izigame.me

A lateral move on one of the best games ever creates another of the best games ever, but the extent in which this feels like a distinctly different experience to the first game is really astounding to see considering both operate within the confines of a 3D platformer. This is the perfect sequel to Psychonauts 1 in a lot of ways, with how it takes what was already there and runs with it in ways just as ambitious as before, feeling completely unhindered in every idea it tries to present, only occasionally stumbling due to the sheer scope of it all. Above all though, it feels as if the core of this game and the reason it works so perfectly, is because it's the sort of game that really could only exist in the context that it did, an experience shaped by the developers having had such a long gap, so much more time to experience life and grow in ways that would ultimately shape the emotional core of the game as a whole.
Everything still feels familiar, yet undoubtedly different, there's more weight placed upon the nature of the Psychonauts as a whole, more on the internal worlds of each of these characters, and the nuance behind them all. There's not this clean divide between whether someone is "good" or not as often, with a lot of characters really just being people at the end of the day, fallible people. What strikes me in particular about this is the way that these characters feel allowed to do such things without it completely forsaking all goodwill, being allowed to make mistakes, sometimes ones that are truly horrible, and allowing this to shape them, rather than writing them off as a bad person for them. The psyches of the characters feel a whole lot messier this time around, sometimes really not having a clear single goal or neat resolution in mind, being a product of so many different things all going out of control simultaneously that it's not really possible to actually neatly help in the same way as before. Not everything feels like it's being fully helped in the same way that the first game would do, instead often feeling more like Raz simply, helping people put themselves in a position where they're able to better reflect and figure things out, always putting that ultimate impetus on who he's helping. This in particular is a big way in which this game feels more “human” and generally impactful, shedding a lot of the more juvenile elements of mentality that Raz was caught up in with the first game, being placed in what feels more like the true world of the game rather than having a fun romp through a summer camp largely unimpeded.
There’s a constant sense of growth with Raz as a result, so many tendencies of his first outing being twisted into something uglier here, his same flagrant, happy go lucky approach to being helpful resulting in unpleasant outcomes time and time again, seeing him slowly morph into someone who actually feels the full weight and responsibility of the role he’s been given. When I first decided to play this, despite hearing time and time again that this was a masterpiece that could rival the first entry, I often felt a little hesitant to expect such things, especially when some people would constantly bring up things about how they “fixed” the platforming and generally made it a more polished gameplay experience. While this may be true to some degree, with a far more platforming-centric sense of design and a much lighter feel in general, toning down the insanity of some of the player’s powers to further allow it to be a balanced platforming experience rather than simply using it as a backdrop for adventure game antics. While this leads to the level design itself often seeming more conventional, these are still some of the most evocative and unique levels in a 3D platformer, full of symbolism, some of the most vivid imagery ever, and a lot of really clever, ambitious ideas that still make each stage feel wholly unique both in terms of how the player utilises their core verbs and the unique mechanics that culminate in left turn after left turn. The combat similarly finds itself having been polished up and expanded as well, in ways that ultimately don’t stop it from feeling like the least compelling aspect of the game, but still including enough variety to it to make it feel as if there’s a little more going on this time around, with many of the PSI powers you have getting more blatant use within combat as well.
I’m also thoroughly charmed by basically every character or visual thing the game tries doing, with almost every character giving me the knee jerk reaction of “this one might be my favourite (though the best one is Sam)” and this constant sense of wonder bombarding me all the time. There’s such power in some of these ideas as well, the game hitting me with multiple moments that started making me tear up before smacking me in the side of the head with some tremendously stupid, yet funny jokes at the drop of a hat, but doing it so, so smoothly as well, feeling downright seamless. The hub worlds are also rather good this time around, as while nothing here will quite match the sense of pure wonder I experienced with exploring the boundaries of Camp Whispering Rock, especially since the design this time around feels more deliberate in nature, I nonetheless found myself absolutely enthralled by some of these locations as well. The Questionable Zone especially stands out in the way that it perfectly replicates the vibe of a beautiful area marred by ramshackle tourist attractions that promptly went out of business, also filling itself with a seemingly endless amount of cute little platforming challenges, just breakable enough to really let it feel as if you’re still able to turn the world into your playground, even if not to the same extent as the geometry of 1 would allow for.
As a whole this really is a game I consider to be at least on par with the first, as while I still find the sensibilities of the first game to appeal to me a lot more, this really fires off on all cylinders in a way that feels like a genuine miracle. To have a game such as this not only gain enough of a following for a sequel to be made, but for it to feel like it didn’t have to compromise on any front whatsoever is absolutely beautiful, with its unending ambition seeping through every seam. The sort of game that gives you hope for the future of the medium, something where its existence is already enough to be a wondrous occasion, only to be met with one of the best games to have existed.
10/10