What results is a wonderfully bizarre and poignant sequel. But with Psychonauts 2 the developer seems to have done its due diligence to ensure that hasn’t happened this time around. In the original Psychonauts, that line was crossed on occasion – something that Double Fine head Tim Schafer admits to – with the stereotypical depiction of an asylum, among other issues. A brilliant balanceĭouble Fine has a knack for seeing the funny side of mental health while not punching down on those affected. It’s the perfect serotonin-fuelled adventure. Instead, there are plenty of new quality-of-life and accessibility features, along with new characters, enemies, environments and optional side missions to undertake – not to mention new abilities to learn. The action platformer is packed to the brim with metaphors for various aspects of mental wellbeing, whether that’s the return of emotional baggage (which needs sorting out) or enemies like Enablers (who cheer on the bad thoughts), Regrets (which try to weigh Raz down) or Doubts (which try to eat you).Īs a sequel, Psychonauts 2 brilliantly builds on what made the first so unique, without falling into the all-too-common trap of simply retracing the original.
PSYCHONAUTS SWITCH FREE
Raz even learns about consent when entering someone else’s mind – something which was less prevalent in the original game.Īnother level sees Raz learning about archetypes, as he attempts to free the various identities of former Psychonaut Cassie O’Pia – each of which has been locked away by a controlling librarian following a traumatic experience.īut it’s not just the environments and overall themes which lend themselves to Psychonauts 2’s mental health depictions. While I don’t want to spoil the particular details of this level, we do see Raz discovering how fragile the psyche can be and learning that creating new mental pathways isn’t always that simple. As he attempts to break one Psychonauts member’s association that risky situations can result in death, he instead links risk with money – resulting in their mind becoming a casino and kicking off a gambling addiction. In one level, Raz discovers how powerful (and dangerous) mental associations can be – a new ability introduced in Psychonauts 2. "As a sequel, Psychonauts 2 brilliantly builds on what made the first so unique, without falling into the all-too-common trap of simply retracing the original." It's currently on sale for $2.50, which is a steal for a game that really isn't like any other game out there.The cooking show manifestation was one of four Psychonauts 2 levels I played as part of a preview, but each level boasts its own unique take on a different mental health struggle. To summarize, this game is absolutely worth it, sale or not. Challenges I faced with mouse + keyboard like the punching mini game and the infuriatingly difficult meat circus level were not a problem at all when I used a controller. Switching between psychic powers, navigating menus, and especially the platforming is much easier with a controller. If you have the option, I highly recommend using a controller, even as someone who prefers keyboard + mouse most of the time. Speaking of controllers, I have beat this game twice, first with keyboard + mouse and the second time with a controller. The humor in this game is great, which in combination with a compelling story and well written characters makes you not want to put your controller down while playing.
The soundtrack composed for this game is out-of-this-world and really immerses you in the world Double Fine have created.
Each level is extremely memorable, creative, fun to play, and the powers you unlock open up different ways to approach the levels. I think the artstyle is very unique and looks great today when the resolution is scaled to current monitor sizes.
Psychonauts is an amazing game that has held up really well despite being released in 2005.