TESTED GAMES
XSX, XB1, PS4, PC / doublefine.com
Psychonauts 2
The original Psychonauts offered a genuinely interesting story that wasn’t just about saving the princess or the world, or collecting a hundred MacGuffins. Here’s why its sequel is a timely one…
direct sequel set only a few days after the first game, Psychonauts 2 is keen to catch you up on everything that happened to little Raz prior to his graduation to become a member of the elite Psychonauts. The story sees Raz investigating both the secret group and his own circus-performing family, and often diverts you off course with new areas to explore and side-quests to tackle. While that might interrupt the pacing, you will find yourself in plenty of fascinating scenarios,
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like navigating a giant pachinko machine or taking part in a bizarre cooking show. But as was the case with the first game, this one’s at its best when exploring other characters’ minds, with each mental world having a different theme; this has allowed for imaginative level design with vastly diverse art styles. Combat is the weakest element: it’s often somewhat scrappy, with a lock-on that can be more of a hindrance than a help when you’re occasionally mobbed from all
directions. But anyone who hasn’t signed up for a challenging game can opt to toggle to invincibility mode at any time (at the very least we recommend turning off fall damage). Still, if we’re going to talk about accessibility, Psychonauts 2 could have done more to provide hints or ease your navigation, such as prompts when you’re stuck at a puzzle because you don’t have the right power equipped. Still, any minor annoyances are far outweighed by the game’s
generosity, including the chance to revisit past mental worlds. Its physical and intangible realms are both full of warmth and humour – just be prepared for plenty of puns. This isn’t a game about heroes fixing people or defeating villains so much as it is about recognising our own flaws and how dark thoughts exist within everyone, and it treats the player’s own journey of mental wellbeing with patience and empathy. So nothing like Twitter, then.
STUFF SAYS A story that brims with imagination while also addressing very real issues ★★★★★ 64
