After parting ways with Xbox, I pray that Double Fine is working on more
games like Psychonauts 2 one of the best platformers since Super Mario Odyssey

Date:
Sat, 24 Oct 2026 19:00:00 +0000

I'm finally jumping into Psychonauts 2 one of the best platformers since Super Mario Odyssey -- There are few studios I respect more
in the gaming world than Double Fine. Founded by industry legend Tim
Schafer way back in July 2000, the mastermind behind adventure game classics like Grim Fandango and Full Throttle has spent the past 26 years making a range of games that have you doing everything from jumping into peoples
brains to becoming a rock legend to using Russian dolls to solve puzzles.

Every single thing this developer creates is so unique, and none more so than Psychonauts 2 . And I love this delightfully unorthodox platformer not
just because of its excellent characters and imaginative level design, but also because of the hard journey it went on to see the light of day after six long years of development. Now I consider most video games a miracle, but not all video games have a 23+ hour documentary showing exactly how they were
made and all the things people sacrificed to make them so special.

You owe it to yourself to watch it, more so now that Double Fine has parted ways with Microsoft and is yet again stepping into the world as an
independent studio with so much left to give. Enough about that for now, though; let us touch on everything that makes Psychonauts 2 such a
masterpiece now that Ive hit the credits for the first time.

The concept of being able to read the
minds of those around you and even jump into their brains to
root around sounds thrilling at first, but I bet it doesnt take long before you stumble across mountains of trauma and terrible opinions.

But what if you could change people by delving deep into their subconscious and pulling on a few strings? Thats exactly what our hero Razputin "Raz" Aquato must do as a newly minted member of the Psychonauts, who also happens to come from a family of eccentric circus performers who are horrendously allergic to water. That explains the gaudy green skin and penchant for 3D platforming.

Psychonauts 2 starts incredibly strong as youre yeeted into the head of a paranoid dentist harbouring the location of a long-lost psychic supervillain. If youre afraid of rotting teeth or the idea of someone rooting around in
your chompers with sharp objects, this level totally isnt for you, but goodness me, is it gorgeous.

Im filled with a feeling of proud disgust as I grasp onto a zipper of teeth using my telekinesis, only to pull it down to reveal a new area, while bouncing across a squishy yet jagged mixture of gums and teeth resembles a video game equivalent of a SpongeBob SquarePants close-up gag.

Its gross, needlessly detailed, yet instantly endearing.

Thankfully, the remaining levels in Psychonauts 2 are equally as impressive but dont make you want to lose your lunch. Ill never forget helping a brain
in a jar regain his physical form by reuniting his senses, who almost happen to play in a rock band pulled straight from the psychedelic 1960s, or the Casino Hospital, where sentient syringes are rolling the dice to try and have a baby.

Every level is a platforming masterclass that begins with a central premise before using that foundation to offer up stellar obstacles and puzzles which are always challenging enough to feel rewarding. During my first playthrough, I became obsessed with collectibles, leaving the beaten path behind in favour of hard-to-reach areas or consistently backtracking to make sure nothing was left behind. Thats the sign of a great platformer each level is an utter joy to traverse the first time round before evolving into a familiar playground awash with secrets. Beyond how good Psychonauts 2 can
feel to play, its the writing and characters that occupy
this platformer that help it rise to another echelon of greatness. Raz may be a psychic hero, but hes also a naive little kid with so much left to learn about the world, which makes having to constantly fix the mistakes made by adults around him a smidge awkward.

This acts as an effective springboard for Schafer and his team to tell
nuanced stories surrounding issues like alcoholism, depression, grief, and what it means to be human . The game world is held up by eccentric psychic realism, but the way it narratively expresses itself couldnt be more real if it tried.

Throughout its seven-year tenure with Xbox, Double Fine never managed to release another game of this magnitude as it opted for smaller, more experimental titles like Kiln and Keeper . But Ive no doubt that Schafer is currently hard at work on a new project as creative director or project lead, whether this ends up being a new IP or a sequel to something fans love.

Its the sort of experience it will need to produce in order to succeed as an independent studio in todays climate, where even a single failed project can usher in a studios sudden demise. Its enduring history and legions of
hardcore fans sadly dont make it immune to this fate.

Platformers of this depth and caliber are hard to come by these days Im not saying I want Psychonauts 3 although that would be lovely but the medium would be far darker if Double Fine stopped creating games like the idiosyncratic platformer.

It offers so much heart, so much purpose, and showcases what video games are capable of outside of chasing trends and retreading nostalgic old ground. We simply dont have nearly enough experiences like it in the modern era, so hopefully Double Fines current Amnesia Fortnight campaign will produce something just as spectacular.

Platformers of this depth and caliber are hard to come by these days unless youre being made by Nintendo, so if youre after an emotionally satisfying adventure that will stay with you for years to come, I cant recommend Psychonauts 2 enough. Oh, and be sure to give the documentary a watch as
well. If we make enough noise, maybe well be crowdfunding the third game sooner than we think.

- From https://www.techradar.com/gaming

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