This review contains no major spoilers for Psychonauts 2 (PN2).

This game can be enjoyed without playing Psychonauts 1. However, I highly recommend playing 1 and watching a playthrough of the VR in-between game for the most amount of context.

Psychonauts 2 is a fantastic follow-up to the cult classic original. The best way I can describe the game is an interactive Pixar film. I was glued to the game from start to finish, although there were some bumpy patches along the way.



Premise
Raz finally arrives at Psychonauts HQ, the Motherlobe, after his misadventures at Whispering Rock and the Rhombus of Ruin. However, he quickly finds that his promotion to Psychonaut isn’t official and is demoted to an intern. Now he has to climb back up the ranks, all while dealing with a whole new work environment, the other interns, his estranged family, and a new psychic conspiracy that threatens to drown both the Psychonauts and the world. In a world of psychic espionage, there are some secrets best left buried…


Execution
The story was pretty great. There were multiple twists and reveals that had me eager to see what the next bend had in store. While nothing terribly new or innovative was used in the story, the execution was exquisite and I rarely felt bored. PN2 has a huge cast of new characters and continues the witty writing from PN1. However, I feel that some of them could’ve used more time in the spotlight as they quickly became background characters. Nonetheless, I really liked everyone and they all contributed something to the journey.

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2586192425

This time around, a greater emphasis is placed on mental damage and how Psychonauts can help heal people. While specific disorders and diseases aren’t directly mentioned, their inclusion helped make their owners feel like more realistic and relatable characters. Healing, growth, and connections are central themes, and PN2 does a nice job exploring them all.




Leaps and Bounds Above the First
PN2 is a massive glow-up from 1. Essentially, every area has been refined and polished, making PN2 a blast to play. To start, platforming is much more engaging and challenging, mostly due to great environmental design. Often times, navigating the terrain is a puzzle in of itself. For example, trying to navigate a cave network via wall ivy, stone platforms, mine rails, and more. As a result, each new real-world zone was thrilling, with different terrain challenges and nooks and crannies to explore. Thus, you're always on an adventure, even when just wandering around the real world. I’ve spent a lot of time just wandering around the real world, scraping around for collectables and enjoying the views.

In order to compliment the platforming, Raz’s powers have been refined and the game truly feels built around them. You can find challenging far jumps requiring skilled Levitation jumps and tight hovers, or use Pyrokinesis to clear areas or even create new pathways. As a result, you'll be tested on how well you can use your powers, and some interesting puzzles are made around them. Additionally, every power has combat applications to make your toolset more versatile.

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2586213472
Fight Those Urges!
On that note, combat is very engaging and involved. Encounters are pretty frequent, each containing multiple enemies, and most enemies take some time to put down. While they all have pretty straight-forward tactics, getting swarmed and having to counter all their strategies at once is an exhilarating feeling. Since all your powers are usable in combat, you’re free to create your own strategies for victory. Raz’s powers operate on a cooldown system, so knowing the proper time to use a power always feels rewarding.

I'm pretty conflicted about most boss battles. On the one hand, their presentation and thematic mechanics are excellent. The sheer scale of the fights is amazing, and each boss feels truly personalized to the person they torment. On the other, the rule of three is heavily used, so encounters feel very scripted and rigid. Certain gimmicks are also really annoying to deal with. For example, digging specific items up to use against a boss as they attack you. All in all, I think the style outweighs the substance.



The Mental List Needs Some Cleaning Up...
Collectathon elements felt like they could’ve used some work. There are 5 types of collectables and their main purpose is to allow Raz to level up. However, keeping track of them all can be a hassle. The completion page bundles all the areas of a level into one page, making tracking down missing items downright painful and annoying. Likewise, since the scope of each level has been immensely increased, finding those very last collectables can easily get tedious and frustrating. For a casual playthrough, this is a minor inconvenience. For completeionism, this is a nightmare.

I did a lot of collecting and exploring, so I finished in around 18-ish hours. 100% completion took around 25 hours. While the game is of moderate length, I feel the ride was enough to justify the price. There's also a proper free-roam mode after completing the story, which is a very welcome addition.



