Psychonauts 2 Reviews
Check out Psychonauts 2 Review Scores from trusted Critics below. With 42 reviews on CriticDB, Psychonauts 2 has a score of:
Psychonauts 2 brings together classic platforming, an engaging story and well realised combat in a package that feels reminiscent of the best platformers of decades past. Even better, it does this with a visual flair that’s unmatched by its contemporaries. It might be more of the same, but given how unique it is, that’s hardly a bad thing.
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Double Fine Productions’ long-awaited Psychonauts 2 is finally here, jumping straight in where the original game left off 16 years ago.
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Psychonauts 2 confuses your mind with many stylistic and narrative oddities, grabs you by the throat with a multitude of plot twists and new ideas, and at the very end catches your heart with the warmth and moral of the story. Psychedelic body frenzy, that's what.
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“Empathetic storytelling and mind-bending level design make Psychonauts 2 a worthy follow-up to one of gaming's great cult classics.”
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Double Fine’s Psychonauts first captured our attention and our hearts back when it released in 2005. Many fans (myself included) just couldn’t get enough of plucky Razputin Aquato or his quirky classmates and professors at the Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp. Psychonauts brought us a 3D platforming adventure unlike any other, with creativity and humor seeping out of every pore. Fans were ravenous for more mind-bending action and thought a sequel would be in the works right away. Well,...
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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.
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A sequel that was worth the 16-year wait. Just don't make us wait that long for another one.
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Psychonauts 2 isn’t necessarily longer than the original – we spent some 14 hours beating the main story, with plenty of collectibles left to discover – but it’s bigger and better in just about every way imaginable. It’s also more considerate and discusses mental health with more empathy than its predecessor did, but never at a detriment to its puntastic dialogue and humor.
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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.
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In this way, Psychonauts 2 is absolutely everything it should be. It does not do everything perfectly, but it builds on what fans loved about the first Psychonauts in a way that keeps the spirit of the series alive and well.
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The sequel, by definition, cannot pack the same shock, but it arrives bearing new gifts.
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We may have been waiting a decade and a half for a sequel, but Double Fine’s efforts haven’t been in vain - Psychonauts 2 is an energetic, imaginative, and excellent 3D platformer, with brains and heart to spare.
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It’s wild to think how many years of development are here in this game, but the end product is undeniably polished and top-to-bottom good gaming. The dialogue is well-written and delivered, the story is riveting throughout, and the use of platforming and powers to traverse a vast variety of funny, ridiculous, and sometimes disturbing mental worlds is fantastically solid. It feels like the doors are open for more in this universe, and that prospect is exciting, but if there isn’t another Psychonauts game ever, then I feel confident in saying Double Fine did right by this series with Psychonauts 2.
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A decade and a half on from the original, Psychonauts 2 is a worthy successor to Double Fine's cult classic. The platforming and combat gameplay is tighter, the world design is as varied and inventive as ever, and while the story is full of twists, turns and comedic moment, there's also a wonderful sense of empathy and tenderness throughout. Simply put, Psychonauts 2 has been worth the wait.
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Psychonauts 2 shines by delivering an absurd amount of creativity to the player. The story is filled with heart. The gameplay is smooth and fun. The character cast and the environments show incredible diversity throughout the entire experience. The next brain you’ll visit will always be more even more creative than the last, and the game does all that while also being absolutely gorgeous to look at.
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Psychonauts 2 is an imaginative platforming experience and a great narrative-driven game that is unfortunately marred by a few technical issues.
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Sadly, the game initially bombed when it first released in 2005 as an exclusive for the original Xbox, and could have easily been swept away with other platforming also-rans (remember Blinx: The Time Sweeper or Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee, anyone?). But it had far more going for it thanks to its unusual art style that was less Pixar, more Laika, with a genuinely interesting story that wasn’t just about saving the princess, the world, or collecting a hundred MacGuffins.
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Platformers are a genre Microsoft has struggled with for years, never getting the same clout in the space as Sony or Nintendo. So while Psychonauts 2 is available on PlayStation consoles, Microsoft is lucky to have a hallmark platformer in its game lineup finally and should support Double Fine with whatever outlandish idea the developer has next.
