The twentieth door on this year’s RPS Advent Calendar is very small. In fact, it’s almost small enough to attach to someone’s head, if you’re the kind of weirdo who wants to do those things.
It’s time to go on a wonderful mind trip in Psychonauts 2
Let’s come: As a kid, my favorite part about going on vacation was coming. We’re going to pull up to a little house and I don’t know what’s inside. It looks cozy and warm but feels eerie and alien – and it’s ripe for exploration. I never know what awaits around every corner, but I’m always delighted with what I find.
Psychonauts 2, the action-platform sequel to Tim Schafer’s cult 2005 film, evokes a similar sensation. It gives you some cozy platforming mechanics that you’ll know and love, and takes you into a vast expanse of creative levels you could never have imagined. As Raz jumps between different minds on his journey to reunite the Psychic Six, the team at Double Fine will introduce you to a strange and wonderful world that instantly feels at home.
The story of Psychic Six and Raz Aquato’s journey to bring them back together is told in hilarious and whimsical ways, but it’s clearly an exploration of pain, heartbreak, and pain that drags on the whole team away from each other. These issues are nuanced and delicate, but they provide a profound context that will keep you thinking for hours if you dig a little deeper. On the surface, though, Psychonauts 2 is a whimsical adventure through the human psyche that will fill you with childlike curiosity as you delve into every level.
Instead of overwhelming you with a massive skill tree that you can navigate for hours, Psychonauts 2 has a few core powers that you slowly upgrade. As you progress, each level will show you new ways to use these powers, expanding your arsenal while retaining the simple controls that make Psychonauts 2 so accessible.
Take the example of remote control capabilities. This was one of the first powers that Raz learned. In the first place, you can use it to throw objects at your enemies, a simple way to fend off the Moderators and other baddies you’ll encounter. As you start fighting bigger enemies and bosses, you’ll find yourself catching bullets in the air and throwing them back for revenge. A few hours later, you’re running around a frenetic cooking game show in which the audience is part, using electronic engineering to send them through an obstacle course rife with mountain cars. and rails. And despite the grief and sincerity of hearing the game, with every mind Raz entered, I found myself deeper and deeper into a pit of fun.
Whether it’s the unpredictable chaos of every mission or the many jokes delivered by a good cast, Psychonauts 2 is constantly inventing new ways to make me roll over with laughter. Whether it was the kind voice from other Pyschonaut interns, or the crooked ramblings from the ancient members of the Psychic Six as they recounted stories of their past, wow, I was laugh a lot.
I got through most of these quests in one weekend, so it’s all over in a flash. However, this short journey is one of the sweetest this year. Few games have left the same mark as Psychonauts 2, which presented a mix of simple mechanics and quirks around in my mind even months after the credits rolled out. Raz spends most of his time jumping in and out of different heads, but he’s stuck inside of me, imprinting on the memory of the psychedelic puzzles and the endless laughs that I fun to look back on.
Alice Bee: Psychonauts 2 manages to walk the line between her wacky humor and her emotions, and it’s impressive. Raz is a cute girl, and you really want him to be a successful agent in the field for Psychonauts. But what I miss most about playing Psychonauts 2 is the look and feel of everything.
The world your mind explores is amazing. It feels like on every level the designers tried to think completely outside the box, throw every quirky idea to the limits of their imagination against the wall, and then pack it all in. inside a box (namely: the black box that makes everything that appears on my screen) to create a cohesive experience. The levels are oversaturated, with colors, design flourishes, new ideas. It’s enough to make your own gray mind feel inadequate.
Can’t choose my favorite level. Is it the place where a town in a tidal wave is imagined as hairs swept across a barbershop floor? The magical wonderland of Submarine yellow of eyes and flowers? Library full of 2D paper characters come to life? Or maybe a dentist’s office with walls of teeth and flesh? Oh no, it must be a garden filled with bottles of wine? And there’s the neon-lit hospital casino…
Katharine: To be honest, I still feel shivers.