I absolutely love PN2’s visual design. Modern graphics elevate the eccentric design of the series to a new height. Mental worlds are the clear winners here, each being whimsical yet profoundly telling of their owners. While I described PN1’s worlds as “unique amusement parks”, PN2’s all feel like different planets due to their wildly different themes, scales, gimmicks, and more. The visual design is marvelously done and I found myself enraptured in quite a few.

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2586234920

Character designs for the series are rather unique, taking a 3D approach to cartoony designs. Admittedly, some designs look a bit strange, but the sheer diversity helps create memorable characters. Overall animation quality is pretty good, aside from clipping and lip synch issues distracting during certain cutscenes and talking segments.



The soundtrack really hits all the right notes while playing. From nostalgic remixes of PN1 tracks to new and emotional ones, I always had a smile on my face when taking in the music. Many original voice actors also reprise their roles, which is phenomenal. Newer voices were also great as well, although some lines felt weird from a directing or quality standpoint. Sound effects were pretty solid across the board.

Intel i9-10850K - RTX 3080 - 32GB RAM - SATA SSD - 1440p@144Hz

Overall, the Steam version ran pretty smoothly. There were some stuttering problems, but they seemed to smooth out after a while. I also experienced one "Fatal Error" crash. However, people have been reporting various other issues, so your experience may vary.

A nice amount of graphical and audio options are available for tweaking. You're also offered an impressive amount of accessibility options to make the game more approachable, such as larger fonts and colorblind filters.

I played with a Xbox controller and everything functioned well. You are able to rebind both controller and KBM controls.



I am in love with what PN2 has achieved. The 16-year wait was well worth it and the product is something I feel anyone can enjoy. Practically everything is an amazing step up from the first game, and I thoroughly enjoyed the journey as a result. Replayability is a bit limited due to its linear nature, but collection completion will take a lot of time and effort in the meantime.

