Psychonauts 2
The game that’s winning our Xbox award this year was a long time coming for Double Fine.Psychonauts 2has been in development for years, andan idea in the team’s head for even longer.
Yet through theFig fundingandMicrosoft acquisition, we’re here now in 2021 to seePsychonauts 2out and available. The return of Raz, it seems, did not disappoint.Psychonauts 2is Destructoid’s pick for Best Xbox Game of 2021.
We saw a lot of platformer influence in the year 2021. Mario experimented with some new concepts while taking onBowser’s Fury; Ratchet and Clank took on a new, PlayStation 5-exclusive adventure; and other games like co-op adventureIt Takes Twoseemed to borrow influences from the days of PS2 character-platformers.Psychonauts 2, in some ways, seems like a return to those days.
Yet as Zoey wrote inour reviewofPsychonauts 2, the balance of platformer, story, and exploration is much more finely tuned in the sequel than its predecessor. It’s dives into the psyche were still what you might expect out ofPsychonauts, yetPsychonauts 2venturesdeeper into concepts of mental healthand the backstory of his family.
Couple inPsychonauts‘ penchant for brain-warping, mind-twisting visuals and level design that’s hard to find anywhere else, and it’s not hard to see whyPsychonauts 2left a lingering mark on the Destructoid crew.
It also feels like recognition, in a way, of a new step in Double Fine’s legacy. Tim Schafer’s studio has been behind some beloved games in the past, and with the backing of a publisher like Microsoft, was able to create a newPsychonautsthat did, somehow, live up the original. Now, it seems like the future’s bright for more adventures from that crew, as it looks ahead to new projects it can tackle.
The2021 Xbox lineup had some good variety. There’s the green-suited supersoldier who sadly launched a little too late for eligibility. The many cars and vehicular destruction of theHorizonFestival. And so, so many Game Pass games. YetPsychonauts 2blends clever platforming, mind-bending levels, and charming story all into one package that we just couldn’t seem to get out of our heads.
