The original Psychonauts was an absolute delight. It held up extremely well for a PS2 game and was brimming with unique ideas, creative artistic choices and a lot of good humour. The sequel is much the same, it is blast.

Going from one to the other, the near two decades of quality of life improvements make the act of playing Psychonauts 2 so satisfying. Where the original is clunky and showing its age visually, this gameplay is smooth as butter and the visuals are outstanding - both in their fidelity and in the actual art design.

I do have an issue with this sequel, and it's more a matter of personal opinion than concrete factual critique, so bear that in mind. I found the levels of the original game to be far more compelling. Each and every level in this game just feels like a simple idea. Slight spoiler warning for the level themes: there are things like casino, library, game show, mail room - all of which play and look great, but there just isn't that same charm. There is nothing so bold as entering the mind of a man who thinks himself to be a descendant of Napoleon Bonaparte and having to physically shrink down into a board game to help him win. Months later, I can recall every level of Psychonauts 1, but even having only just beaten it I struggle to remember everything in the sequel.

This is best showcased when comparing the two final levels of the game (although there is technically one more in Psychonauts 2 that you cannot return to and just acts as a final boss arena). In Psychonauts 1, you combine the minds of both yourself and the villain and have to overcome a nightmarish mashup of your childhood traumas - a circus and a butchery. It was genius. In Psychonauts 2, the final level is a theme park ride with cardboard cutouts that act to give exposition on the plot twist that preceded you entering that mind. Do you see what I mean?

Again, this is just personal opinion, and it's not like I don't like the levels of Pyschonauts 2 at all - this is still a great game - but in a way it lacks the same charm. The same can be said of the story in a way; it's grander in scope, more mature, but doesn't have that same vibe that I liked in the original. I still highly recommend both of these titles. They are probably my favourite 3D platformers ever.