Sequels to greatness, be it in movies, musical albums, or video games, have an obvious uphill battle. Those sequels must contend with, if not eclipse the fantastic nature of its predecessors; while also presenting a uniqueness that makes it have a reason to exist. The issue with a sequel attempting to match or outdo what came before it is made even worse by time. Some successors take years to come out and a mixture of nostalgia & genre changes can make presenting a worthy successor even tougher. But then there are times when everything just clicks and, no matter how long between the original and its sequel there is still a want to reunite with memorable protagonists and an interesting world – the “Psychonauts” series falls into the latter category.
Sixteen years after the sixth generation release of “Psychonauts”, the minds behind its wacky world including Tim Schafer of “Grim Fandango” fame asked gamers to pitch in and help finance the long-awaited sequel. The fan loyalty made Schafer & studio Double Fine’s request rather easy to fulfill (though Microsoft had to financially assist as well). It would take another five years before gamers got their wish as “Psychonauts 2” finally arrived with a promise of being everything the original was and then some. My mind & body was strengthen to the point of no return when “Psychonauts 2” arrived on Xbox “Game Pass”.
Did I Complete “Psychonauts 2”?
Taking control of Raz – a young, former circus acrobat who ran away at the start of the first game in his quest to become a Psychonaut – the player is tasked with the unbelievable: discovering the mole that exists in the international task force full of psychics known as the “Psychonauts”. Though the story is new and Raz, who graduated from would-be Psychonaut to intern Psychonaut, has slightly grown, a majority of what made the original game so much fun returns here including 3D platforming, hectic combat, and, of course, collectibles.
A majority of the worlds and playable sections of “Psychonauts 2” comes courtesy of entering the mind of certain subjects. In these minds exists puzzles, places to jump on & through, enemies to combat, and hundreds upon hundreds of collectibles. Thanks to a mix of solid platforming controls and Raz’s abilities, players looking to complete this game 100% will spend hours just moving through the worlds more times than once (most likely due to missing that loan “Figment” collectible, or a secret golden nugget that helps level up Raz’s “Intern Level” & gives him skills points/“Intern Credits” for upgrading his powers). Due to the hefty amount of collectibles, I took solace in simply finishing the story and its few side missions after nearly twenty hours of play. There’s definitely an intent of getting all of those collectibles and reach Raz’s max “Intern Level”, attain the thirty-three “Pins”, and figure out how to communicate with wild animals.
Did “Psychonauts 2” Live Up to the Hype?
There were several things that made “Psychonauts” so memorable, but nothing the original game offered made it more fantastic than the story of these weird-looking characters discovering the depths of a subconscious reality while attempting to save the world. With the world of “Psychonauts” disrupted by the potential return of a monstrous destroyer (not to mention the aforementioned “mole” story), it’s up to Raz and his colleagues & mentors to stop impending doom. Though the narrative sounds unremarkable, it’s anything but uninspired mostly thanks to the writers not being afraid to stare into the depths of mental exhaustion & frustration and work through said issues.
One of the best aspects about Raz’s character is the fact he isn’t someone who can solve the world’s problems, actually causing a few along the way. Instead, Raz provides a helping hand for his conflicted allies and even some enemies to find their own way to self-restoration. The plot’s twists & turns are done exceptionally well, and the new NPCs have memorable personalities and moments without getting too much onscreen time to fully flesh out said non-playable characters.
The inner turmoil going through the characters associated with each level is greatly different from the one before it such as Doctor Hollis Forsythe’s stages focusing on her gambling addiction in, what else, a casino. Legendary member of the Psychic Six Bob Zanotto’s alcoholism puts him on an island unto himself both mentally and figuratively physically by disassociating himself from his former comrades. This dedication in emphasizing what is going through each character’s world just adds to a masterfully told story that really challenges, if not outdoes just how wonderful what was displayed in the prequel. Of course with this being a sequel, the developers did an admirable job of recapping the big moments from “Psychonauts”, but there will be a few things that goes over someone’s head if they never played the first game in this now-series.
Though there are a lot of cutscenes and talking, the gameplay is hefty just like it was in “Psychonauts”. Platforming is mostly fantastic thanks to both the level designs and Raz’s powers. Unlike the original game, the powers Raz attains including “Levitation”, “Mental Connection”, and, of course, “Telekinesis” all play a roll in both aspects of gameplay: platforming and combat. For example, using “Mental Connection” when traversing through a world will allow Raz to move between high-floating dots that most likely will take him to a platform or even a secret area. In combat, “Mental Connection” works as a tether that yanks enemies closer for potential melee attacks or “PSI Blasts”. Not similar to its predecessor, all of the powers can work for Raz’s benefit in traversal and battle unlike “Invisibility” in “Psychonauts”.
