During the Psychonauts 2 test, we are surprised more than once at all that is in this masterpiece: open world, crazy ideas, AAA polish.
A game like Psychonauts 2 shouldn’t really exist.
Because it’s the sequel to a 16-year-old game that wasn’t a huge commercial success despite top ratings at launch. Psychonauts 2 is a 3D platformer in which you hop and climb like you did in the PlayStation 2’s best days – but these days, aside from Nintendo’s Super Mario series or the recent PS5 adventure Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, the genre is all but extinct.
Psychonauts 2 is also a pure single-player title that relies fully on its story campaign. No multiplayer, no microtransactions, no live service – yes, even that is worth a special mention in this day and age. And it is precisely this almost old-fashioned concept that Microsoft, of all people, has invested a significant budget of millions in by buying developer Double Fine.
The result is a game whose designers were able to let off steam creatively. It’s packed with unusual ideas, wacky jokes and “Oh no, how cool is that?” moments. In the test, Psychonauts 2 surprised, delighted and made us laugh time and again.
But like its predecessor, the game has a problem: not every player will get into Psychonauts 2 in the same way. You have to be able to get involved with the scenario of weird journeys into the brains of strange characters, come to terms with the (technically excellently realised) graphic style and have a soft spot for offbeat humour. Clearly, Psychonauts 2 is not mainstream.
But Psychonauts 2 has an ace up its sleeve that its predecessor lacked: It will not only be released on Steam and the Microsoft Store on 25 August 2021, but will also be available as a quasi-free download on Xbox Game Pass.
