When Pizza Tower is at it's best, or rather, when my enjoyment of it was at its peak, it soars above contemporary and past platformers with a charm and energy that rivals anything the big developers have ever made. The visuals are gorgeous, every sprite, animation and character design is without flaw. They start out with an impossibly high standard and somehow only get more and more creative as the game progresses. The music isn't far behind, it's full of life and chaos, capable of both blending into the background and vibrating in your face when it's time to run. And the movement, oh baby, it's so buttery smooth and cohesive. During the last few levels I had more fun than I've ever had in a platformer.

However. Pizza Tower is not a game that gives up its smoothness without a fight. It requires a level of speed and reflex only possible with training, and it takes a while, maybe 5-6 levels, before I reached a point where I didn't have to wrestle every bit of fun out of the levels. The visuals, for all their zany glory, make everything a little hard to keep track of at first, and the often unassuming enemies dotted around can mess one up a LOT. This is part of the learning process though, and with every level the game feels a little kinder, your eyes and fingers catch up to Peppino's speed, slowly but surely. Towartds the end of floor 2 the game clicked for real, and from there it's pure joy.

I cannot stress enough how creative and joyful this game is. Just thinking about the ways the enemies move, or Peppino's facial expressions, or how that one level is just called 'Oh Shit', makes my heart race again and yearn for more. For the tragic thing about this game is that it's short. Very short. And given how steep the curve for enjoying the game is, it's hard not to end a playthrough without feeling like there should be more, like you're just cut off in the middle of the best part. Sure, there might be plenty of replay value in grinding each level for the highest rank, but for someone like me who doesn't find enjoyment in that, there's little more to do. I wish there was more, I would gladly have played this for twice, thrice as long. I wish I could love it fully, but there's just not enough of it to fully fill my heart.

As someone who found Reverie Under the Moonlight an awkward gaming experience from start to finish, I was halfway only playing this because I'm so deep in the series already, and I haven't played that many new games recently. My concerns were largely gameplay-oriented, as RutM struggled a lot with making its combat and traversal smooth and enjoyable, but I was pleasantly surprised by how good this game feels to play. Sure, it's simple and way too easy, but compared to the slog of yesteryear it's a breeze. The sigils make a decent foundation for experimentation, and the progression is more exciting than before. Musically the game is fine, and the visuals are also top notch, even if the insistence on giving every female character with sufficient poly count huge breasts is a little ridiculous. In general, I love how distinct the series' identity has become over the years, both in the visual and storytelling departments. I really wish the ending felt more impactful however, given how much it means worldbuilding-wise, but that aside, I was consistently entertained. The game as a whole is not gonna linger in my mind for very long, but it was fun while it lasted.

Psychonauts 2 is, as a whole, a better game than the first one. 16 years passed between the releases, and this game makes it obvious its developers paid attention to the developments in the platforming genre that occured in this timespan, while still sticking close to the visual and tonal identity of the first game. It is a much more refined experience than its predecessor, which, although it does create minor problems, is largely good.

There are multiple big leaps being taken in this game, but largest and most obvious are the visuals. While the original got by on a unique visual style in the face of limited technology, this game operates on the same level of creativity, but with modern graphics. And my oh my, is it gorgeous. Easily one of the best looking games I've played, every stage, character and little gadget look perfect. The music continues in the same vein, expanding on the identity of the original themes with some solid new tracks.

Almost as important as the technical improvements, if slightly less clear at first sight, is the thematic depth this game offers. Whereas the first game was firmly rooted in a somewhat exaggerated view of mental illnesses and how they affect people, this game presents characters with much more nuanced conflicts and troubles, and the way they interact with each other is much more compelling, if not quite as funny and endearing. What sticks out in particular is how unflinchingly nice the game is. It is uncompromising in viewing each and every person, regardless of their actions, as a human being deserving of dignity and closure. Sure, the real world is a morally grey place, but the commitment to positivity and hope leaves an extremely strong impression.

Psychonauts 2 is a game that makes vast and impressive improvements upon the first game in a few key areas, but the impact this has is unfortunately diminished a little by quite a few small annoyances, plus a few larger ones. The throughline here is memorability, or the loss thereof. While many of the levels in P1 where erratic in progression and appearance, their quirks were what made the best of them shine so much. The new game cares not as much for gimmick stages, which, for once in gaming, ends up hurting it. The edges feel sanded off, and while there are fun stages here too, none reach the same height as the best in the first game. It also doesn't help that Raz feels momentumless at times, largely caused by the more reined in Bubble powerup, and the controls in general still lag behind better platformers of the modern area.

It is somewhat rergettable that P2 ends up being only a little better than the first, because in the areas it improves upon the first game, it REALLY improves. It has a compelling and touching story with great characters and solid pacing, and though its more streamlined design results in less interesting moment-to-moment gameplay, the experience is a smooth and pleasant one, and the game surfs along pretty well overall.