World building and combat is accented by some of the wild boss designs and interesting requirements to make it through a stage like cooking up several meals in a game show environment full of hazards. But there are some glaring issues in regards to the game’s platforming, combat and boss battles with the latter succumbing to the same set up for each battle. Though bosses have different moves & strategies, the boss battles are designed similarly to one another with gigantic foes tossing objects that must be avoided and, at times, used against the massive foe. Like many 3D platformers, the camera will cause issues for players if they haven’t lined it up perfectly for a jump or during a more high-speed section that the player may not understand what to do until it’s too late; resulting in a checkpoint restart.
Combat presentation is definitely the game’s weakest aspect. Players can only equip four powers at a time and, on a console controller, these powers are connected solely to the bumpers & triggers. Players can change powers on the fly by holding “Up” on the D-Pad and swapping said abilities, but it feels cumbersome during platforming moments and made worse when a battle suddenly starts and Raz doesn’t have the appropriate powers equipped; leaving him open for an attack before the player can recognize they’re using “Clairvoyance” instead of “PSI Blast”. There is a hard lock-on system, but using the hard lock-on really hinders movement and counterstrikes when surrounded by the mounting number of enemies that grow more profound as the game gets into its final act. The soft lock-on is fine a majority of the time, but manually aiming in the heat of battle may result in situations like Raz’s “PSI Blast” striking nothing except air.
Leveling up is strictly tied to exploration. The plethora of collectibles all have a reason to exist including the nearly 1500 2D line drawings known as “Figments” that, when attained at certain benchmarks like 100 or 500 will assist Raz in leveling up his abilities. “Nuggets of Wisdom” automatically increases Raz’s “Intern Level” by one rank while offering a skill point. The way to upgrade Raz’s health is by collecting “Half-A-Mind” objects – brains split in half that need both halves combined to add another brain to Raz’s health bar. The pig-like “Memory Vaults” posses slideshow reels for further character backstories.
“Emotional Baggage” can only be opened upon finding the corresponding “Baggage Tag”, but doing so will give Raz a good amount of the game’s currency, “Psitanium”. There are also purchasable items that can assist Raz or give him a little cosmetic appeal like the “PSI Challenge Markers” in regards to the prior. “Markers” combined with “PSI Challenge Cards” will increase Raz’s Intern Level a full point. Though everything has a reason to exist in this game’s world, the collectible amount total may be too overwhelming or even boring for those who aren’t completionists, but want to have the most sturdy Raz possible.
One way to help Raz survive or be thrifty is by equipping “Pins”. Replacing the merit badge system from “Psychonauts”, “Pins” are bought from the in-game shop and can provide benefits for Raz beyond boosting his powers. Purchased “Pins” range from increasing the damage of Raz’s melee attacks, to lowering the prices of all items. There are some drawbacks in regards to “Pins”. One is the obvious inability to have more than three “Pins” equipped at a time; meaning sacrifices will be made to use the most optimum “Pin” set during whatever situation. “Pins” also have level requirements and even if the player has enough Psitanium, they can’t use a Pin until Raz reaches the right Intern Level.
Technically, “Psychonauts 2” is a mixed bag on eighth generation consoles. Experiencing it on an Xbox One saw frame rate drops, character textures taking some time to load, a few hard crashes, and extensive loading times. Ninth generation consoles reportedly don’t have the same issues. Beyond those problems is a marvelous animation style that really allowed the developers to complete their vision obviously hindered by hardware limitations nearly twenty years ago. The sounds, from the music to literally every voice actor, are mixed fantastically while complemented by impeccable writing that brings out the best from its voice actors.
The fact this game exists is almost a miracle. “Psychonauts 2” had a lot going against it including following up on a cult classic that failed to make the financial splash the studio needed it in 2005. What isn’t a miracle is the fact the developers embraced what made the first game so memorable while mostly improving on the lacking qualities of its almost twenty-year-old predecessor.
Should You Play “Psychonauts 2”?
“Psychonauts 2” does well in providing fans of 3D platformers a strong experience with the additions of a memorable story and majorly solid combat system. Fans who have waited the sixteen years between “Psychonauts” and its successor will walk away so satisfied, while gamers who have no emotional connection to what came before “Psychonauts 2” should, most likely, enjoy a majority of everything the game has to offer. For those on the fence or don’t necessarily know if the quirky little world is what they’ll enjoy, “Psychonauts 2” is free on Microsoft’s “Game Pass” service. It is imperative to reach the casino boss because, by then, a player will know if this game is for. After the long wait, “Psychonauts 2” is, thankfully, the video game equivalent of ramming down a freshly cooked, highly-enjoyable meal and giving it a sarcastic grade of, “Surprisingly Adequate.”
