#Psychonauts 2 new game plus how to#
#Psychonauts 2 new game plus tv#

Using its colourful, Coraline-esque art style as a base, each environment in Psychonauts 2 feels so meticulously crafted. In fact, a major reason why the storytelling works is due to the outstanding and wildly creative level design. Of course, writing isn’t everything, but thankfully, Psychonauts 2 excels in other key areas. If anything, it’s usually just good-natured humour surrounding the unfortunate or bizarre scenarios the ever-plucky Raz finds himself in, like his family embarrassing him at Psychonauts HQ or learning what sorts of gross ingredients go into the base’s pancakes. Commendably, though, the humour is never at the expense of the troubled figures whose minds you enter. Double Fine games are known for this humour, and Psychonauts 2 is no exception. In so doing, Psychonauts 2 establishes the need for people to hold honest dialogues to help break the stigma surrounding mental health.Īt the same time, Psychonauts 2 balances this with consistently laugh-out-loud-funny banter that’s brought to life through stellar, lively voice acting.

As an improvement over the first game, Raz even asks for permission to enter people’s minds, acknowledge that one’s feelings are personal and privacy ought to be respected. The game dedicates an entire level, cleverly framed as a guided museum tour, to explain her country’s history and, through that, her traumas.

That level of care is even extended to the game’s main villain, the mass murderer Maligula, who you come to at least understand and feel sorry for, even if you don’t excuse her actions. Why does your brusk teacher Hollis, a once-promising doctor, harbour a gambling addiction? What’s caused the eccentric Psychonauts founder Ford Cruller to develop dissociative identity disorder? As I played Psychonauts 2, I was constantly surprised at the hidden layers of each character. Every antagonist in the game has nuance.īy going into their minds, you can, quite literally, unpack everything that’s led them to be the way they are.

#Psychonauts 2 new game plus tv#

What I adore most about Psychonauts 2 is how it treats all of its characters. If Ted Lasso was the TV show all about believing in the good in your fellow man, Psychonauts 2 is exactly that in the video game space. For Psychonauts 2, Double Fine worked closely with mental health experts like Take This to offer a more sensitive depiction of common struggles. This was also an element of the first game, but it was, as writer-director Schafer told me, not wholly intentional. To be sure, there’s no shortage of games that allow you to be heroic, but the ways in which Psychonauts does this are genuinely brilliant.īasically, Psychonauts 2 is all about empathy. In terms of gameplay, Psychonauts 2 is a platformer that features a lot of exploration that’s fuelled by such fancy psychic powers as telekinesis, pyrokinesis and time manipulation.

#Psychonauts 2 new game plus how to#

If you’re unfamiliar, the Psychonauts games follow Razputin, a young acrobat who learns how to use his psychic abilities to protect the world. While It Takes Two certainly deserves credit for its emphasis on inventive cooperative gameplay, Psychonauts 2 is still the most wonderfully unique game I’ve played this year. Now, I’m not someone who thinks violence in games is in any way harmful - that’s ridiculous - but it does sometimes leave me wanting for more variety. Whether it’s presented in a realistically violent way ( Call of Duty) or Looney Tunes-esque cartoonish mayhem ( Fortnite), violence is at the heart of the majority of games. In the same way that Hollywood is dominated by superheroes and other sequel-friendly blockbusters, many of the biggest games are action-packed, combat-focused experiences. Much has been said about the “AAA” gaming industry. Although it came out in August, I only just finally beat it late last month, and I’m so happy I did. Developed by LucasArts alum Tim Schafer’s Double Fine studio, Psychonauts 2 is easily one of the best games of this year.

To take nothing away from Hazelight’s genuinely earned win, I wish Psychonauts 2 got more attention. Plus, how can you not love co-writer/director Josef “f*** the Oscars!” Fares? And beyond It Takes Two, there were some well-deserved wins in other categories, like Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (from Canada’s own Eidos Montreal, no less!) taking home Best Narrative or Best Action-Adventure going to Metroid Dread.īut now that the dust has settled, I find myself lamenting that no love was shown to Psychonauts 2, which was up for five awards, including GOTY. This was a pleasant surprise, especially since it’s a smaller game made by the indie studio Hazelight, with publishing support from EA.

After three-plus hours of ads and celebrities, The Game Awards 2021 concluded with It Takes Two snagging the coveted Game of the Year (GOTY) title.