#Psychonauts 2 loboto figments series#

There's an extended conversation with another aspiring Psychonaut about pancakes that had me chuckling for about five minutes straight. I should point out that Psychonauts 2 is an extremely funny game, filled with zingers and witty exchanges and some brilliantly funny incidental dialogue. Like the first game, Psychonauts 2 mostly avoids referencing specific psychological conditions, but it nonetheless deals in some heavy themes, such as grief and alcoholism. But my favourite sees Raz slowly awaken a 'spare brain' back into consciousness, transforming a dark and empty void into a motley psychedelic panorama, as Raz reunites the brain sensory organs for a rocking comeback concert.Įvery level is like this, a precisely choreographed story-space, where visuals cues and snippets of dialogue let you piece together events in your own mind the trials and tribulations that each mind carries with it. Each is a delightful surprise in and of itself, so I don't really want to spoil them. What follows is not a mental spy thriller, but a story of regret, compassion, and healing, all of which is empathetically told through some of the most brilliantly designed levels I've played in ages. Here, Raz is tasked with rooting out a mole in the Psychonauts, which he must do by exploring the minds of the agency's original founders. After the intro, Raz & co return to Psychonauts HQ, the sequel's new and sparkly hub. Psychonauts 2's levels are the game's main storytelling device, and I don't mean that they have graffiti written on the walls of the various braincases you explore. These adjustments are important beyond simply making the game easier to enjoy. Even if you do get stuck, the game provides a wealth of accessibility options that can not only reduce the game's difficulty, but nullify it completely. Weight-bearing 'Mental regrets' are weak to psi-blasts, for example, while 'Bad Ideas' can have their explosive lightbulbs tossed back at them using Telekinesis. Combat works in a similar way, with each enemy having a vulnerability to specific powers. The platforming is engaging without being frustrating, mostly relying on you picking the right psi-power for the job, using Pyrokinesis to burn through obstacles, and slowing down spinning platforms with Raz's new 'time-slowing ability'. Even Psychonauts' many collectibles, the figments and the emotional baggage, are all brought back in the sequel.Īs with the magnificently updated art, however, Psychonauts 2 carefully refines these elements. The acrobatic platforming, the various psi-abilities such as Raz's wonderful levitation ability where he rolls on a ball of mental energy.

Nearly all the mechanics from the first game return. It's a marvellous mental aperitif, but perhaps the most surprising thing about the opening is how similar Psychonauts 2 plays to its predecessor.

As Raz plumbs the depths of Loboto's decidedly dental mindscape, he dashes across carpets of sticky gums, battles literal tooth fairies, and unzips doors made of teeth. It's also as amusing as it is disgusting. It's a propulsive introduction that encapsulates the sequel's markedly improved pacing, taking minutes to teach you the core mechanics which the original unveiled over hours. Here, initiate Psychonaut Razputin takes part in an elaborate mind-heist to discover who hired Doctor Loboto and set him on this scheme to abduct the agency's top brass.

Psychonauts 2 kicks off exactly where you'd expect, inside the mind of a deranged dentist who kidnapped the leader of the Psychonauts. It's also far more than a mere sequel to Psychonauts. It's a masterful mashup of old and new ideas, and features some of the best level design I've witnessed all year. Double Fine's sequel brings back everything that was great about the original, while fixing everything that wasn't. So it's a great relief to say that Psychonauts 2 is all milk and no meat. For every level like the Milkman Conspiracy, a hilarious and mind-bending journey through a paranoid milkman's brain-space, there was a level like the Meat Circus, a frustrating and poorly paced platforming nightmare that made you want to rip out your own skull and throw it out the window. The original Psychonauts is one of the most charming and imaginative 3D platformers ever made, but it's also a game that rode said charm over some significant problems.

#Psychonauts 2 loboto figments series#

Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, Xbox One