Psychonauts 2 (2021)

This was SUCH a fun game. I was anticipating the release because I enjoyed the original Psychonauts, and this one was a wonderful build upon the first one.

A few of my favorite things to mention:

• The humor - this game is entirely too clever for it's own good. Everything from the dialogue and screenplay to the missions and level design - it will definitely have you chuckling at times. Speaking of....

• The level design - I can't say enough about the art design and layout of the levels in this game. They are brilliantly colorful, creative, sometimes creepy, and often times trippy but it's all in keeping with the game's humor and overall message. Which leads me to my final point...

• The highlight on mental health awareness-- while the game is fun and will often make you laugh, it also brings awareness to a lot of things that many of us deal with in our own lives -- addictions, anxiety, ADHD, panic attacks, PTSD, etc. I just thought it was neat that the game looks to do a little educating in this area!

Giving this game a 5/5 -- it's pretty solid the entire way around. Give it a try!

Psychonauts 2 is the long awaited sequel to Psychonauts. It was a quirky 3D platformer of the kind that existed back in the day, but which pretty much disappeared. Psychonauts 2 alternates between real world segments, in a hub world, and going into people’s minds and exploring their mindscapes. These levels are where the real meat of the game is, and are both varied and creative. The first game’s levels were not always the best, but they often had very memorable premises; however, many of the levels in this game are pretty forgettable, even if the game is a bit improved mechanically.

The humor of the story as well feels weaker. The first game was very Saturday morning cartoon silly, and this game deals with much darker subjects. The first game had some darker subject matter, but mostly was lighter and more quirky; this game spent too long in the darkness, I think, and suffered for it.

The overall platforming was okay, though not amazing. The game is easier than the first game, and more consistent in its difficulty. The powers you get in this game are decent. The platforming was decent, which is an accomplishment for a 3D platformer. Still, it is okay, and better than games like A Hat in Time or Yooka Laylee.

Overall, this is a decent but not amazing sequel to an older game that had its flaws but also its positive quirks. I liked it well enough, but it’s not the “must play” game that I think it seemed like it might have been at one point. Still, if you did like the first game, this is good enough that it is worth getting; if you haven’t played the first game, and you like 3D platformers, this might be worth a look.

I picked this up because it was so highly touted and it was on Gamepass.

I played through for about 20 hours and enjoyed most of it. The level design is great, the powers felt fun, the writing was top-notch and the wordplay was just right.

The only let down for me was the combat. It just wasn't enjoyable. I'm sure it's partly because I'm just not good at it, and that's fine.

In the end, I watched the last portion of the game in a playthrough on YouTube, and very much enjoyed that. I got all the benefit of the game, with none of the frustration.

Even with that, this game was still good enough that I'd recommend most people try it if it's available to them.

~David.