EU copy played on a Xbox One X.
Psychonauts 2 is almost a perfect sequel to a much beloved cult-classic. It picks up both story and gameplay immediately from where its predecessor ended and greatly expands upon its lore and design.
The art direction still feels pitch-perfect in its execution, with the oddly-proportioned characters maintaining their charm even with the higher poly counts in their models, and the environments focused again on 1960s pop art and mod. Level design feels as zany as ever with a wealth of imaginative minds to explore while the soundtrack (composed by the returning Peter McConnell) ranges from eery oddness to psychedelic prog rock and beyond.
The story starts off strong and wobbles a bit towards the end, not quite fulfilling as great an emotional ending as I would have liked due to the earlier strong character work, but all in all it was a satisfying narrative.
Playing on an Xbox One X, the load times were frustrating at times (up to roughly 30 seconds on some instances) and there were a few gameplay stutters and animation problems, but I imagine those last two points can get ironed out in a future patch.
Psychonauts 2 is an easy recommend from me - it's fun and trippy gameplay is just as engrossing as the original and it's the perfect example of a AA game that offers enough to the player while not requiring the super high budgets to be worth its entry fee. I purchased it from the Xbox store but is also available on PSN and Steam as well as through Gamepass since Double Fine is now part of the Xbox Game Studios brand.
Psychonauts 2 is almost a perfect sequel to a much beloved cult-classic. It picks up both story and gameplay immediately from where its predecessor ended and greatly expands upon its lore and design.
The art direction still feels pitch-perfect in its execution, with the oddly-proportioned characters maintaining their charm even with the higher poly counts in their models, and the environments focused again on 1960s pop art and mod. Level design feels as zany as ever with a wealth of imaginative minds to explore while the soundtrack (composed by the returning Peter McConnell) ranges from eery oddness to psychedelic prog rock and beyond.
The story starts off strong and wobbles a bit towards the end, not quite fulfilling as great an emotional ending as I would have liked due to the earlier strong character work, but all in all it was a satisfying narrative.
Playing on an Xbox One X, the load times were frustrating at times (up to roughly 30 seconds on some instances) and there were a few gameplay stutters and animation problems, but I imagine those last two points can get ironed out in a future patch.
Psychonauts 2 is an easy recommend from me - it's fun and trippy gameplay is just as engrossing as the original and it's the perfect example of a AA game that offers enough to the player while not requiring the super high budgets to be worth its entry fee. I purchased it from the Xbox store but is also available on PSN and Steam as well as through Gamepass since Double Fine is now part of the Xbox Game Studios brand.