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A rare sequel that improves on the original in every meaningful way. It's packed to the brim with beautiful worlds and surprising interactions, and its colourful cast is equal parts funny, believable, and sympathetic. Double Fine is rarely wide of the mark, but this time it hit the bullseye.
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There’s an aspect of the spy genre that only exists in contemporary audiences through parody and homage. It's wacky and off-kilter, filled with curved plastic, and hard to define outside of its aesthetic because that is what most of the caricatures focus on. The Incredibles was perhaps the first introduction of this retro-futuristic style for many, but Psychonauts launched just a year later, and a cult following appeared in its wake. It's been sixteen years now and, at long last, we finally have the sequel.
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Psychonauts 2 is the perfect sequel. It builds on everything the original game was while adding its own unique spin on gameplay and story. The overworld is a joy to explore and the levels are more stylish and dazzling than ever before with fantastic controls. It’s a fantastic experience that will stick with you, and has a ton to see and do.
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A tour de force of sumptuous visuals and world-class game design come together for a truly impressive feast for the senses. Psychonauts 2 is a must-play title for fans and newcomers alike.
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It's been 16 years and we finally have a sequel to the cult classic 3D platformer Psychonauts so get your brain ready for an epic trip.
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Whenever Raz enters someone’s mind in Psychonauts 2, he asks for their consent beforehand. In the one instance in which he doesn’t, he dives into the mind of the Psychonaut’s second-in-command Hollis Forsythe. He swiftly learns that this unsolicited meddling can cause terrible damage to the recipient; Hollis warns him that their job isn’t to quickly “fix” people but to help them tackle their demons on their own terms. She forgives him, understands the reasons behind his mistake, and offers him a second chance. And that’s Psychonauts in a nutshell; those working through mental health issues require patience and understanding...
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Psychonauts 2 captures the spirit of '90s cartoons and channels it into an imaginative, inventive adventure that never fails to find heart and humor in every one of its consciousness-expanding encounters.
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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.
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Raz is finally back in the long-awaited sequel from Double Fine and good news: It's good!
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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.
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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.
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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...
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Psychonauts 2's top-notch writing and storytelling combined with its colorful and wacky worlds to explore makes it one of the best platformers to come out since, well, the original game!
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Psychonauts 2 is bigger, better, and more ambitious than its predecessor in every way imaginable.
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A great sequel that is just as surreal and imaginative as the original and manages to be both a silly comedy platformer and a surprisingly affecting character study of regret and lost love.
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Anyone that was a fan of the original game will likely love Psychonauts 2, as it improves on everything that made the first game great. But newcomers should also make it a point to check the game out, as it's a phenomenal 3D platformer and a Game of the Year contender. And while it's worth every penny, Psychonauts 2 is also on Xbox Game Pass thanks to Microsoft's acquisition of Double Fine, so anyone interested can try it out without making a big financial commitment.
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Over 16 years have passed between Psychonauts games, but not much time has elapsed for protagonist Razputin “Raz” Aquato. His scratchy, high-pitched voice still screams of youthful inexperience, and his actions almost always show an eagerness to learn.
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Psychonauts 2 is exactly what I was hoping for in a follow-up. Double Fine has smartly refined its unique brand of platforming adventure while greatly expanding its narrative qualities. Plus, it's an absolute treat for the eyes and ears. This is how you do a sequel.
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Almost perfect if not for the nitty-gritty. If it’s quite there but not enough to push the boundaries, it’s still an awesome game.
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I didn’t grow up playing Psychonauts. The original game came out in 2005, but I didn’t play it until 2021, a few months before I knew I’d be writing this very review. I thought the original game was fine: an interesting platformer with some great ideas, but with controls and a camera that are frustrating by today’s standards, and a well-intentioned story about mental health that resorts to reductive Hollywood-esque stereotypes a bit too much for my liking. It’s a product of its time.
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Psychonauts 2 is a brilliant, thoughtful sequel and one of the most creative experiences of the last generation.
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It feels dirty to say “no” to new Psychonauts, but Rhombus of Ruin is a half-baked attempt at wrapping up the first game’s cliffhanger bundled with some monotonous gameplay and too little content for the asking price.
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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....
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