If gameplay was to hold the game by its own, this would be a mediocre game at best. But joined with the great art direction, funny writing, off the wall ideas and great soundscape it becomes a good show of just how well things going together can create something great. Compared to the first game, I feel some of the weirder ideas may have been scrapped, while still leaving a wonderfully surreal and entertaining game. Gameplay is a bit better than the first I believe, but never really all that challenging, neither platforming or combat wise. It works well enough, and seeing the same enemy (Censors) with different costumes just adds that little flourish which keeps it interesting. And thankfully never overstays its welcome either. The game took me around 17 hours to finish, picking up a bunch of stuff but leaving plenty to go back and hunt for. And in all, the funny writing, good sound design and clever imaginative artwork and concepts will have me coming back for a replay, of that I'm sure.

Psychonauts 2 was a wonderful experience of a game. At first when I was playing, I didn’t really like it cause I felt like our main character Raz was an idiot. I carried on though, knowing that Tim Schafer, the creator and writer of the last game, was the only writer for Psychonauts 2. The entire game to me feels like a masterpiece. From beginning to end, it was set piece after set piece and I love that, especially when there’s a good story involved. There’s just so much good in this game. So much fun and so much care in every corner that you look. There's a pin section now where you can buy upgrades. I felt the pin upgrades were pretty cool but you can only use 3 which sucks. I felt that there wasn’t enough buttons to use the other skills. Like, I wish I could have binded some on the d-pad. In my opinion, I always hated the collectathon aspect to the game. There’s too many images to collect and too many keys and bags to collect and find. It’s a waste of time to do. There were many times when I missed some and couldn’t go back which means, after I’m done the entire world, I would have to go to the level with the collective conscious, then go into that level, talk to some yellow dude cause some levels are blocked, so you have to backtrack back to the yellow dude and go to another part of the level. I think this game is a masterpiece and I think it’s better than the first game. I still like the first game but it’s a very slow game, this game however is very casual and it flows really well. I remember there were certain sections of the game that made me feel nostalgic and full of wonder, and made me feel like the game had a magical quality to it, like this was what I felt like games were when I was a kid and that’s really cool. I would love to see another psychonauts game. I think the game is worth the price. Oh and I should say, the game crashed on me 3 or 4 times when playing. This never happened when I used a different version of the game.

(Deutsch am Ende) I've played the first game a lot but never after Psychonauts 2 came out, so my memories may not be too accurate on that. Anyway, let's dive into Psychonauts 2: - I think the controls have improved. Also there is definately no "meat circus" in here - The world feels bigger and still is packed with lots of charming details you probably wouldn't notice all at your first run. - The story is more elaborated. Still it's not a playable movie (as some clain) - The graphics obviously improved and are really nice here and there (e.g. the moth or Raz' helmet - As with many games in the last years you have more freedom in the upgrade system compared to part one (now you can choose, what to upgrade next). ... since most people landing here know the first game anyway I'll stop here with an conclusion: For me Psychonauts is mainly more of the same but in a good way. Some abilities are back, some are new, the levels are creative and as I mentioned there are lots of interesting or funny details. Also the story is not too predictable and has quite some depth to it. Being similar to the first game also means that this is not groundbreaking gameplay wise. My favorite part is the exploration, which seems even better in this one. As with collectables: I enjoyed it more than with other games. Also you should get enough upgrade points, even if you don't want to invest too much time in searching. Deutsch: Psychonauts 2 ist ein würdiger Nachfolger. In das Spiel ist viel Herzblut geflossen. Manche Ideen (z.B. Schnitzeljagt) und Fähigkeiten (z.B. Clairvoyance) wurden übernommen, andere sind neu (z.B. Mentale Verbindung). Die Story finde ich besser als in Teil 1, die Level gleichwertig. Es gibt viel zu sammeln, muss man aber selten um weiterzukommen. Richtig schwer ist das Spiel nie. Wer skeptisch ist, schaut Videos (oder testet erstmal im Gamepass an). Trotz eher solidem Gameplay bin ich jedenfalls begeistert.

An excellent follow-up, this takes the wild, imaginative worlds of the original Psychonauts and brings them to you with increased graphical fidelity; this is the kind of visual design more modern games need! This isn't a gritty, colorless wasteland; and it isn't the old grasslands, desert, jungle, forest, fire world, ice world, boss; it's all kinds of creative worlds with their own look, feel, and rules. The gameplay has been tightened up a lot, too; it's not nearly as janky as the original. There are some nice updates, too, like the teleport menu showing you which areas are 100% clear, so you have a better idea of where to go looking. Collectibles are easier to find, as well; not only is the increased draw distance able to show you items very far away, but the figments don't just completely vanish anymore. There's more story this time, and it's not bad; it has some interesting twists that might be a little hokey, but it does some really cool things with them. It does have some moments that are uncharacteristically serious and wholesome for a Psychonauts game, but overall, the story and characters are pretty good. Sure, a lot of the new characters are total jerks at first, but most of them did really grow on me as the adventure went on. Sam is best girl. I highly recommend this to anyone; like with the original, I'm not the biggest 3D Platformer fan, especially with lots of collectibles, but this absolutely transcends that.

I feel like anyone who enjoyed the original game is highly likely to enjoy this sequel. It builds on the original in almost every way, without straying so far as to feel like a departure from the original game. I didn't back this game, nor did I pay the full price on launch for it. I waited for a sale because I have a strong emotional connection to the original, and with such a gap of time I wasn't at all sure this would take things in a direction that could compete with my fond memories of the original. I was wrong about that. Its heart is bigger, and the writing wittier. Mechanically it's still chaotic, but that is nothing new for either the franchise, or the developer's catalogue as a whole. So while it's not for everyone, I feel like it is absolutely a must play for anyone who has fond memories of the first game.