Psychonauts 2

Psychonauts 2 handles its themes with a deft and gentle hand, nails its humour, and is great to play to boot. It's a game of the year contender.

It's honestly astounding how incredible Psychonauts 2 is. After 16 years, the expectations for the sequel were so high it felt as though they were impossible to meet. We don't know how they did it, but the wizards at Double Fine not only met them but smashed through them with ease. Psychonauts 2 is an extraordinary achievement in both its gameplay and storytelling, balancing heavy themes of mental health with its whimsical world. In lesser hands, it could have been a disaster, but the team has taken every aspect of the original game, built upon it and respected the fanbase in the process. Psyc...

Aside from the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, I don’t remember a lot about 2005. But I do recall playing Psychonauts, Double Fine’s groundbreaking action puzzle platform game with its weird, trippy visuals, quirky sense of humor, and unique take on the human mind. Playing it today Psychonauts remains a game with more ambition and heart than mechanical polish, but it literally set the stage for Psychonauts 2, where all the wondrous, challenging and creative ideas of the original are more than fully realized.

Psychonauts 2 is a brilliant, thoughtful sequel and one of the most creative experiences of the last generation.

Psychonauts 2 does more than just fill the shoes of its beloved quirky predecessor, it sets itself apart as a classic in its own right.

After 16 years of waiting, Psychonauts 2 more than makes up for lost time. It's a glorious return for the franchise, one that should keep existing fans happy while being perfectly welcoming for new players.

Jump for joy, sorrow, regrets and more in Psychonauts 2.

That said, the most gratifying part of summing up Psychonauts' worth is that its good points are simply so exceptional that they almost drown out most of the grumbles you might have about this level or that jump. By the time you've had the chance to get some distance upon finishing the game you'll begin appreciate that - on balance - it's such a thoroughly, intensely enjoyable experience for the vast majority of the time that you want the whole world to experience what is easily the funniest, and therefore most fun game of the year, or any other year. But if you're honest about it, you'll also...

“Empathetic storytelling and mind-bending level design make Psychonauts 2 a worthy follow-up to one of gaming's great cult classics.”

You might groan and grumble as Razputin messes up yet another jump, but as Psychonauts 2 progresses, unravelling yet another spectacular world for you to explore, you’ll likely forget about any frustrations. This is a brilliantly designed game, and it’s clear a huge amount of ingenuity has gone into its creation. Whether you’re battling hand-puppets, talking to a papercraft William Shakespeare or gambling inside a maternity ward (no, really), one thing is for sure: you’re going to have a lot of fun playing Psychonauts 2.

Psychonauts 2 is an imaginative platforming experience and a great narrative-driven game that is unfortunately marred by a few technical issues.

Raz is finally back in the long-awaited sequel from Double Fine and good news: It's good!