Game Review: Psychonauts 2

Platforming video games are quite an underrated feature of the gaming industry. It's fair to say throughout the decades that the only real big name to represent the genre is Super Mario, who has had a multitude of side-scrolling and 3-D adventures. While I enjoy Mario quite a bit, I can't help but feel the games aren't necessarily out to redefine the landscape, as I feel Nintendo are much more inclined to keep to the status quo. There's nothing wrong with relying on the core formula, as it makes the game type really accessible to all audiences and that ensures sales numbers are the highest they can be. Every now and then though, it takes another studio and creative group of people to remind us that like any other genre, that platforming games can be so much more than safe and accessible and that is what Psychonauts 2 has fully achieved.

Developed by Double Fine Productions and published under Xbox Game Studios; it's fair to say Psychonauts 2 has had a very interesting journey from its initial inception.  Initially starting out as a kickstarter project, the game reached its campaign goal within 5 days of its 35-day fundraising stretch. Despite already having over $3.8m in donations, the game was given even more funding and support once Double Fine Productions was bought by Microsoft and added to the Xbox Studio family in 2019. The crowd funding and studio backing probably gave Tim Schafer and his team an opportunity to be as true to their vision for the sequel as possible. What we got in the end result of their journey was a title that is brimming with so much creative and imaginative ideas that it has truly realigned my perspective of the platforming genre.

Let's touch on the narrative firstly though. The story of Psychonauts 2 follows directly on from the preceding events in Psychonauts 1 and the VR experience; Rhombus of Ruin. Rasputin, the acrobatic main character who has just joined the secret agency as an intern is helping out his fellow agents in infiltrating the mind of insane ex-dentist Dr Loboto in hopes of finding out who hired him to kidnap the leader of the Psychonauts; Truman Zanotto. This mission leads them to discover a plot to bring back an old enemy of the agency in the form of Maligula; a extremely powerful psychic with the ability to call upon the wrath of the sea. The rest of the game's narrative follows Rasputin as he tries to officially graduate through the Psychonaut intern program all the while piecing together the conspiracy at Psychonaut HQ which is set to unleash Maligula upon the world once more. That's as much of a generalisation of the narrative as I can elaborate on, as I mean this when I say to explain anything else would ruin the line-up of charming and fun surprises this story has tucked away to experience.  I never expected any platformer to offer a storyline this rich and captivating but I am so glad to be proven wrong. Psychonauts 2's narrative has a lot of surprisingly mature moments and set pieces layered with the fun and humorous charm that the series was so well known for. I commend Tim Schafer and his narrative team for devising a plot that is capable of juggling so many emotional themes and concepts and deliver it in a way that feels fulfilling. It speaks volumes to me that so many platformers shy away from trying to tell an engaging story in sacrifice to the fundamental gameplay, whereas here the two works in tandem with one another.

Gameplay is the fundamental crux of any platformer, it's what keeps the player coming back for more essentially. All the smart and humorous ideas that are baked into the game's story can be found within its innate world and level design 10-fold. I was honestly blown away by the game's consistent ability to visualise and capture so many concepts relating to the mind and mental struggles in a way that felt visually recognisable while enlightening all the same. As I mentioned earlier in regards to the narrative, this is a mature game and it tackles a lot of concepts relating to the mind and our struggles with mental health in a way that feels enriching. To have these levels visualise so many deep and layered concepts in a way that feels inherent to the tone and style of the game and still offer a stacked set of levels to explore and traverse; it's the game's mightiest accomplishment in my eyes. Every single level in this game is packed with so much originality that it's a true treat to engage with. It never felt like the levels were sacrificing the platforming element with its desire to visualise distinct ideas either, I found in actuality they complemented one another. I truly wanted to explore more of these levels and find every single secret they had tucked away because it allowed me to see more of what the developers did to build these levels and project the concepts and ideas they had.

With this being a platformer, you have your standard selection of collectables to seek out as you progress through the game. Like the level design, these collectables all feel smartly put together and linked in with the ongoing theme of the mind. Figments, memory vaults, half a mind, emotional baggage; all concepts and terminologies we use in analysing our mental condition are established here as gameplay objectives in such a funny and clever manner. There's also an attempt to give Rasputin a means of getting progressively more powerful as the game develops, with the ability to upgrade skills and buy pins which can impact your abilities and skills in interesting ways. All of these are welcomed gameplay factors which help keep you feeling a progressive sense of power as you work your way through the game. There is one weak link in the gameplay for me though and that is its combat and control. As with everything else in this game, the enemy types you face are based on negative concepts we face within our own mind. Censors, Doubts, Bad Moods Panic Attacks are all negative associations that stem from our minds and in this game they are visualised as enemies with distinct attack patterns and approaches. These enemies are smartly put together, but the way in which you fight them feels rather monotonous and restrictive. I know it's a platformer first and foremost but with how imaginative and responsive this game can be, it's just a shame in terms of the controls you can't help but feel a notable sense of jankiness in fighting enemies and manoeuvring the environment. The control scheme definitely feels like the weaker element of the gameplay in light of this and while it's not enough to ruin my overall experience, it definitely felt worth noting.

Despite a small trip with the control scheme though, I don't think it's enough to stop me putting Psychonauts 2 in my collection of all-time favourite platformers. Earlier in the review I tackled the idea of platformers like Mario sticking to the status quo in an attempt to keep the series accessible to everyone. This is a fine enough concept and if it works for Mario then by all means keep that up. Where Psychonauts 2 stands above it though is by proving platformers can be more than just their gameplay. They can tell visual stories which feel mature and all around insightful.  They can layer that narrative into a world and level collection that accommodates it beautifully. This game accomplishes so much in its writing and world design that it's truly made me look at the platforming genre in a much more appreciative light. I commend the work of Double Fine Productions with Psychonauts 2 immensely and I look forward to seeing what future projects they have in store for us.