[quote][h1]This review contains no major spoilers for Psychonauts 2 (PN2).[/h1] [h2]This game can be enjoyed without playing Psychonauts 1. However, I highly recommend playing 1 and watching a playthrough of the VR in-between game for the most amount of context. [/h2][/quote] [b]Psychonauts 2[/b] is a fantastic follow-up to the cult classic original. The best way I can describe the game is an interactive Pixar film. I was glued to the game from start to finish, although there were some bumpy patches along the way. [h1]STORY[/h1] [b][u]Premise[/u][/b] Raz finally arrives at Psychonauts HQ, the Motherlobe, after his misadventures at Whispering Rock and the Rhombus of Ruin. However, he quickly finds that his promotion to Psychonaut isn’t official and is demoted to an intern. Now he has to climb back up the ranks, all while dealing with a whole new work environment, the other interns, his estranged family, and a new psychic conspiracy that threatens to drown both the Psychonauts and the world. In a world of psychic espionage, there are some secrets best left buried… [b][u]Execution[/u][/b] The story was pretty great. There were multiple twists and reveals that had me eager to see what the next bend had in store. While nothing terribly new or innovative was used in the story, the execution was exquisite and I rarely felt bored. PN2 has a huge cast of new characters and continues the witty writing from PN1. However, I feel that some of them could’ve used more time in the spotlight as they quickly became background characters. Nonetheless, I really liked everyone and they all contributed something to the journey. https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2586192425 This time around, a greater emphasis is placed on mental damage and how Psychonauts can help heal people. While specific disorders and diseases aren’t directly mentioned, their inclusion helped make their owners feel like more realistic and relatable characters. Healing, growth, and connections are central themes, and PN2 does a nice job exploring them all. [h1]GAMEPLAY[/h1] [u][b]Leaps and Bounds Above the First[/b][/u] PN2 is a massive glow-up from 1. Essentially, every area has been refined and polished, making PN2 a blast to play. To start, platforming is much more engaging and challenging, mostly due to great environmental design. Often times, navigating the terrain is a puzzle in of itself. For example, trying to navigate a cave network via wall ivy, stone platforms, mine rails, and more. As a result, each new real-world zone was thrilling, with different terrain challenges and nooks and crannies to explore. Thus, you're always on an adventure, even when just wandering around the real world. I’ve spent a lot of time just wandering around the real world, scraping around for collectables and enjoying the views. In order to compliment the platforming, Raz’s powers have been refined and the game truly feels built around them. You can find challenging far jumps requiring skilled Levitation jumps and tight hovers, or use Pyrokinesis to clear areas or even create new pathways. As a result, you'll be tested on how well you can use your powers, and some interesting puzzles are made around them. Additionally, every power has combat applications to make your toolset more versatile. https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2586213472 [u][b]Fight Those Urges![/b][/u] On that note, combat is very engaging and involved. Encounters are pretty frequent, each containing multiple enemies, and most enemies take some time to put down. While they all have pretty straight-forward tactics, getting swarmed and having to counter all their strategies at once is an exhilarating feeling. Since all your powers are usable in combat, you’re free to create your own strategies for victory. Raz’s powers operate on a cooldown system, so knowing the proper time to use a power always feels rewarding. I'm pretty conflicted about most boss battles. On the one hand, their presentation and thematic mechanics are excellent. The sheer scale of the fights is amazing, and each boss feels truly personalized to the person they torment. On the other, the rule of three is heavily used, so encounters feel very scripted and rigid. Certain gimmicks are also really annoying to deal with. For example, digging specific items up to use against a boss as they attack you. All in all, I think the style outweighs the substance. [u][b]The Mental List Needs Some Cleaning Up...[/b][/u] Collectathon elements felt like they could’ve used some work. There are 5 types of collectables and their main purpose is to allow Raz to level up. However, keeping track of them all can be a hassle. The completion page bundles all the areas of a level into one page, making tracking down missing items downright painful and annoying. Likewise, since the scope of each level has been immensely increased, finding those very last collectables can easily get tedious and frustrating. For a casual playthrough, this is a minor inconvenience. For completeionism, this is a nightmare. I did a lot of collecting and exploring, so I finished in around 18-ish hours. 100% completion took around 25 hours. While the game is of moderate length, I feel the ride was enough to justify the price. There's also a proper free-roam mode after completing the story, which is a very welcome addition. [h1]VISUALS[/h1] I absolutely love PN2’s visual design. Modern graphics elevate the eccentric design of the series to a new height. Mental worlds are the clear winners here, each being whimsical yet profoundly telling of their owners. While I described PN1’s worlds as “unique amusement parks”, PN2’s all feel like different planets due to their wildly different themes, scales, gimmicks, and more. The visual design is marvelously done and I found myself enraptured in quite a few. https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2586234920 Character designs for the series are rather unique, taking a 3D approach to cartoony designs. Admittedly, some designs look a bit strange, but the sheer diversity helps create memorable characters. Overall animation quality is pretty good, aside from clipping and lip synch issues distracting during certain cutscenes and talking segments. [h1]AUDIO[/h1] The soundtrack really hits all the right notes while playing. From nostalgic remixes of PN1 tracks to new and emotional ones, I always had a smile on my face when taking in the music. Many original voice actors also reprise their roles, which is phenomenal. Newer voices were also great as well, although some lines felt weird from a directing or quality standpoint. Sound effects were pretty solid across the board. [h1]PERFORMANCE[/h1] [quote][b]Intel i9-10850K - RTX 3080 - 32GB RAM - SATA SSD - 1440p@144Hz[/b][/quote] Overall, the Steam version ran pretty smoothly. There were some stuttering problems, but they seemed to smooth out after a while. I also experienced one "Fatal Error" crash. However, people have been reporting various other issues, so your experience may vary. A nice amount of graphical and audio options are available for tweaking. You're also offered an impressive amount of accessibility options to make the game more approachable, such as larger fonts and colorblind filters. I played with a Xbox controller and everything functioned well. You are able to rebind both controller and KBM controls. [h1]OVERALL[/h1] I am in love with what PN2 has achieved. The 16-year wait was well worth it and the product is something I feel anyone can enjoy. Practically everything is an amazing step up from the first game, and I thoroughly enjoyed the journey as a result. Replayability is a bit limited due to its linear nature, but collection completion will take a lot of time and effort in the meantime. [h1][b]8.5 / 10 SOLID RECOMMENDATION[/b][/h1]