside Raz’s head. Classic characters return as if never missing a beat. It’s difficult to put into words just how fleshed out every single main character and plot point is in this sequel.
Mind-bending effects are used with reckless abandon to sell the otherworldly illusion of being inside someone’s head as tons of optional world building and backstory take the form of collectibles and environmental objects scattered within. Simultaneously tracking a story in the past and present with such an original plot could be a big ask for lesser games, but Psychonauts 2 makes it look easy.Īs you jump between the minds of the idiosyncratic new cast members, their traumas, fears, and identities are presented as fantastically twisted landscapes of personality and depth (a poignant connection between gameplay and story carried over from the first game). As Raz sets out to uncover the mole within the organization, the story breaks away in digestible layers as the past is tied to the present, presenting a mystery unlike anything I’ve ever seen. From here, the stage is set for a story to uncover the dark secrets of the Psychonauts’ past while changing their future forever. Psychonauts 2 reviewįollowing up less than 3 days after the Whispering Rock incident, Psychonauts 2 starts in the cubicle-ridden offices of the Motherlobe, the headquarters of the titular Psychonauts that was consistently alluded to throughout the first game. 16 years later, does Psychonauts 2 live up to the lofty expectations set by the cult favorite original? The answer is a resounding, no-holds-barred yes.
Arguably Double Fine’s magnum opus that has transcended the passage of time and remains for many, including myself, Psychonauts is seen as the best game to come out of Schafer’s arthouse. Never was this more true than with 2005’s Psychonauts.
#Psychonauts 2 cast series
From the timeless classic Grim Fandango, to the misunderstood gem that was Brutal Legend, to the humorous Costume Quest series of RPGs, this development team has proven, time after time, that all you truly need to create a memorable video game is a little bit of ingenuity and the confidence to make it work.ĭouble Fine made a name for themselves by blending creative art design, simple gameplay, and fantastic writing into inventive experiences. When it comes to writing in video games, very few minds come close to Tim Schafer and his gang of artists over at Double Fine.
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